Gulfood, the region’s premier event for food, drink, foodservice and hospitality equipment, will be held across two venues for the first time, to meet the increased demand for space.

Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the 14th edition of Gulfood will run from February 23 to 26, 2009. The event will occupy a total of 80,000 sqm across the two venues of Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and Airport Expo Dubai.

Food suppliers worldwide are eyeing the expanding Middle East foodservice market due to a rising population with increasingly discerning tastes, purchasing power, and a robust hospitality sector.

The trade-only show reported record visitor attendance in 2008 with a total of 39,147 trade professionals from 148 countries attending the exhibition.

For the first year Gulfood will be co-located with Ingredients Middle East, an exhibition which caters for suppliers of raw material and ingredients for food, beverages, and health food.

Gulfood 2009 will also see the return of the specialised Restaurant & Café Middle East, an exhibition designed to meet the needs of industry professionals involved in every step of the restaurant and café set up and operation supply chain, including interior designers, tableware manufacturers and contract furnishing suppliers.

“With the introduction of Restaurant & Café in 2008 and the alignment of Ingredients Middle East in 2009, Gulfood has grown into the most comprehensive trade show of its kind and will provide an integrated sourcing platform for those working in the food and hospitality sector,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general, Dubai World Trade Centre.

The event is set to welcome more than 3,300 companies who specialise in the food and hospitality sector. Building on the large international presence at this year’s show, over 86 per cent of these leading suppliers are from outside of the UAE.

Gulfood’s international prominence has been further boosted by the ongoing growth of the hospitality industry within the Mena region, which will witness 900 hotels opening in the period up to 2020.

With imports to the GCC region reaching $10 billion in 2007, Gulfood provides a unique global platform for those in the foodservice and hospitality industries to meet with, and establish, business contacts with decision makers and influencers from across the Middle East and GCC region, said a statement.

“This year Gulfood is looking forward to welcoming pavilions from Kuwait, Pakistan, Iran, Peru and even as far as Iceland and Columbia who have read the results from previous shows and want to play a part in leveraging Dubai’s position at the heart of the international trade network,” added Al Marri.
 
Industry specialists Zenith International will host a series of Beverage Opportunity Workshops presenting industry updates and addressing issues that are critical to the beverage sector in the region.

The 4th Dubai International Food Safety Conference, organised by Dubai Municipality, will also be present to examine the challenges and address issues facing the industry with renowned speakers from around the world. -TradeArabia News Service