The 25th Utrecht edition, from 2 to 4 June 2026, launches a biennial cycle that responds to the speed of change in the world poultry industry
The announcement came in January and went almost unnoticed in the calendars of many sector professionals: VIV Europe is changing its cycle. From 2026 onwards, the most important fair in the world for the poultry value chain —from feed to processed food— will no longer be held every four years, but every two. The next event after Utrecht 2026 already has a date: June 2028.
It is not a minor change of agenda. It is a statement of intent about the speed at which innovation in animal production is moving today.
Why four years have become too long
When VIV Europe was born in the Netherlands almost five decades ago, and was renamed VIV EUROPE in 1986, the poultry sector was innovating at a pace that allowed four years to pass between editions and still find enough novelties to fill the halls. That world no longer exists.
In ovo vaccination, intelligent environmental control systems, the great diversity of aviary configurations, the speed of advance in genetic selection, artificial intelligence applied to flock control, in ovo sexing systems and real-time chick sexing… none of these technologies existed or was mature ten years ago. And in the next two years there will be others that today are barely prototypes in laboratories in Wageningen, Guelph or Ames.
The organisers —Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs and VNU Europe— acknowledge it explicitly: the new biennial cycle responds to the demand of the sector itself, which needs a meeting platform with greater frequency to keep up to date. In the words of Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs and VNU: the industry needs «continuity and momentum» that a four-year cycle can no longer offer.
The 25th edition: much more than a round number
VIV Europe 2026 is not just the first biennial edition. It is also the 25th edition of the fair, a milestone that the organisers do not overlook. Born in the Netherlands, the VIV brand has grown to be present on five continents, with events in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Utrecht remains the origin and the epicentre.
The registration figures speak for themselves: 100% of the exhibition space has been sold months in advance. Around 600 exhibitors from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with a forecast of 20,000 international visitors. Poland has been designated Country of Honour 2026, in recognition of its position as one of the leading poultry-farming countries in the EU.
What this means for the poultry professional from Spain or Latin America
Spain figures explicitly among the priority markets of VIV Europe 2026. Together with Poland, France, Germany and Italy, it is part of the European production core that the organisers identify as the engine of technological demand in automation, animal welfare, feed efficiency and digital tools.
To put it another way: VIV Europe 2026 is designed, in part, for you. And with the new biennial cycle, skipping this edition no longer means waiting four years for the next opportunity. It means falling two years behind those who were in Utrecht on 2 June.
The window to plan the trip is closing. Utrecht, 2-4 June 2026.
To learn more:
-. VIV EUROPE 2026 trade fair
-. International calendar of events: https://NeXusAvicultura.com/Calendario/
