Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) announces the acquisition of 51 of the NIS Summit – Nutrition Innovation Summit, Brazil’s main business and innovation platform for the functional ingredients, health and supplement market. “This 20-million R$ transaction,” explains Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, “is the group’s 13th acquisition in Brazil and further strengthens the expansion strategy into structural segments with constant growth and low sensitivity to economic cycles.”
Current NIS members will remain at the helm until 2029, ensuring strategic continuity and technical excellence. At the end of that period, IEG will exercise the option to purchase the remaining 49%.
Nutrition: a structural rather than cyclical sector
Nutrition is no longer a trend. It has become an infrastructure of public health, longevity and productivity. Unlike cyclical sectors, functional nutrition and supplementation do not depend on economic crises or expansionary phases, but are driven by demographic changes, an ageing population, disease prevention, and greater consumer awareness.
According to ABIA (Brazilian Association of the Food Industry), the Brazilian food industry recorded a turnover of R$1,277 billion in 2024 (10.8% of GDP), up 10% from the previous year. The sector foresaw investments of R$ 120 billion by 2026. The food for special purposes segment grew by 4.6% in the first nine months of 2025, according to ABIAD (Brazilian Association of Food Industry for Special and Related Purposes).
“Nutrition is not a trend; it is a structural necessity of modern society. People may put off buying a car or property, but they do not forego decisions about their health, well-being, and longevity. Investing in the NIS Summit means positioning IEG at the centre of an ecosystem that is growing independently of the economic cycle. We are talking about applied science, concrete innovation and the connection between global industry and the Brazilian market. It is a sector that is evolving rather than contracting,” says Graziano Messana, CEO of IEG Brasil.
Integrating NIS into the IEG portfolio will strengthen the group’s global Food & Beverage vertical, including international events such as SIGEP World, and further bridge the gap between Brazilian operators and global innovation networks. In the last two years, the group has acquired 100% of Expo InfraFM and MundoGeo, and 51% of Fenagra. “We will continue to invest in Brazil in a disciplined and strategic way. Our aim is clear: to build a resilient portfolio, connected to the economy’s big structural transformations, and position IEG among Brazil’s major players in the exhibition sector,” Messana concludes.
Find out more about IEG here.
