Kicking Off 2025 at Green Week in Berlin
My first event of 2025 will be Green Week in Germany—a leading international exhibition for the agriculture, food, and beverage industries. This event, which I will attend on January 16–17, marks the beginning of a busy year where I typically participate in 2–3 industry events each month. More details about Green Week can be found here: https://www.gruenewoche.de/en
Since its inception in 1926, Green Week has evolved significantly. Today, critical topics such as food security, digitalization, globalization, and sustainability are reshaping the agricultural sector and influencing food and beverage production and export. Finance, logistics, and access to modern technologies are essential for the industry’s growth and global competitiveness. However, producing high-quality products at competitive prices is no longer enough. Success now requires strategic communication and impactful branding campaigns targeted at global markets.
Countries like Brazil effectively combine commercial and editorial media formats to promote their export brands. In contrast, many European producers still rely heavily on traditional one-on-one negotiations and basic product branding at industry events. They often lack cohesive corporate branding strategies and are rarely supported by national export promotion campaigns.
The recently finalized EU-Mercosur trade agreement (December 2024) has intensified competition. While the agreement awaits ratification by at least 15 of the EU’s 27 member states—covering 65% of the EU population—it promises to create a free-trade zone of over 700 million people between the EU and Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). This development raises concerns in countries like France, Ireland, and Lithuania over potential impacts on agriculture, environmental policies, and food safety standards.
This expanded trade environment will demand even more strategic communications and creative branding solutions from national export agencies and food exporters. Green Week provides an invaluable platform to explore innovative products, connect with industry professionals, and discuss effective strategies for building strong national and corporate brands in competitive markets.
I look forward to engaging with industry peers and fostering new partnerships in Berlin. If you attend Green Week and want to discuss strategic communications and export branding or explore potential collaboration opportunities with BBC Studios, BBC News TV channel, and bbc.com, I invite you to fill out the contact form below. Please feel free to suggest topics for discussion or request a meeting time that suits you.
I look forward to meaningful conversations and productive meetings in Berlin.
Sergey Stanovkin 