DWTC Announces Dates For Even Bigger 2013 Edition Of Specialist Food Shows As Region’s Appetite For Gourmet And Fine Foods Grows

SEAFEX, The Speciality Food Festival and Sweets & Snacks Middle East report strong sales and excellent results for 2012 edition

Following record results for this year’s editions of SEAFEX, The Speciality Food Festival, and Sweets & Snacks Middle East, the organisers of the region’s top three gourmet food shows have confirmed even bigger plans for 2013. Set to take place from 17-19 November 2013 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) a substantial 35 percent increase in exhibition space has been allocated to the shows to accommodate exhibitor demand.

The increase in size to 11,500m² is due to excellent sales, strong order books and promising new business relationships reported by exhibitors at the close of three influential trade shows last month. SEAFEX, The Speciality Food Festival, and Sweets & Snacks Middle East provide the only dedicated platforms in the Middle East for niche sectors enjoying strong growth in the region: seafood, gourmet and fine food ingredients, and confectionery and snacks.

Organised by DWTC, the three shows welcomed 11,582 targeted food & beverage and hospitality professionals to source new ingredients and products, identify new suppliers and secure distributor contracts for the lucrative MENA region. This year’s shows saw a 22% increase in visitors compared to 9,436 visitors in 2011.

“As the organisers of Gulfood, the single largest annual food trade show in the world, the DWTC team brings unrivalled experience to these three specialist shows within the same industry. We are pleased to announce that the 2013 edition will be the largest to date due to overwhelmingly positive results for our exhibitors, both in terms of being able to reach the right target audience, and in the lucrative deals concluded,” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President, DWTC.

“With more than 330 exhibitors from around the world across the three shows this year, visitors have been able to access an unbelievably well-stocked pantry of ultra-premium fine food products and ingredients – something which is becoming increasingly important as the region’s appetite for fine dining grows.”

SEAFEX, the largest dedicated seafood exhibition in the Middle East, which launched this year, was particularly well received in a region where fish often tops the menu. A total of 21 country pavilions, from countries as far afield as Canada, China, Spain, Peru, Yemen and Vietnam, enjoyed the highly targeted platform that the show provided.

British Columbia Gourmet Food, an export-driven food company focused on delivering a premium Canadian food portfolio to international food markets, reported high levels of interest and a number of potential sales within the first few days of the show.

President and CEO, Robert Davidson, said: “We are extremely pleased with the number of potential enquiries that we have received from serious customers and the networking opportunities the exhibition has provided to meet with qualified business partners from the MENA region and beyond. We have definitely met our objective to create market awareness in the UAE, GCC, and Middle East Region for our Canadian Sustainability natural foods programme, and we look forward to participating at the show again next year.”

The third edition of The Speciality Food Festival, the Middle East’s only dedicated gourmet and fine food trade exhibition, reaffirmed its success at reaching a targeted audience with millions of dollars worth of business conducted during the show.

The French Pavilion, which this year had the largest presence yet in the show history with over 12 French businesses exhibiting and a 25% increase in space over the 2011 edition, was particularly pleased with the opportunity that the show provided in raising the profile of its exhibitors among sector professionals, especially French beef, now to be available in the UAE for the first time in 10 years.

First time exhibitors included Artisan du Chocolat, a UK manufacturer of luxury chocolates. Commenting on her decision to participate at the show this year, founder Anne Weyns, said: “The Middle East has always been a priority market for us, with our premium chocolates receiving a number of private orders for weddings and functions in the UAE and KSA. This is the first trade show we have attended in the region and has been ideal for us to meet new and existing customers face-to-face. It is still early, but we are in the process of drawing up a contract for a deal that we finalised here at the show, and after the level of interest we have received and the contacts made, we are confident that we will be able to open shops in the UAE and KSA within the next 18 months.”

Contracts were also signed by Avalon, a UK manufacturer of Halal Italian flat bread and pizza. Mohammad Nazir Mackmood, Sales Director, Avalon said: “ We have potentially secured over AED17 million worth of business at the show with deals made in the Middle East as well as sub-continent. The Speciality Food Festival has been an excellent forum for us to meet serious customers and we are pleased to walk away with over 70 qualified business contacts.”

The region’s largest and most influential trade show for the snack and confectionery industry, Sweets and Snacks Middle East, provided a truly international platform for product selection, with more than 122 specialised exhibitors from 29 countries showcasing both sweet and savoury snacks and confectionery.

Rajesh Rahod, Sales Manager of Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Trading, a privately owned trading company specialising in importing and distributing high quality confectionery from Europe and the US said “This is our sixth time exhibiting at Sweets and Snacks Middle East and we can confidently say that it is the one of the best platform for sweets and snacks suppliers to target a large number of buyers across the Middle East. The show has been ideal for us to launch new products to our target audience – it serves as a hub of business for the confectionery industry in the region.”

Special features taking place during the shows included a full schedule of inspiring cooking demonstrations from some of Dubai’s top chefs at the dedicated Chef’s Corner. Presented by the Baking and Pastry Guild, the demonstrations complemented the gourmet show’s position as a forum for specialist buyers, chefs and suppliers to review, showcase and sample products, and as a meeting place for networking and active business transactions.

Delegates to the region’s first Food Logistics Forum benefited from the expertise of over 150 global and regional logistics business leaders addressing industry concerns, and participated in interactive workshops that discussed market growth opportunities.

“We are extremely pleased with the feedback received from exhibitors and the success that we have seen. By running the three events concurrently we provide an excellent opportunity to get focus and depth on one hand, and breadth and range on the other. We look forward to the momentum generated for the gourmet food exhibitors continuing through to our next big event, Gulfood,” concluded Loh.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Dec 20, 2012

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