Classics, Unmissable Events, and a Few New Ideas to put in Your Agenda for 2025

There are many retail events in our region and as many of you know, the trade show is in my opinion a very efficient media for networking, doing business and discover the trends of a sector.

Yearly I attend quite a lot of conferences, seminars and tradeshows. And over the years, during my visits and discussions with retail professionals, two recurring questions always come up:

The first one : “Hey Vincent, which trade fairs should I attend, or which ones are worthwhile?”
And the second question comes after my visits to any tradeshow, it is: “So Vince, what interesting things did you see?”

This post focuses on answering the first of these questions. So, without further ado, here’s a selection of the unmissable events for the year 2025:

SIRHA Lyon
- Event for the catering, foodservice and restaurants professionals
- 23-27 January 2025, Lyon, France
- https://www.sirha-lyon.com/fr
- Definitely a global meeting point for the sector.
ISM and Prosweets aka the Sweet Week
- Event for the sweets and snacks industry
- 2- 5 February 2025, Cologne, Germany
- https://www.ism-cologne.com
- It is a classic that you can’t miss. If you are active in the sweets and snacks categories, it is the place to be which attracts professionals from all over the world. It covers every aspect of the value chain: ingredients, production, packaging, end products, innovations… The New Product Showcase is a must see to discover the latest trends of the industry.
Saveurs et Métiers
- Event for bakers, butchers, fine foods and retail professionals
- 2 - 4 February 2025, Namur, Belgium
- https://www.saveurs-metiers.be/fr/tickets-lp/?actioncode=BAAW1000
- It might be regional (Belgium, Luxemburg, North of France), but it is extremely efficient with a nice variety of exhibitors, and great content through an interesting conference program. It really addresses the needs of stores and is a meeting place between suppliers and POS owners and managers.
Fruit Logistica
- Focusing on fresh produce, machinery and logistics in the fruit and vegetable segments
- 5 - 7 February 2025, Berlin, Germany
- https://www.fruitlogistica.com/en/
Retail Data Day
- A day of conferences around the use of data and practical cases in retail organized by Diamart.
- February 6, 2025, Paris, France
- https://www.retaildataday.fr
Wine Paris
- An international wine and spirits trade fair bringing together producers and buyers from around the world.
- 10-12 February 2025, Paris, France
- https://wineparis.com/newfront
Biofach
- Trade fair for organic food, bringing together industry stakeholders.
- 11 - 14 February 2025, Nuremberg, Germany
- https://www.biofach.de/en
EUROCIS
- A leading trade fair for retail technology, showcasing innovative solutions for the retail industry.
- 18 - 20 February 2025, Düsseldorf, Germany
- https://www.eurocis-tradefair.com/
- Unmissable. If you are into Retail technologies, it is definitely the place to be. And on top of that, this year, it will coincide with the new show Xponential, an event about robotics and autonomous technologies.
Horecatel
- Local tradeshow for the foodservice, restaurants and catering industry in Belgium
- 9 – 12 March 2025, Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium
- https://www.horecatel.be
ProWein
- Trade show for wines and spirits
- 16 – 18 March 2025, Dusseldorf, Germany
- https://www.prowein.com
- When it comes to wine and spirits, Prowein is the show of reference in the sector. It might have competition from regional show, but on an international point of view, Prowein remains the leading event.
Shop! Le Salon and C!Brand
- A trade show that brings together point-of-sale marketing experts across various sectors.
- 25–27 March 2025, Paris, France
- https://www.shop-le-salon.fr/en/
- It will be interesting to see the synergies between Shop and C!Brand. The first one covered already POS marketing but with the addition of C!Brand, the scope is widened considerably. It becomes a meeting point for all things brand and activation related.
CX Retail Exchange Europe
- An event focused on personalization, automation and the human touch in a changing retail environment both in-store and online
- 20 - 21 May 2025 Lisbon, Portugal.
- https://www.cxnetwork.com/events-customer-experience-exchange-retail-europe
Shoptalk Europe
- An event uniting the retail ecosystem to discuss the latest technologies, trends, and business models in retail innovation.
- 2–4 June 2025
- Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain
- https://shoptalkeurope.com/
- The event combines content and networking over three days. And after glancing through the agenda, one can only be intrigued and compelled to go. The flow is well thought off, and some big names appear on the bill. Besides, who wouldn’t want to visit Barcelona at the beginning of June.
IBA
- Consumer electronics event
- From 5 - 9 September 2025, Berlin, Germany
- https://www.ifa-berlin.com
NRF 2025: Retail's Big Show Europe
- An event around ecommerce and retail technologies.
- 16 – 18 September 2025
- Paris Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
- https://www.nrfbigshoweurope.com/en/
- The former Paris Retail Week becomes NRF Europe. I am curious to see if this show quite French oriented will be able to become more international as the focus of exhibitors really became regional over the years.
DMEXCO
- A leading digital marketing and tech event, bringing together industry professionals for networking and discussions.
- 17–18 September 2025, Cologne, Germany
- https://dmexco.com/
- Without any doubt, it is interesting and a fun event to attend. The agenda is always offering fascinating conferences, with some ‘big names’ of the industry. But on top of that, I’ll point out that the networking with startup companies is always fruitful.
Silmo Paris
- An international optics and eyewear trade fair, showcasing the latest trends and innovations in the industry.
- 26–29 September 2025
- Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France
- https://en.silmoparis.com/
Anuga
- The world's largest trade fair for food and beverages, covering all aspects of the industry.
- 4 - 8 October 2025, Cologne, Germany
- https://www.anuga.com/
- MUST SEE. In the food industry, every two years the Anuga brings together food professionals from all over the world. There is an impressive number of visitors and exhibitors, accompanied with a busy and trend-focused conference program. It also coincides with the Anuga Horizon concept, an event focused on the future of the food industry.
Pollutec
- An international trade show for environmental equipment, technologies, and services.
- 7 – 10 October 2025, Lyon, France
- https://www.pollutec.com/en-gb.html
EQUIP AUTO Paris
- An international exhibition for automotive professionals
- 14 - 18 October 2025, Paris, France
- https://www.equipauto.com/fr/
SOLUTRANS:
- An event focused on industrial and urban logistics and vehicles
- 18 - 22 of November 2025, Lyon, France
- https://www.solutrans.fr/

Horeca Expo
- The event for Belgian professionals active in restaurants, hotels, catering, and hospitality.
- 16 – 19 November 2025, Ghent, Belgium
- https://www.horecaexpo.be/nl/

There you have it, a curated list of some of the most important and interesting retail events of the year. While not exhaustive, it highlights the key opportunities to connect and stay informed.

I hope our paths cross at one of these events this year!

Agenda Tradeshow