[Press Release] Interpoma 2024: The Apple Orchard of the Future

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Bolzano, Feb. 7, 2024 – Bolzano Trade Fair is preparing to welcome back Interpoma between Nov. 21 and 23, 2024. The world’s only trade show dedicated exclusively to apples takes place every two years, with global stakeholders flocking to the city for the event. Looking at this edition’s numbers, hopes are high for a repeat of the 2022 figures: two years ago, 490 companies from 18 countries and over 16,000 visitors from 70 different countries visited the exhibition halls’ 25,000 square meters.

Thomas Mur, director of Fiera Bolzano, says, “We are incredibly proud to welcome the 13th edition of Interpoma. We never lost sight of our main goal — to focus on the apple industry in its entirety, paying attention to technological advances over the years. This edition will not disappoint as it will explore the apple orchards of the future, brand-new digital solutions and new production strategies.”

The orchard of the future will be Interpoma 2024’s key theme, spanning digital innovations, artificial intelligence and much more. Global luminaries will showcase new applications to stakeholders and visitors alike, demonstrating how they can impact production, harvesting and quality assessment of apples on the field, while they are still on trees or in harvest bins. The overarching topic will be the orchard’s digitalization, a topic which will take over the trade fair, congress, FieraMesse H1 Eventspace, Fiera Bolzano’s inner courtyard and the Interpoma Award during the fair’s duration.

The Interpoma Congress

The Interpoma Congress is Interpoma’s beating heart and is overseen once again by Walter Guerra, head of the Fruitgrowing Working Group at the Laimburg Experimental Center since 2005 and the center’s vice-director since 2021. The international congress is split into two morning sessions. A panel of international experts will discuss “Genetic evolution: New breeding technologies” on Nov. 21, while the focus will shift to “Digital revolution: Orchards of the future” on Nov. 22.

The Interpoma Award

Companies which have stood out in the field of “digital orchards,” be they on site at the exposition or not, are eligible for the 2024 Interpoma Award. It is coordinated by Massimo Tagliavini, associate professor at the University of Bologna and professor at the Free University of Bolzano. This year’s award focuses on how companies have used new digital technologies to manage orchards, specifically solutions reducing fertilizer and phytosanitary product use in line with the European Union’s 2030 Farm to Fork strategy.

Interpoma Tours

Due to the success of the previous editions, the Interpoma Tours are back in 2024. These guided visits will show interested visitors emblematic apple-growing areas and the most innovative systems in South Tyrol.

FieraMesse H1 Eventspace

Before entering the trade fair halls proper, visitors can explore “the orchard of the future” directly on site. A unique opportunity to see cutting-edge digital technologies at work and much more.

ipoma Magazine

Coordinated by industry expert and consultant Gerhard Dichgans, ipoma is Interpoma’s trade magazine, now in its third edition. Published in November and distributed to all Interpoma visitors, this year it will be available as a printed issue — made with 100% apple-based paper — and in a digital format. The magazine offers interesting insights into trends and the future of the apple industry and showcases some of its main players.

The 13th edition of Interpoma will take place between Nov. 21 and 23, 2024, in Bolzano.

For further information visit www.interpoma.it.

Images: Fiera Bolzano SpA