Earlier this year, in March, the VNU Group announced the appointment of Natasha Hall as the new vice president of VIV Worldwide. Her portfolio spans Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In this Q&A, Poultry World caught up with Hall to discuss what the industry can expect from the 25th edition of VIV Europe this year, as well as how current global sector shifts are influencing the upcoming show.
The agrifood industry is changing faster than ever. Across all regions, we see businesses navigating geopolitical uncertainty, sustainability demands, changing consumer expectations, digitalisation, and the need for greater efficiency and resilience. What is very clear to me is that the industry is looking for connection, practical solutions, and trusted partnerships even more than before.
That is exactly why this edition of VIV Europe feels so important. The conversations happening onsite are no longer only about products. They are about future-proofing businesses, sharing knowledge, and finding new ways to collaborate internationally.
Under the concept ‘Showroom of the World’, it brings together the entire feed-to-food chain under one roof. Visitors can meet global market leaders, innovative start-ups, technical experts, and producers from around the world in just a few days. In today’s environment, that face-to-face exchange has become incredibly valuable.
What makes this industry so fascinating is that every region is moving at a different pace and has very different priorities.
In Europe, sustainability, efficiency, animal welfare, and regulation are major drivers. In Asia, we often see extremely fast growth, scaling of production, and strong investment in technology and biosecurity. Across Africa and the Middle East, food security, new investment opportunities, local production capacity, and knowledge transfer are key focus areas.
Despite these differences, there are also many shared challenges globally, like, for example, labour shortages, disease management, sustainability pressures, feed efficiency, and the need to produce more with fewer resources.
And lastly, each region has its own focus areas around protein species based on consumer behaviour and religious beliefs. Whilst VIV is traditionally known for its solutions in the poultry industry, in Asia, swine and aquatic protein sources are also major parts of the population’s diets, and in India and Africa, dairy has great dependency, and it is our goal to support the animal protein industry as a whole in the years to come.
For VIV, this means our events must remain globally connected while also being locally relevant. Visitors want to see solutions that are applicable to their own realities, but they also want to learn from what is happening elsewhere in the world.
That international exchange of ideas is one of the biggest strengths of VIV Europe. You can have conversations in Utrecht in the Netherlands that genuinely influence business decisions across continents.
Absolutely. I believe the feed-to-food concept is more relevant today than ever before. The industry is becoming increasingly interconnected. Decisions made in feed production impact animal health, processing efficiency, sustainability performance, packaging solutions and ultimately the consumer experience. Companies are no longer operating in isolated segments but are rather looking at the entire value chain much more strategically. That creates huge opportunities for collaboration across sectors that traditionally operate more independently.
At VIV Europe, we are seeing growing interest in areas such as data-driven farming, AI applications, sustainability solutions, alternative feed ingredients, precision livestock farming, and integrated production systems. We also see increasing crossover between technology providers, food companies, feed businesses, and production specialists.
For visitors, this means they are gaining access to the broader ecosystem shaping the future of agrifood production.
Celebrating the 25th edition of VIV Europe is a milestone – it reflects decades of industry trust, international collaboration, and innovation.
At the same time, the launch of VIV Select India shows how strongly we continue to invest in future growth markets. India is one of the most dynamic agrifood markets globally, and we see enormous potential there for knowledge exchange and business development.
Looking ahead, our focus is very much on strengthening regional relevance while maintaining the global VIV network and quality seal. Every market has its own dynamics, challenges, and opportunities, and we want our events to reflect that in a meaningful way.
We are also investing heavily in stronger content programs, more curated matchmaking opportunities and hosted buyer programs, innovation-focused platforms, and partnerships that create real value for our communities beyond the exhibition floor.
One of my priorities is ensuring that we continue evolving alongside the industry and provide high quality event platform across markets globally.
Another key focus for me is strengthening the global VIV community across regions. I believe there is still so much opportunity to create even stronger connections between markets, industries, and professionals. I also want to continue enhancing the visitor experience through smarter networking opportunities.
At the end of the day, we are in the people business, forging connections, live and in person. People invest their time to travel to attend VIV because they want to gain something tangible for their business. My goal is to ensure that every visitor and every exhibitor leaves feeling inspired, informed, and connected to the future of the industry.
Facts Only
Natasha Hall was appointed Vice President of VIV Worldwide in March.
Her portfolio covers Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
VIV Europe is celebrating its 25th edition this year.
The event operates under the concept "Showroom of the World."
VIV Europe brings together the entire feed-to-food chain.
The event is held in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Europe's industry priorities include sustainability, efficiency, animal welfare, and regulation.
Asia's priorities include rapid growth, technology investment, and biosecurity.
Africa and the Middle East focus on food security, local production, and knowledge transfer.
Shared global challenges include labor shortages, disease management, and sustainability pressures.
VIV Europe features trends like data-driven farming, AI, and precision livestock systems.
VIV Select India was launched to target the Indian agrifood market.
Hall aims to strengthen regional relevance and global industry connections.
Executive Summary
Full Take
This interview with Natasha Hall presents VIV Europe as a pivotal hub for the agrifood industry, framing it as a solution to global challenges through collaboration and innovation. The strongest version of this narrative highlights the event's role in bridging regional disparities while addressing universal issues like sustainability and efficiency. However, the analysis leans heavily on industry optimism without critical examination of potential limitations—such as whether face-to-face events can truly drive systemic change or if the "Showroom of the World" concept risks oversimplifying complex regional dynamics.
The narrative employs a pattern of **ARC-0024 Ambiguity**, where broad terms like "future-proofing" and "trusted partnerships" are used without concrete metrics for success. Additionally, the emphasis on "global connection" and "local relevance" could be seen as a **ARC-0043 Motte-and-Bailey**, where the motte (practical business solutions) is defensible, but the bailey (transformative industry change) is more speculative. The root cause appears to be a paradigm of industry-driven problem-solving, assuming that market-led innovation can address systemic issues like food security and sustainability. This aligns with a broader trend of corporate events positioning themselves as essential to progress, potentially sidelining structural critiques.
Implications include the risk of overestimating the impact of trade shows in solving deep-seated industry challenges, as well as the potential for regional priorities to be overshadowed by global narratives. Who benefits? Primarily exhibitors and attendees seeking business opportunities, but the broader societal impact—such as equitable access to innovation—remains unclear. Second-order consequences could include increased industry consolidation around dominant players, marginalizing smaller or local actors.
Bridge questions: How might VIV Europe measure its success beyond attendance numbers? What structural barriers might prevent the "Showroom of the World" from delivering on its promises? How do regional priorities align—or conflict—with global industry trends?
Counterstrike scan: If this were part of a coordinated influence campaign, the playbook would involve framing VIV Europe as indispensable to industry progress while downplaying alternative solutions. The actual content does not fully match this pattern, as it acknowledges regional differences and shared challenges. However, the lack of critical scrutiny of the event's limitations could be a subtle form of **ARC-0012 Sanewashing**, where the narrative presents industry-led solutions as inherently balanced and effective.