A BRIEF Q&A WITH MILOS PEJCINOVIC, PROJECT MANAGER OF BELGRADE FOOD SHOW
Milos Pejcinovic is a Project Manager at the Association for Promotion of Serbian Food (APSF). As part of the APSF team, he worked on several USAID funded projects, including food-related projects — USAID Competitive Economy Project, Belgrade Food Show, and Serbia Does Food (“Svet Hoće Domaće”). He is currently the Project Manager of Belgrade Food Show, which aims to promote, connect and support domestic and regional producers of high-quality food and connect them with buyers and distributors. Leading everyday communication with the producers of high-quality food, he is responsible for identifying and developing educational events, and the organization of the meetings with producers and other stakeholders, such as the Government of Serbia, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and others. As the key member of the APSF team, Milos organized the international specialty food fair and conferences Belgrade Food Show in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Belgrade Food Show (BFS), organized by the Association for Promotion of Serbian Food and supported by USAID is an international fair and conference of high-quality foods focused on South-East Europe. How did the idea for the Belgrade Food Show start?
Taught by experience from Europe and the world, and following world food fairs such as Anuga in Cologne, SIAL in Paris, and the Fancy Food Show in New York, we came to the conclusion that, globally observed, specialty food is at a high level of development. Given that there is no similar fair organized in Southeast Europe, and that going to the world’s largest fairs is often expensive and may be the logistical obstacle for many food producers, we decided to organize such a fair in Serbia. Also, one of the main reasons for launching the Belgrade Food Show is to research the specialty food market of the Western Balkans and our region as well. We have seen that we can offer to the European and buyers and distributors from other continents many innovative and high-quality products that are competitive in the world market. Thus, in 2018, we realized the first BFS with the great support of the USAID Competitive Economy Project. The Show has been held three times already and we hope that it will become a tradition. At three fairs, more than 250 specialty food producers, more than 100 European and world buyers and distributors, more than 130 lecturers and panelists participated in the conference program, which was attended by more than 2000 people for these three years.
What was the role of the donor community in supporting BFS?
The role of the donor community has been crucial for the organization of every BFS so far. Without such support, any BFS couldn’t have been organized at such a high level. BFS2018 and BFS2019 were very professional, so good that many foreign buyers got the impression that they were in Cologne or Paris. Organizing the online BFS2020 was a great challenge, both in organizational terms and in the field of sponsors and donors, knowing that this year we were affected by the economic crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic. For this reason, we consider a great success the organization of the online Show on such a high level, and we received special support from USAID EDGE, which supported the organization of the B2B segment within the BFS2020.
Founded in 2018, BFS took place for the third time this year. How was BFS 2020 different when compared to previous events? Is BFS 2020 the first virtual and on-line food fair in the region?
BFS 2020 has not fundamentally changed, we have kept all segments of the traditional BFS, but the format has changed. Each segment of the Show was held online — expo, conference, and B2B segment. The biggest challenge was the EXPO segment, considering that the ONLINE FOOD FAIR was actually a FAIR WITHOUT FOOD. We did not have the opportunity to taste the products, but only to see their photos in the virtual EXPO zone. Very strange, but it is the current reality to which we must adapt. Online conferencing and the B2B segment are segments that can always be realized that way. All of this has its advantages and disadvantages, but business communication will definitely continue to be done online. No travel, no hotels, no logistical barriers. All you need is an internet connection and a laptop. In a few clicks, you can move from country to country, from meeting to a conference, and so on in a circle.
What were your impressions about the presentation, conference, and B2B parts of BFS 2020? What are the lessons learned and what are the main areas for improvements? Will you continue to use any of the presentation or B2B formats introduced this year as a result of the pandemic in the future?
We realized the BFS 2020 online fair perfectly. Everything worked and was very easy to use for all participants — producers, buyers and distributors, conference visitors. They watched us in Australia and New Zealand, but also in Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, all countries in the region and in many other countries, and we are very satisfied with the quality and response of visitors. An online event can function perfectly and simulate a real event. The impression may not be the same, but the essence is intact. We have to accept the current situation and operate in this way. It is certain that in the future we will use online tools that can help us connect and maintain similar activities.
What recommendations do you have for food producers from the region?
We would recommend the producers to adapt to the situation, to use all the online tools available to them in order to achieve the best business results. Given that the quality and innovation of products are at a high level, we advise them to use the opportunity of online sales, to open some new markets, and of course follow the needs of consumers and listen to the market. We believe that quality will conquer even the most demanding ones.
