The volume of trade recorded at this year’s Gulfood 2007 is set to break all previous records, with a high number of exhibitors already closing multi-million dollar deals at the region’s largest hospitality, food and beverage show.
Exhibitors at the show – which closes today – have praised the event for maintaining its strong trade focus, even as the number of exhibitors and visitors has grown significantly over recent years.
Among the major trade agreements already sealed are deals to ship spices to Syria and South Africa, recorded by market leader GYMA; a contract to supply machines, ingredients, training and services to over 100 shops in the GCC by La Marquise International; and over two million dollars worth of business for The Irish Dairy Board, which had already sold 600 tonnes of dairy products by the third day of the event.
“Gulfood has grown significantly this year, both in the number of visitors and also the volume of business inquiries. The global focus of the event always means that you have the opportunity to meet distributors and buyers from new markets,” said Ghassan Kazbar, Business Development Manager – UAE Market, Al Ghurair foods, a leading manufacturer of flour, pasta, noodles and edible oils.
Spice and dried fruit processor and packager GYMA has also experienced strong demand for its offerings throughout the show.
Anurag Malkoti, marketing manager, GYMA, comments: “The level of interest has been extraordinary. We encountered around 600 queries on the first day alone – 80 percent of which were export queries. Given our ambitious plans for growth, this event provides us with a perfect platform to further develop internationally.”
GYMA signed a number of major deals during the show, and expects to export an additional 50-60 tonnes of spices a month directly as a result of deals already closed at Gulfood.
La Marquise International also expects a sharp rise in business, with major contracts signed at the event including a deal to supply over 100 shops for a major food chain across the region.
“The volume of business leads generated at this year’s Gulfood has been extremely high, but it’s the scale and quality of some of the deals under discussion which makes it such an exciting event,” said Anthony Bedoyan, Technical Commercial Manager, La Marquise International.
Organisers are confident that the total volume of trade generated by Gulfood will easily exceed that of previous years. Final figures – including the full tally of visitors – are due to be released after the show.
Gulfood 2008 is set to return February 24 – February 27, with an extra 10,000 m2 exhibition space allocated at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Gulfood 2007 - The 12th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire, organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 19 – 22 February 2007. 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 persons under the age of 21 will not be allowed into the exhibition.
About Gulfood www.gulfood.com
Organised since 1987, Gulfood is the region's largest and most important industry event of the year and a strategic platform for buyers and sellers to conduct direct business face to face. The exhibition is a showcase for manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers from around the world, representing all of the key sectors within the food and hospitality trade.
In 2006, Gulfood brought together 2,173* companies from 70 countries and featured 46 national pavilions. The exhibition attracted 32,022* trade visitors from 146 countries including buying delegations not only from the Middle East but as far as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Brunei, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, UK and USA.
*Gulfood 2006 was audited and monitored by KPMG.
About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) www.dwtc.com
As the organiser of Gulfood 2007, Dubai World Trade Centre offers over 27 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 14 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an ideal 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 the region’s leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all conferences deliver full value and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector.
