As President & CEO of Royal Jaarbeurs and VNU Group, how do you align multiple global exhibition brands under a unified vision while maintaining regional relevance?
Jeroen van Hooff. Across our portfolio, we work from one clear principle: global strength only creates real value when it is translated into local relevance. Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs has a history that goes back to 1916. Over more than a century, we have built the Jaarbeurs brand and our experience in live events. And Royal Jaarbeurs has developed into a strong international platform, where each cluster that organizes events under our umbrella – for instance in agriculture, ICT, tourism or the building industry – has its own identity, with the Jaarbeurs name standing for quality and trust at the same time.
What all these labels and the Jaarbeurs brand share, is their commitment to creating the best live events possible. I strongly believe that in this digitalized times, it becomes more important to really look each other in the eye for doing great business. Inspiring, connecting, energizing: that is what we want to do, across industries and across the world. That is especially true in markets like India, where business is built on trust and personal relationships. As India rapidly develops into one of the most important global economies, we see enormous opportunity to bring people together through meaningful live events.
In agriculture, we have the same philosophy. The VIV brand was built over 40 years. We are really proud and honored that we were able to start in India with VIV Select, in a strategic partnership with the Poultry Federation of India (PFI), who shares our commitment to high quality meetings. We welcomed on this first edition 7,100 professional visitors from 37 countries and 130 exhibitors from companies across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. Much more than expected. It shows, I believe, that we are a trusted brand and an ideal platform to do business.
VIV Select India 2026 marks the entry of the global VIV platform into the Indian market-what strategic importance does India hold in your global exhibition portfolio?
Jeroen van Hooff. India holds major strategic importance in our global exhibition portfolio because it combines opportunities for scale, growth, and long-term relevance. For us, India is not just another market, it is a future growth engine. As global trade between the EU and India continues to strengthen, we see increasing opportunities for our international communities to connect and do business. The
increasing strategic importance of India is also reflected at a political and economic level. The recent visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Netherlands underlines how strongly trade relations between India and Europe are developing. Also India is one of the most dynamic animal protein markets in the world, with strong development across poultry, feed, and dairy, making it a natural fit for the VIV platform’s international feed-to-food proposition. We do not enter a market for a single edition, we enter to build something durable. India is one of the most significant animal protein markets in the world, and the response to this inaugural edition reinforces our belief that this is the right platform, in the right place, at the right time. VIV Select India is a long-term investment in the Indian industry, and we are proud to stand alongside the Poultry Federation of India and the broader sector in that commitment. From a broader portfolio perspective, India strengthens our position in Asia and reflects our strategy to invest in markets where industry development is accelerating and where we can create long lasting value.
The collaboration with the Poultry Federation of India reflects a long-term market commitment-how do such partnerships shape your approach to entering and scaling in new geographies?
Jeroen van Hooff. Partnerships are very important for us. In India, this is even more important, as business strongly relies on trust, relationships and local knowledge.
With regard to VIV Select India 2026, the partnership with PFI has been central to the event’s foundation. This partnership is an example of how we can reinforce each other, we bring the internationally highly valued trusted brand and the expertise in organizing high quality events that are appreciated by the target audience, and PFI brings, among other qualities, the regional expertise, network and knowledge. As PFI President Ranpal Dhanda noted ahead of the show, the collaboration is designed to help Indian producers access cutting-edge technologies and international best practices, while showcasing India’s production potential to the global community, a two-way exchange the inaugural edition actively delivered upon.
What is your vision for the industry’s growth in India, and which areas do you believe hold the strongest potential in the coming years?
Jeroen van Hooff. My vision for the industry in India is one of continued professionalisation, innovation, and stronger international integration.
The next phase of growth will be driven by how effectively industries combine scale with technology, sustainability and international collaboration. We already see strong momentum in this area. Recent partnerships, such as the collaboration between ASML and Tata Electronics, illustrate how global technology leaders and Indian companies are increasingly working together. This creates clear opportunities for platforms that bring these ecosystems together, whether in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, or broader technology and infrastructure sectors. India already plays a major role in global animal protein production, and the next phase of growth will be defined by how effectively the sector combines scale with efficiency, sustainability, and technology adoption.
The response from the Indian industry to this first edition has been something we are genuinely proud of. Producers, integrators, technology providers and policymakers came together with a shared intent: to exchange, to learn, and to build. What we saw on this show floor gives us every confidence that this platform will grow into something of lasting value for the sector in the coming years. The number of visitors exceeded what we expected beforehand showing that together with PFI, we made the strategic move to bring VIV Select India at a time where such a platform was really needed. The Indian animal protein industry had long clamoured to have a platform for business opportunities like this, to meet with a global community that can accelerate growth in the sector.
India’s animal protein sector is undergoing rapid change. As the world’s largest milk producer and one of the fastest-growing poultry markets globally, the country is at a point where scale must be matched by efficiency, resilience, and smarter use of technology. VIV Select India was conceived as a long-term platform to support that transition, connecting the full feed-to-food value chain in a way that reflects the specific needs and structure of the Indian market. Our team is working tirelessly behind the scenes to continuously curate programs and include content themes that address the industry’s evolving needs. With that, I look forward to building our presence and maintaining our commitment to this inspiring sector and country.
