SIAL 2024: 12 tips to organize your visit [Guide]

SIAL is the world’s largest food trade show. The statistics for SIAL 2024 are absolutely Dantesque:

• 7,500 stands spread over 257,000 m² (the equivalent of 100 supermarkets).
• 11 halls covering 11 different sectors.
• Nearly 300,000 visitors are expected.

The ideal place to observe trends in the food market. The show is at the Parc des Expositions, just north of Paris and within easy reach of Roissy Charles de Gaule airport. Getting the most out of your visit to a show like this requires careful preparation. Follow my advice (I’ve been going to SIAL for nearly 20 years) to make the most of your visit.

1. Consult the exhibitor list

The last thing you want to do is browse the aisles at random. This is the best strategy for getting nothing concrete out of your visit and wasting your time. There’s so much to see that your senses will quickly be overwhelmed, and your brain saturated. After an hour or two, you’ll walk like a zombie through the show’s aisles, aimless and with no purpose other than to sit down.

Use the SIAL website to identify new products and exhibitors that interest you and list those you’d like to visit.

2. Don’t contact exhibitors too late

Exhibitors usually arrive in Paris 2-3 days before the show starts and prepare for it weeks or even months in advance. Asking for an appointment less than a week before the show guarantees a negative response at best and no response at all at worst. So don’t hesitate to contact exhibitors 1 month in advance to introduce yourself and establish initial contact. It’s always better to be expected than to show up unannounced.

3. Don’t make more than 6 appointments a day

In our experience, having more than 6 appointments a day is difficult, especially if they’re in different halls (see also point 4). Getting around inside a hall (especially hall 5) sometimes takes work. You’re bound to get lost, your attention will be drawn to other products, and you’ll make unplanned stops at stands. For all these reasons, planning more than 6 appointments a day can put you in tricky situations (especially if you don’t want to leave at the last minute; see point 5).

4. Group your appointments by hall

There are 8 exhibition halls at SIAL, and you must avoid running from one to the other for your appointments. Reaching a distant hall can take up to 20-30 minutes. So, make sure you group your appointments or organize your visit by hall.

5. Don’t leave the show at the last minute

Most visitors will return to Paris after visiting SIAL, and most will take the train. The number of trains and the number of seats are limited. If you want to catch a train without fighting on the platform, leave the show between 5 and 5:30 pm. You’ll usually be able to board the first train (but it’s unrealistic to expect to find a seat; you’ll probably be standing and compressed for the whole journey).

6. Don’t leave after 8.30 am -9 am.

If your hotel is in Paris, you must catch the train to SIAL before 8.30 am. Otherwise, don’t expect to arrive for the 9:30 am show opening. If you leave Paris after 8:30, you can be sure of waiting on the platform with hundreds, if not thousands, of other visitors waiting just like you to board the next crowded train.

It’s best to leave around 8 am and wait for the show to open in a café near the SIAL exhibition center. Take the opportunity to have breakfast and coffee to prepare for the day.

The RER exit 30 minutes before the show opens

7. Dress comfortably

Don’t overdress. If you travel by public transport, your latest Hugo Boss suit might not survive.

Moreover, you’ll likely be walking many kilometers during the day. So, wear sneakers and dress “in layers” so you can easily take one off when you get too hot. Temperatures generally rise during the day, thanks to the crowds and the lighting at the stands.

My first-day stats

8. Don’t use the passageways between halls to get around

Passages or tunnels connect all the halls. Theoretically, you could go from hall 1 to hall 3 by crossing hall 2. However, one thing you can be sure of is that you’ll get lost. If you need to go from one hall to another, our golden tip is first to exit the hall and use the outside passageway to reach your destination.

9. Book a guided tour

SIAL offers themed guided tours. They’re not free but a good investment (€35) for a quick overview of a sector or theme.

10. Don’t buy the official SIAL guide

The official SIAL catalog is extremely expensive (50€) and useless. All it contains is a list of exhibitors and their contact details. The SIAL app is much better, and it’s free.

11. Don’t buy the meal pass

You can buy a meal package at 55€ (2018 price) when you order your pass. Please don’t buy it. By picking and tasting left and right, you won’t be hungry at lunchtime. What’s more, taking a meal will waste 30 minutes at the very least.

12. Don’t rely on Wi-Fi or 4G

Free Wi-Fi doesn’t work at SIAL. 4G access is also very unpredictable, given the number of people connected. Sometimes, you won’t be able to make a phone call. So, ensure you have everything you need to hand (in printed form, for example).