FIC 2028 directors Jesús Manuel Hernández and Darío Sánchez are meeting potential exhibitors and visitors at Alimentaria FoodTech in Barcelona. The visit forms part of the early campaign for the next Feria de la Industria Cárnica in Guijuelo.
Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 is scheduled for 6–8 October at the Gran Via Fira de Barcelona. Organisers expect more than 330 exhibiting companies from 22 countries across approximately 15,000 square metres, with international companies making up 26% of the participants.
Jesús Manuel Hernández and Darío Sánchez are using the Barcelona event to introduce the 2028 Feria de la Industria Cárnica to companies and professionals who may attend the Guijuelo fair. Their work is focused on building contacts before the next edition takes shape.
Alimentaria FoodTech focuses on machinery, technology and ingredients for the food and beverage sector. Its coverage runs through production, processing and preservation, so the event brings together several parts of the industrial food chain.
Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 is scheduled for 6–8 October at the Gran Via Fira de Barcelona. Organisers expect more than 330 exhibiting companies from 22 countries across approximately 15,000 square metres.
That makes the Barcelona visit more than a formal appearance. It gives the FIC directors a chance to reach out to potential participants at a large international industry gathering.
Hernández and Sánchez have held contacts with possible future exhibitors and visitors. The available material does not name the companies or people involved. It also does not mention signed agreements or confirmed registrations. The purpose of the meetings is clear: to build links before the Guijuelo event opens.
The distinction matters. FIC 2028 is already being promoted, but the Barcelona contacts do not amount to a final exhibitor list. The campaign is under way while the fair's full line-up remains unknown. Independent searches have also found no official FIC or Guijuelo municipal announcement confirming the 2028 dates, budget, targets or detailed programme.
The 2026 programme includes more than 140 experts and 38 startups. Its agenda covers automation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, food safety and sustainability, alongside technology and ingredients for producing, processing and preserving food and beverages.
Alimentaria FoodTech gives the campaign a wide base because it reaches the food and beverage industry from raw materials through commercial distribution. That allows FIC representatives to speak with companies linked to several stages of production, not only meat processing.
The two fairs cover different markets, but their industrial interests overlap. Both touch on production, processing and preservation, which gives the FIC team a useful place to identify companies with relevant equipment and expertise.
The event's international reach adds to that opportunity. The previous edition drew more than 370 exhibitors and over 15,800 visitors from 30 countries, according to figures cited by the organisers and reported by Europa Press. Those numbers give the Barcelona exhibition a broad pool of companies and professionals for the FIC campaign to approach.
The listed exhibitors also show the range of the technology network around the event. MIMASA, Handtmann, Weber, Hiperbaric, ULMA, Tetra Pak, Roser Group, CSB System and Bizerba are linked to equipment, automation, ingredients and production systems. Their presence shows the breadth of the sector, but it does not confirm that any of them will take part in FIC 2028.
A related account of the Barcelona technology fair appears in an earlier FoodTech report, which offers more detail on the event's role in food production.
The business programme goes beyond exhibition stands. Alimentaria FoodTech includes 60 FoodTech Innovarena sessions, a Startup Corner and the FoodTech Awards Innova and Emprende. In 2026, organisers also added separate recognition for scientific achievements in food technology, giving researchers and emerging technology developers another way to connect with the industry.
For the Feria de la Industria Cárnica, the immediate result is contact-building rather than new contracts or confirmed participants. Hernández and Sánchez have taken the FIC 2028 message to a wider food technology forum and are using it to seek future links for the Guijuelo fair.
The facts point to an early promotional push. The FIC directors are looking for future exhibitors and visitors before the fair's own opening cycle begins. The Barcelona visit is therefore a first step in building the next edition, while confirmed participation remains unannounced.
