Exhibitors at Gulfood 2006, the Middle East’s largest food, drink, foodservice and hotel equipment exhibition, today confirmed that business deals midway through the annual event are already at the multi-million dollar (US) mark.
“As a regular participant at Gulfood, we project that this year we should conclude between AED 40-50 million (USD 10.9m – 13.6m) of business as a direct result of our involvement,” said Hagop Kassabian, Marketing Manager, Abu Dhabi National Food Company (Foodco).
“50 percent of this business is to the GCC or MENA markets, 20 percent to the Indian Sub-continent and the rest to Europe,” added Kassabian.
Polipa, a Turkish company specialising in food container equipment, volunteered that as a direct result of being involved at Gulfood, they will be looking to open a permanent office in Dubai.
“We are extremely happy with the number of visitors we have received over the first two days and from this year’s event we project that sales, resultant of our presence here at [Gulfood] will reach USD 500,000,” said Kaya Erel, General Manager, Polipa.
From the UK pavilion, the Regional Manager of snack-food machinery equipment company Ishida commented that by participating at Gulfood as much as 50 percent of trade visitor interest had prompted the company to look at diversifying their portfolio of product offerings. For example, the growing trend in snack foods – the ‘Prepared Salad’.
Luis Rota of Brazilian Beef Company ‘Friboi’, said, “Such is the importance of doing business at Gulfood that we are currently negotiating on a deal worth around USD 3 million.”
Also in the multi-million dollar deal category, Kanegrade (UAE) suggested that they can accredit around USD 2 to 3 million to their participation at Gulfood.
Many buyers, says the organiser, travel in delegations with a goal of meeting as many different exhibitors as possible over the four days. The exhibition had already attracted trade visitors from 132 countries, with international delegations coming from South-West Asia, Africa, North and South America as well as traditional trade partners in European states.
“The numbers and quality of the attendees is critical to the success of any of our shows. So we are delighted that we have been able to continue to draw so many key buyers and specifiers from the international market to the region to do business,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), organiser of Gulfood.
Photo Captions: 1) Hallar Trading at Gulfood; 2) Australian Pavilion at Gulfood; 3) Egyptian Pavilion at Gulfood
Gulfood 2006 - The 11th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire, will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 19 – 22 February 2006. The opening hours are 11.00 to 19.00 on the 19 – 21 February, and 11.00 to 17.00 on the 22 February.
Gulfood is strictly a trade-only event and is open for business and trade visitors only, proof of which must be provided at registration. General public and children are not allowed into the exhibition.
About Gulfood
www.gulfood.com
Since 1987, Gulfood has been considered the Middle East’s and Africa’s primary business platform for food, drink, foodservice and hospitality equipment. The exhibition is a showcase of manufacturers, distributors and suppliers from around the world, representing all of the key sectors within food and hospitality.
In 2005, the 10th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire brought together 1,730 companies from 59 countries and featured 36 national pavilions. The show attracted 29,100 visitors from 127 countries including buying delegations from as far as Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia and the UK.
The Emirates International Salon Culinaire, organised by The Emirates Culinary Guild, held alongside Gulfood 2005, featured seminars, culinary competitions and demonstrations involving 850 international chefs.
Gulfood 2006 is set to build on the 73% growth of exhibition space experienced at Gulfood 2005.
About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
www.dwtc.com
As the organiser of Gulfood 2006, Dubai World Trade Centre offers over 25 years’ experience of delivering world-class events in the Middle East, providing local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. Our team organises 12 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an strategic platform for business development in the region.
Our commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors. DWTC works with leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all exhibitions deliver full value and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector.
