18/02/2017
# ’17 to present itself in new format with eight food sub-sectors # #
(Harcha Bhaskar, Mumbai)
The 22nd edition of Gulfood, which will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) between February 26 and March 2, 2017. Held annually, the show is one of the largest commodity trading events and exhibitions. This year, for the first time, considering the vastness of food and beverage sector, the organisers have bifurcated the event into beverages, dairy; fats and oils, health, wellness and free-from, pulses, grains and cereals, meat and poultry, power brands and world food.
Commenting about the new format of the event, Mark Napier, exhibitions director, DWTC, and show director, Gulfood 2017, stated, “The new format will allow visitors to get straight to business, assessing quality and benchmarking price in segments of interest. It also allows for deeper market insights and trend awareness through focused consultation with the right experts in one place.”
The event welcomes F&B professionals from all corners of the globe to meet for five days of business within the central hub for international trade and commerce.
Launched as a biennial event in 1987, the exhibition has grown to promote F&B trade among more than 120 countries annually, enabling 5,000 providers of raw materials and ingredients to showcase the tastes, trends and innovations that are shaping the future of food and beverage consumption worldwide.
Gulfood is a business-to-business (B2B) trade exhibition that is professionally managed and hosted by DWTC.
With three decades of experience in delivering world-class events and an ongoing commitment to commerce and innovation within the exhibition industry, DWTC is recognised as a key driver of tourism growth throughout the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The event is known as one of the world’s largest annual food events, serving one of the fastest growing sectors on the planet. It provides networking opportunities to new food businesses in established, evolving and emerging markets. One can access more than 5,000 local, regional and international suppliers from five continents during a critical phase in the annual world harvest cycle.
This is a must-attend event for consistent growth, by sourcing latest products from the most competitive suppliers armed with real-time knowledge of industry pricing and forthcoming trends.
According to the organisers, the event is a huge opportunity for Indian traders to mark their presence in the Gulf countries and make the existing ties stronger.
Interestingly, according to a recent report commissioned by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of External Affairs, UAE-India trade may hit $100 billion in 2020. India also ranks third among countries that export to the UAE, accounting for about 9.2 per cent of the total imports by the UAE.
Spread across an area of over 100,000sq m, this year’s event will witness more than 95,000 trade attendees. Out of the total attendees, around 60 per cent are international visitors and 40 per cent are UAE traders. More than 120 trading countries would be participating in the event.
For those seeking country-specific products, services or business partners, Gulfood 2017 will also feature 120 national pavilions.