Following record results for this year's editions of SEAFEX, The Specialty Food Festival, and Sweets & Snacks Middle East, the organizers of the region's top three gourmet food shows have confirmed even bigger plans for 2013. Set to take place on Nov. 17-19, 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. Organized 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 percent increase in visitors compared to 9,436 visitors in 2011. 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. “As the organizers 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 program, and we look forward to participating at the show again next year.” – SG
