INTERPOM 2026 will bring together 330 exhibitors from 15 countries at Kortrijk Xpo in Belgium from November 29 to December 1, with this year’s programme focusing on how the potato industry can strengthen its resilience amid pressure on resources, costs and international trade.

The exhibition floor has been fully booked since the end of August, matching the exhibitor record set at the previous edition in 2024. INTERPOM covers the complete potato value chain, including cultivation, storage, processing, packaging, machinery and digital technologies.

The 2024 edition attracted almost 24,000 visitors, up 18% from 2022, according to the organisers. More than 30% travelled from outside Belgium, underlining the increasingly international profile of the event.

This year’s theme, “Growing resilience in a changing world”, reflects challenges ranging from climate change and water availability to geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade flows, regulation, energy costs and technological change.

For potato processors, these pressures will be addressed directly on the final day of the event, when the conference programme turns to “Resilience of Operations: Factory of the Future”. The session will consider how processors can maintain competitiveness as regulation, costs and technology continue to evolve.

Processing and packaging will also form a significant part of the exhibition itself, alongside equipment for cultivation, mechanisation, storage and transport. INTERPOM’s exhibitor list includes suppliers of complete French fry production lines, cutting equipment, freezing systems, inspection technology and other processing machinery.

The three-day seminar programme, organised by Belgian potato trade and processing association Belgapom, will examine a different aspect of resilience each day. The opening day will focus on securing future potato supply, including the need for varieties that can remain economically viable and suitable for processing under changing climatic conditions.

Water management will be the central theme on November 30, examining how the industry can maintain potato quality while reducing pressure on increasingly constrained water resources.

Each day will combine a morning keynote with an afternoon panel discussion involving representatives from industry, research, academia, civil society and politics. Christophe Vermeulen, CEO of Belgapom, will moderate the sessions, with the full programme expected to be announced in mid-October.

INTERPOM is organised at Kortrijk Xpo and is an initiative of Belgapom. The event is aimed at growers, contractors, processors, packers, buyers, traders, machinery manufacturers and technology suppliers across the potato industry.