Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has announced plans to organise an even bigger 2013 edition of its specialist food shows Seafex, The Speciality Food Festival, and Sweets & Snacks Middle East following record results for this year’s events.

Set to take place from November 17-19 2013 at the DWTC a substantial 35 per cent increase in exhibition space has been allocated to the shows to accommodate exhibitor demand.
 
The increase in size to 11,500 sq m 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.
 
Organised 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 per cent increase in visitors compared to 9,436 visitors in 2011.
 
"As the organisers 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," remarked Trixee Loh, the senior VP at DWTC.

"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," he added.

“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,” said Loh.

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.
 
“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," remarked its president and CEO, Robert Davidson.

"We have definitely met our objective to create market awareness in the UAE, GCC, and Middle East Region for our Canadian Sustainability natural foods programme, and we look forward to participating at the show again next year," he added.

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.

The French Pavilion, which this year had the largest presence yet in the show history with over 12 French businesses exhibiting and a 25 per cent  increase in space over the 2011 edition, was particularly pleased with the opportunity that the show provided in raising the profile of its exhibitors among sector professionals, especially French beef, now to be available in the UAE for the first time in 10 years.

First time exhibitors included Artisan du Chocolat, a UK manufacturer of luxury chocolates. Commenting on her decision to participate at the show this year, founder Anne Weyns, said: "The Middle East has always been a priority market for us, with our premium chocolates receiving a number of private orders for weddings and functions in the UAE and Saudi Arabia."

Contracts were also signed by Avalon, a UK manufacturer of Halal Italian flat bread and pizza.

“We have potentially secured over Dh17 million worth of business at the show with deals made in the Middle East as well as sub-continent. The Speciality Food Festival has been an excellent forum for us to meet serious customers and we are pleased to walk away with over 70 qualified business contacts,” revealed Mohammad Nazir Mackmood, the sales director, Avalon.

The region’s largest and most influential trade show for the snack and confectionery industry, Sweets and Snacks Middle East, provided a truly international platform for product selection, with more than 122 specialised exhibitors from 29 countries showcasing both sweet and savoury snacks and confectionery.

Rajesh Rahod, the sales manager of Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Trading, a privately owned trading company specialising in importing and distributing confectionery from Europe and the US said, “This is our sixth time exhibiting at Sweets and Snacks and we can confidently say that it is the one of the best platform for sweets and snacks suppliers to target a large number of buyers across the Middle East."

Special features taking place during the shows included a full schedule of inspiring cooking demonstrations from some of Dubai’s top chefs at the dedicated Chef’s Corner.-TradeArabia News Service