Gulfood 2016 – more tastes, trends and trade
The 21st edition of Gulfood started on February 21 and is welcoming more than 5,000 local, regional and international companies from 120 countries and over 85,000 visitors from 170 countries. The trade fair in Dubai ends on February 25.
An article about Gulfood 2016 written exclusively for our sister magazine Potato Processing International, by Mark Napier, Show Director of Gulfood.
The majority of attendees – whether they are international heads of state, ministers, government officials, national trade associations, finished food suppliers, bulk commodity wholesalers, importers, exporters, producers, distributors or hospitality equipment suppliers – will be focusing on business. Specifically, conducting more of it.
The 2016 show features a record 117 pavilions – five up on last year. With a mix of country and national trade association bodies, the pavilion will span 120,000 square meters of multi-functional indoor exhibition space including three new halls and two purpose-built temporary structures spanning 10,900 square meters.
New names means more business
This year’s show sees first-time pavilion participation by Russia, Costa Rica, Belarus, Mauritius and New Zealand – returning after a six-year break. The first-ever Russian national pavilion will be led by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture. Russian participation has huge potential for buyers and sellers with the country being one of the world’s largest grain exporters. The European and South American pavilions will also showcase their largest participation.
With our Europe and South America contingent paying more attention to a global Halal market expected to reach US$10 trillion by 2030, there will also be a lot of activity around the third Halal World Food. In just three short years, our show-within-a-show concept has become the world’s biggest annual Halal food sourcing trade event. It is an essential prerequisite for any supplier looking for a foothold in the global Halal food segment.
Knowledge sharing at the Gulfood conferences
Gulfood 2016 also features a new, three-day knowledge-sharing hub for food & beverage (F&B) professionals. The revamped Gulfood conferences programme includes the one-day F&B Business Forum, before a series of specially-created sessions focusing on Halal foods, food science and manufacturing, global food security and public health in the food industry.
After two decades of emerging into the world’s leading annual food trading platform, industry professionals across the globe see Gulfood 2016 as an opportunity to link up, trade and transact in Dubai and, vitally, to learn about the latest trends informing their businesses.