BANGKOK, THAILAND — VICTAM Asia 2016, together with FIAAP and GRAPAS 2016, will be held March 29-31 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event is for the animal feed, rice and flour milling sectors in Southeast Asia.

Returning to the Bangkok Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) for the third time, the biennial trade event has seen a steady growth in visitor numbers since its move to the more spacious exhibition premises in 2012. The year 2016 also marks the 25th anniversary of VICTAM Asia, which debuted in 1991.

The first show attracted just over 800 visitors in a 1,200-square-meter hotel car park, while the last VICTAM Asia in 2014 drew more than 6,000 visitors from 63 countries, and 219 exhibitors from 29 countries. Over 90% of visitors and exhibitors have indicated their interest to return for the 2016 event. The 5,500-square-meter exhibition area at BITEC, an increase already of 5% from 2014, is almost fully booked and expected to sell out as with previous shows.

VICTAM organizers said the key to the show’s success has been its ability to tap on the strong complementarities in milling technology and equipment, bringing them all together under one roof at every show. Grounded in feed manufacturing and processing, VICTAM takes place alongside two supporting events – FIAAP, which focuses on feed ingredients and nutrition, including aquafeed and pet food; and GRAPAS, which caters specifically to the flour, rice and grain processing sectors.

VICTAM Asia continually attracts high-level delegates and senior business executives at each show, organizers said. The three-in-one Victam-FIAAP-GRAPAS concept provides decision-makers and senior managers unrivaled opportunities to assess the entire market from feed to food to biomass while finding out about the latest innovations across highly related technologies.

Another driver for success has been the robust economies and long-term potential for growth in the South and Southeast Asian markets. Buoyed by growing populations, incomes and evolving food habits, feed production in Southeast Asia has been growing annually at 7%, the highest growth rate in the world. The region is also the world’s rice superbowl – a major consumer and producer, with Thailand and Vietnam ranked among the world’s top exporters.

Feed ingredients, feed production, and rice and flour milling are the biggest interests for visitors to VICTAM, who hail mainly from the animal feed, integrator and food milling sectors. Including niche areas such as biomass technologies also allows visitors to check out related businesses and form new networks in the expanding alternative energy sector, one with strategic interests for many of the region’s governments, organizers said.

Some of the biggest international names in milling, pelleting and processing technologies will exhibit their latest offerings during the three-day show. Many exhibiting companies also time their innovations and new products launches with VICTAM Asia.

Newly launched products also get to vie for special innovation awards in three categories: the Aquafeed Award, FIAAP Animal Nutrition Award and GRAPAS Award, with one winner per category. The awards segment is presided over by impartial juries appointed by the sponsors and includes members from their industry, academia, etc.

For more information, visit www.victam.com.