With GATT Near, MATIC '94 Could Be Springboard for U.S. Processors
When MATIC-the International Exhibition of Equipment and Technology for the Meat Industry-last convened in October 1992, tensions were high and optimism was low.
Negotiators for the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade were at a seemingly endless impasse over subsidies. Little hope was given for an agreement, a trade war between the United States and Western Europe was called "inevitable," and each side was blaming each other.
But almost two years later, a different atmosphere prevails-anticipation has replaced pessimism. An agreement has been reached, and if Congress approves it, U.S. agriculture, including meat, could see an annual trade surplus of more than $5 trillion in the next decade. It is in this mood that MATIC '94 will be held Oct. 24 to 28 in Paris' Port de Versailles convention center.
Meat processors have several reasons to attend:
-- More than 160 meat industry equipment suppliers will display their wares on the MATIC floor. Exhibitors will show a wide range of equipment, technology and services specifically for the beef, pork, and poultry sectors.
-- Processors can make contact with their European Union colleagues, as well as with industry representatives from Eastern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Cultivating contacts in Europe has become crucial for staying competitive in a global market. The EU is bringing increased demand for foreign products along with greatly simplified business practice, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
-- MATIC organizers have joined forces with other food sectors-SIEL, the International Dairy Equipment Exhibition, and GIA, the International Exhibition of Equipment for the Food and Beverage Industry-to create the International Food Manufacturing Week, Europe's largest food industry event. The combined shows expect to attract more than 1,500 suppliers from 23 nations.
The three-tier event gives the agri-food industry a chance to make contacts with professionals from different food industry sectors without leaving the building. The aim of combining the three events is to present a comprehensive and structured range of equipment, processes and services for the food industry.
-- A series of seminars on new hygiene challenges, environmental constraints, new markets and the importance of product and equipment certification are scheduled. One-hundred European manufacturers are expected to participate in the "Food Plant of the Future" symposium organized by the French Ministry of Research.
-- Paris, with Notre Dame Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and other sites, is one of the world's great cities. Autumn is a connoisseur's time to visit the City of Light, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s.
The GATT agreement is expected to begin opening international markets next July. MATIC could give U.S. processors an opportunity to gain a foothold with European meat processing companies that cater to 340 million consumers. For more information on MATIC '94, contact IMEX Management Inc. at 301/460-9751 or Fax 301/460-0045.