Sial Middle East, the region's fastest growing business trade event for food, drink and hospitality sectors, is set to welcome over 22,000 industry experts and 900 exhibitors who will be showcasing their innovative products and solutions at the three-day event which opens in Abu Dhabi, UAE, next month.

The eighth edition of the expo is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and the chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) from December 12 to 14 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Sial Middle East is expanding its range of show features to accommodate increased levels of interest from local, regional, and international food-related organisations, said the organisers.

Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition, the only B2B event in the world dedicated solely to dates, will be co-located with the Abu Dhabi event, thus providing the perfect platform for suppliers to network with global players in the hospitality industry.

Highlighting a fruit embedded in Emirati culture, the exhibition will allow onsite sales for the first time, opening up new business opportunities for buyers and suppliers, they stated.

The Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition will host 80 date producers and suppliers from 12 countries including pavilions from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan, said the organisers.

This year's edition of Sial Middle East will witness a great presence for digital communication with a platform hosted by Dining & Nightlife Abu Dhabi magazine, they added.

This new addition to the show will offer a communications hub with a number of benefits for budding restaurateurs.  It will include three distinct elements:

*Social Media Hub: free social media ‘health checks’ for all attendees and receive guidance on how hotels, restaurants and cafes can improve their social media presence and drive benefits for their business.

*Communications Hub: free PR and marketing template that HoReCa companies can utilise to promote themselves to the right audience.

*Meet the Influencers: influencer and blogger meet and greet with visitors where they can learn from industry reviewers and critics, and take part in a speed networking session with top influencers offering F&B outlets help to increase brand awareness and exposure.

*Arabian Buffet Competition
With more than 1,000 competing chefs in 19 different categories, the exhibition will also feature the Arabian Buffet competition, being hosted by the Emirates Culinary Guild, the organiser of La Cuisine and the culinary partner of the exhibition.

The competition will task teams of two chefs and one helper to prepare and present a five-star hotel style traditional Arabian wedding feast suitable to feed 20 people. A selection of main dishes, kebabs and desserts will be cooked and served by the competitors, and assessed by a panel of judges, said the organisers.

Co-located with Sial Middle East this year, the Middle East Food Forum (MEFF), has expanded its features.

Positioned as the voice of the local restaurant industry, MEFF will add various initiatives to the line-up such as a forum with panel discussions, a networking evening, and a CEO roundtable, they added.-TradeArabia News Service