The weekend before last, I have been to the International Green Week (IGW) in Berlin for the very first time. The IGW is the world’s biggest fair for food, agriculture, and horticulture and one of the longest-standing fairs in Berlin. Originally, it was a local produce exchange, which was simply called Grüne Woche (Green Week) in the beginning. The term International was only added later when also companies from abroad started to exhibit their products there.

The first fair of this kind took place from 20 February to 28 February 1926. Back then 50,000 people visited the fair. Meanwhile, the number of visitors has increased eightfold and exhibitors come from all around the globe. This year, 1630 exhibitors from 67 countries presented their products.

Usually, I am not a keen fair-walker since I find it exhausting to walk around for hours in order to eye goods. But since I was promised that I could eat there for free there, I agreed to give it a try and eventually made tracks. But as soon as I got to the fair my anticipation vanished jerkily because I realized that having a taste was charged. Most samples cost between 0,50 and 1,50 Euros. Given the fact that one sample was really just one bite, a whole meal would have been quite expensive for me. Thus, I decided to only have a look instead of eating my way through the stands.

I guess that this form of parsimony of the exhibitors is rooted in the downward movement of economy. It seems that companies cannot afford anymore to give away goods for free. I remember that some years ago, visitors of fairs were deluged with promotional gifts, such as ballpoint pens, key chains, lanyards, flags, bags, buttons, and so on. This has changed completely. I could not find a single stand where they gave away any promotional goods. Leaflets and flyers were the only “goodies” visitors could get.