The fair was visited by more people than last year. The international character of the visitors was noticeable, because people from, among other countries, China, Ukraine, the US and Iran were spotted. Iran now also offers perspective with the lifting of the boycott. In total 70 different nationalities were registered. The high number of foreign visitors was partly caused by the fact that the 19th International Society for Mushroom Science Congress was organised at the same time in Amsterdam.
A well-known former mushroom grower, none other than Hein Deprez of Greenyard Foods, was the guest speaker during the opening ceremony of the fair. Hein Deprez talked about the short shelf life of fresh mushrooms, the balance between supply and demand, and good substrates. During the opening ceremony the ‘Ambassador of the Mushroom Industry Award’ was awarded to Henk van den Top and Roel Dreve for their effort and performances in the mushroom industry.
