A bustling exhibition floor at Gulfood 2011. This year is promising to be even busier, with more stands, conferences and visitors than ever before. A bustling exhibition floor at Gulfood 2011. This year is promising to be even busier, with more stands, conferences and visitors than ever before.

Gulfood returns with one million square feet of space for more than 3800 exhibitors and 65,000 visitors. With conferences, workshops and awards, there won’t be a dull moment, says James Clarey

Gulfood is back and this year, while no doubt it is bigger and better than ever, the organiser Dubai World Trade Centre is promising a truly international, highly influential F&B industry event.

“It is important that Gulfood is not only the world’s largest, but also the most influential trade exhibition in the Middle East and neighbouring regions,” says exhibition director Mark Napier, who has been organising the show for three years.

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With more than 25 years under its belt, the coveted event is well on its way to being the single most important for the F&B industry in terms of trade deals.

“With participants from more than 150 countries, the ultimate target for Gulfood is to facilitate business and ensure that exhibitors reach their key target audience across the entire MENASA market,” says Napier.

“With co-located specialist shows, Ingredients Middle East and Restaurant & Café Middle East, Gulfood is the only event that includes the entire industry value chain. There is no other annual show in the world that offers a true 360° on the scale that Gulfood does.”

It incorporates everything from food suppliers and manufacturers, processing and packaging equipment, as well as business solutions and “every possible food product imaginable for the trade,” he adds.

There is so much going on, Napier has made improvements to make it easy to not only visit the event, but to also get “right down to business”. There will be fast track entry channels and increased space for networking zones as well as daily newsletters and SMSs to “keep visitors posted on the daily agenda”.

His confidence in the market’s strength grows year on year, despite ongoing economic turbulence.

“The Middle East is strategically positioned at the centre of trade between east and west, with a world-class logistics, trade and business infrastructure, and a progressive approach to its expansion to meet growing demand.

“Jebel Ali port will undergo an US $850 million expansion in 2012 and the cargo-dedicated Dubai World Central Airport is on track for an increase in capacity – Dubai remains the hub for the re-export market into the Middle East, Asia, Africa and increasingly, Eastern Europe. With so many attributes to facilitate trade and economic growth, the Middle East is a fantastic place for brisk business within F&B and attracts the brightest and the best within the industry.”

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