ESA 2017 Annual Meeting in Riga

 

ESA European Seed Association held its 2017 Annual Meeting from 8-10 October in Riga, Latvia. With an attendance of some 950 participants from Europe and from all over the world, the importance of the ESA Congress for the European and international seed sector was once more confirmed.

Large trade and exhibition facilities provided ample space for a buzzing atmosphere of professional exchange and interaction of participants, and exposure for companies showcasing the latest developments in technical equipment, mechanical components, processing technologies and plant breeding software.

Listening to the sound of seeds and embracing nature

The focus of the discussion was the need to communicate and engage with a wider public, especially on social media, on a wider range of topics around plant breeding and innovation. A social listening exercise commissioned by ESA had shown that plant breeding and seeds are indeed of interest to many groups and individuals with consequent exchanges on social media. These communication channels therefore cannot be disregarded and new, targeted communication strategies need to be developed.

We wanted to use this year’s ESA Annual Meeting to engage with the ESA membership on our digital communication campaign “Embracing the Power of Nature”. And we are delighted that ESA members strongly supported our new communication efforts by liking and sharing messages, and by bringing many additional, fresh ideas to the campaign. The European seed sector demonstrates that it is willing to take responsibility for showing and explaining the benefits of plant breeding innovation - both for a highly productive and sustainable EU agriculture and for meeting consumer and societal expectations, said Garlich von Essen, Secretary General of ESA.

During the meetings of the specific crop sections, participants got the latest updates and detailed information on the many horizontal and technical crop-specific issues important for seed companies in Europe and worldwide.

To get a few snapshots of the event and get to know more about our “Embracing the Power of Nature” campaign check the hashtags: #ESA_AM2017 and #EmbracingNature, or visit the website of the campaign: http://plantbreeding.eu/.

The ESA 2018 Annual Meeting will be held in Madrid, Spain.