PotatoEurope marks 20 years with new venue, more exhibitors and a stronger focus on innovation

For two decades, stakeholders across the potato supply chain have gathered each year at PotatoEurope, a trade fair that has become an international meeting point for the European potato sector. The four-year rotation system between Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium has proven effective over time.

This year’s edition, which will take place on September 9 and 10, marks a turning point for the event: for the first time, it will move to a new venue in Springe, near Hanover, and expand its offering with the simultaneous staging of SugarBeet Expo.

According to DLG, the German Agricultural Society, exhibitor numbers have developed positively in recent years. The German edition in 2022 featured 251 exhibitors, a figure already surpassed for 2026, with approximately 290 companies confirmed. 
 

An international platform for the potato sector

The rotation system makes it possible to integrate Europe’s main potato-growing regions. 

Wilfried Wolf, Project Director of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo, DLG:

“Thanks to this, exhibitors benefit from different markets and audiences at each edition, while visitors gain first-hand insight into different cultivation methods, production conditions and innovations. At the same time, the regular change of venue strengthens international exchange and the European connection of the entire potato sector.”

The joint staging with SugarBeet Expo reflects a production reality: many farmers grow both sugar beet and potatoes, and many exhibitors offer products and services for both crops.

 

Images from PotatoEurope 2022. Clockwise: Europlant varietal demonstration plot; Hermann Gaugele, from the Bavarian family company of the same name; and Arne Rehnert and Michael Stroß, of Interseed GmbH, together with Georg Kolmhofer, of Sesur. (Courtesy: FreshPlaza)

Innovation, digitalization and artificial intelligence

This edition is expected to feature a strong presence of innovation. In agricultural machinery, many new developments will be linked to electronics and artificial intelligence, although relevant mechanical advances will also continue to appear. In plant breeding, some companies are working on alternatives that could allow potatoes to be grown from seed in the future, while optoelectronics will gain prominence in sorting.

The European potato sector continues to move toward greater digitalization, automation and use of artificial intelligence, with the aim of improving processes, increasing competitiveness and finding new markets in an increasingly demanding environment.

Long-standing exhibitors highlight that PotatoEurope brings together a combination that is difficult to find at other events: field practice, innovation, networking and direct contact with breeders, growers, advisers, processors and supplier companies.