Last month's Sea Food Expo 2008 generated record sales and visitors, apart from highlighting advanced seafood processing techniques, according to the organiser of the event.

Orange Fairs & Events, organiser of the event said the expo, which capped off its impressive run on October 29, 2008, saw a total of 185 exhibitors from 30 countries  participating, including the USA, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Holland, Taiwan, Malaysia, Spain, India, China, Cyprus, Vietnam, Morocco, Norway, Northern Ireland, Iceland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Yemen, Mauritius, Egypt, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

It said 90 per cent of the exhibitors have already confirmed their presence at the 'Sea Food Expo 2009 which is set to be staged by October 2009 next year.

In addition to the extensive display of top quality seafood products, the event also facilitated convenient sourcing of supplies for chefs, buyers, traders, importers and exporters who attended the event.

Seventeen local companies highlighted their advanced seafood processing techniques such as cold storage systems packaging equipment, during the show.

"The entire Canadian delegation has had a wonderful and productive experience during the event, and we are very glad to have been a part of this one-of-a-kind exhibition in the Middle East," said Richard Seguin, Consul and Trade Commissioner, Consulate of Canada - Dubai.

"We have taken from this event valuable new industry knowledge, which will plan to leverage as we strengthen our sea food trade and take a larger share of the regional seafood market.

"The exhibition proved to be a perfect venue for companies in the Canadian pavilion to launch and highlight various seafood products, and we are looking forward to doing this again next year."

"We have leveraged our outstanding position as a major halal exporter to the Middle East in penetrating the booming regional seafood market, and through our extensive presence in 'Sea Food Expo 2008’, this year we recorded close to $873,000 in sales prospects and we only have optimistic expectations for the growth of our export volumes to the region.

"As we work towards surpassing the sales targets we have set for this year, we have identified the advantages of staging a strong participation in this event, and we are glad to have been in contact with many potential customers and partners from across the continents," said Rodiah BT Idris, director of Development and Technical Consultancy Services Division, Department of Fisheries – Malaysia.

The organiser recorded a total of 5,400 global and international trade visitors who attended the event, which also hosted seminars on topics such as ‘Importance of Quality Management Systems in Seafood Processing’, Aquaculture Potential in the Middle East and East Africa, ‘Growing World Seafood Demand – A Strategy for the Gulf States’, and ‘Innovation and Market Trends in Fish and Seafood Packaging’. 

"We are now preparing for a larger show for ‘Seafood Expo 2009’ as we anticipate a considerable growth in participating companies, international delegations and trade attendees, who are all seeking to leverage the opportunities presented by the event. We are proud to have successfully organised this show for the second year in a row, and our aim is to see its continuous growth as a major driver of the global seafood industry’s growth," said Raees Ahmed, director, Orange Fairs & Events. - TradeArabia News Service