Up to 200 participants from the European vending and OCS industry convened in Baveno, Italy on October 16 and 17 to celebrate the 25thanniversary of the European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA).
The town of Baveno, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, hosted the two-day celebration.
The event kicked off with a special edition of the EVA Annual General Meeting (AGM), which showcased the key Association activities throughout 2019. The challenging topics for the industry were explained in detail, including the new requirements under the EU Payment Services Directive 2, the Ecodesign & Energy Labelling Regulations, as well as the Single Use Plastics Directive.
Referring to the latter, the president of the French Vending Association (NAVSA) Pierre Albrieux provided latest details of stringent plastic cup proposals that could impact on our industry, and the ongoing intensive lobbying campaign there.
Furthermore, a new and practical white paper on Office Coffee Service (OCS) outlining explanations and advice on this segment has now been published and was presented at the meeting.
EVA members also elected the new Executive Committee for 2019-2021, with Paolo Ghidotti being re-elected to serve a second term as EVA president. Maurits de Jong was elected as treasurer, Javier Arquerons as first vice-rresident and Christian Mengus as vice-president.
Following the AGM, a conference was held in which guest speaker Pierluigi Collina, considered by many to be the best football referee of all time, kept guests entertained.
In an inspirational talk, he advised participants about making key decisions under pressure, motivation, and conflict management, filled of course with anecdotes from his career and the life of top-level football referees today.
Ahead of the Gala dinner, Nayax and Ingenico presented their solutions for electronic payment in vending, in two busy 15-minute workshop slots. The Gala evening itself took a celebratory tone as the founding members of the EVA were also acknowledged – namely the UK (AVA), Italian (CONFIDA), German (BDV) and French (NAVSA) Vending Associations, with the first two in particular being congratulated for their own 90- and 40-year anniversaries in 2019.
The event was also a celebration of all the innovation within the industry today, and the anticipated ‘Image of Vending’ awards were held during the gala dinner.
In what turned out to be three very close contests – voted for by attendees through a mobile app the 2019 ‘Image of Vending’ Awards winners were:
- Customer Initiative of the year: FOODIE’S MicroMarket by Selecta
- Machine of the Year– Ducale City 300 TT by EVOCA
- Payment System of the Year– SELF/2000 End2End payment solution by Ingenico.
The following day, and due to the strategic location in the north of Italy, attendees were able to join organised company visits to either EVOCA, Lavazza or 365 Retail Markets, and early feedback indicated that the visits were a great educational opportunity.
A relaxing cultural tour of the nearby Borromean islands was also offered to participants where participants were able to take in the spectacular vistas of Lake Maggiore.
The EVA has confirmed that the European Vending Experience (EVEX) will return next year. EVEX 2020 will be held from September 16 to 18 in Krakow, Polandin collaboration with the Polish Vending Association (PSV). This will be the first time EVEX has be held in Central & Eastern Europe.
The EVA is a not-for-profit organisation which represents the interests of the European coffee service and vending industry vis-à-vis the European Institutions and other relevant authorities or bodies. Its membership is composed of national associations and individual companies across Europe. The EVA represents all segments of the coffee service, water dispenser and vending industry: machine and component manufacturers, suppliers of commodities (coffee, ingredients, snacks, cold drinks, cups etc.), and operators.
