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INTERVIEW<br />
FAIR MADRID<br />
Fruit<br />
attraction<br />
interview<br />
Madrid<br />
6 QUESTIONS TO MINK VAN DEN GOORBERGH AT THE MADRID FAIR<br />
Mink van den Goorbergh<br />
International Trader<br />
<strong>Aartsen</strong><br />
With what purpose did you go to the fair?<br />
<strong>Aartsen</strong>’s objective was to find new shipping<br />
agents to expand its range of products<br />
from Spain. We prepared for the fair by<br />
doing a bit of canvassing. That resulted in<br />
the scheduling of a series of meetings with<br />
potential future shipping agents.<br />
My personal goal was to get to know the<br />
people who I’m in contact with on a daily<br />
basis a little better. Partially due to the<br />
coronavirus pandemic, there were still some<br />
shipping agents that I’d never met in person.<br />
It’s great that I got to see these people in<br />
person for the first time.<br />
What was your first impression?<br />
It’s magnificent. There are so many<br />
companies and people that it’s hard to do<br />
it justice in words – you really need to have<br />
been there.<br />
Did you have any special meetings?<br />
Special meetings? I had plenty! As for which<br />
went best, it’s difficult to narrow it down to<br />
just one – they were all equally special to me.<br />
The type of conversation and connection you<br />
have varies from person to person.<br />
However, I have to single out the stand of<br />
Frutas Montosa (a long-standing <strong>Aartsen</strong><br />
partner) for the warmth of their welcome.<br />
They wouldn’t let me leave until I’d had<br />
my fill of food and drink. The stand had a<br />
wonderfully Spanish atmosphere, and I finally<br />
got to meet my contact Juan in real life for<br />
the first time. In spite of that, we were soon<br />
chatting like old friends.<br />
What are your highlights of the fair?<br />
The fine dining, obviously. Joking<br />
aside, it was genuinely good fun to have<br />
dinner with the shipping agents every<br />
night. You have more time over dinner, so<br />
the conversations naturally become more<br />
informal. I didn’t have a single bad evening.<br />
What would you do differently next time?<br />
Sometimes I wish I could spend more time<br />
with the people that I get on well with, but<br />
that isn’t always possible, as the days tend<br />
to be filled with meetings. Easier said than<br />
done, in other words.<br />
How would you describe this experience?<br />
As the most educational week of my career<br />
up to this point! You carry the experience you<br />
gain in a week like this with you your entire<br />
working life.<br />
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