EVENT PREVIEW: GULFOOD 2012
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.
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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And don’t just take Napier’s word for it – many of last year’s exhibitors have been singing the praises of Gulfood. Chilean Promotion Bureau ProChile, which assists small- and medium-size companies in trade expansion, says that exports as a result of the show rocketed – dried fruit exports went from US $3 million to US $15 million.
Trade commissioner Carlos Salas says: “The results were fantastic. We are coming with 17 companies this year – our biggest attendance ever”.
Heidi Chef Solutions, which provides bakery solutions, reiterate Salas’ claims of phenomenal success at last year’s show. “In the UAE alone Heidi gained leads for 30 new customers and built stronger relationships with its existing customer base,” general manager Brian Ballinger says.
“This led us to grow our ingredients business by around 10%.” The company will be back at Gulfood this year with a live bakery to showcase their products.
A platinum sponsor of this year’s show, Unilever, explains how its increased involvement is a result of how beneficial 2011’s show was. Eelco Camminga, vice president for South Africa, Middle East and Pakistan, says: “Gulfood offers a huge opportunity to demonstrate our unique products and solutions, selling capabilities, and services to a wider audience on a common platform.
We aim to expand our international horizons. Our aim is not just to be there but actively network and attract business to our stand.”
Camminga will also be a keynote speaker at Gulfood, giving a presentation that will shed light on leading brands, and sharing the secrets of their success.
This year the conferences will be more wide-ranging than ever, says Napier: “The expansion of the Gulfood conferences is in line with global trends and covers the hottest topics on the industry agenda: foodpreneurship, franchising and leadership within the industry, from a brand level through to management. We have a line-up of some of the most dynamic principals and captains of the food and beverage industry participating.”
He says that one of the big trends he has seen already is how much international interest there is – companies from around the world bringing in their products and expertise. “This year we are highlighting the truly international flavour of Gulfood, as a business platform for companies around the world. This show is a transactional show without equal, with more business signed and sealed as a direct result of Gulfood than any other show internationally.”
Napier is not wrong — research from last year’s show revealed staggering numbers of global buyers making key decisions at the event. Napier says that, “more than 74% of buyers make purchasing decisions at Gulfood, while the show itself conducts 50% more transactions than at any other similar event”.
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Salon Culinaire
While primarily a business hub, Gulfood also features aspects that will dazzle and enthral. One major highlight for Napier is the Emirates International Salon Culinaire, organised by the Emirates Culinary Guild. “It is the most spectacular display of talented chefs from the region,” he says, “showcasing some incredible plates that will delight even the most jaded palate.”
More than 1300 chefs are expected to compete in 22 categories spanning all corners of the kitchen, from tapas and a five-course gourmet dinner menu to cake decorating and ice carving, which Napier describes as “truly breathtaking”.
Director of kitchens at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek and president of the Emirates Culinary Guild, Uwe Micheel has been busy preparing for the biggest competition to date. He says: “Last year we had people fly over from 10 different countries. This year we have guys from Sri Lanka, Thailand and a team of eight chefs from Canada”.
It is a far cry from its beginnings more than two decades ago. Back then it used to be “a small competition with a few people in the desert,” explains Micheel. It has grown into one of the most prestigious catering competitions on earth, and this year promises to be unmissable. Christophe Prud’homme, executive chef at Al Bustan Rotana, has seven of his chefs entering.
“The competition serves as inspiration to their career, it is a goal that they strive to achieve,” he says. “They want to challenge themselves and to see how much they can win or lose trying to reach the best of their field.”
Chefs taking part have been preparing for weeks geting their dishes up to world-class standards. Prud’homme says that his chefs have been working 20 hours a day. “They do the normal operation and then go and practise for Salon Culinaire. Once you have the goal in your head you cannot stop. They are in a dream when they work. They are breathing it. They are sleeping with it. They need to perfect it.”
For Prud’homme, it is worth it for the thrill of seeing chefs working in front of visitors: “The live cooking classes are always exciting. It is instinct food, people cooking right in front of you. How can that compare to a cake someone made last month?”
He adds: “People look for freshness. They want to see the chef adding the salt and pepper, stirring it, rocking the pan back and forth. When you have a piece of chicken or fish in front of you, you are adding the flavours right there and then, you are putting yourself into it.”
Micheel agrees, but says that the highlight of the competition is seeing competing chefs come together and show “team spirit”. “We have our day-to-day work where we are all competing against each other, trying to catch the guests from one another, but when we come together we are all working as one team and this is quite extreme. There are so many different nationalities, but we are all chefs here and we are all the same. We are all working to the same goal. I do not see this anywhere else in the world when so many chefs work so closely together.”
“The main aim of every competition you enter is to learn,” says Micheel. “Learn from your mistakes, learn from the other chefs’ mistakes, or from what they did well. And make new friends.”
Sponsor of the seafood class and Gulfood exhibitor in the Scottish pavilion hosted by Scottish Development International, Label Rouge Scottish Salmon, says Salon Culinaire is a fantastic way to highlight “culinary stars of the future”.
This is even truer now as, for the first time, there is a Young Chef of the Year trophy, allowing chefs aged 21 to 25 to battle it out among their contemporaries. Micheel says: “It is a way to push and develop our junior chefs, because one day we will have to stop and our junior chefs will have to be ready.”
Micheel explains that it is not about winning, it is about sharing experience and knowledge. “Nobody can take from you what is under your hat. What is in your pocket, people can take from you. Whatever you learn, no one can ever take away from you and more knowledge becomes more power.”
The same is true of the whole event. From the high culinary flair on show, to the latest innovations, ideas and industry research, Gulfood is a hub of activity where you can pick up knowledge and talk to experts from around the world to enhance not only your business, but the entire F&B industry.
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What the exhibitors say
Darya Yurkina, sales executive, La Marquise International
Being one of the biggest events in the industry, Gulfood is considered to be a must to exhibit at for a few reasons: it’s a great chance to reach the company’s prospects, and face-to-face interaction with the clients has proved to be one of the best ways to pitch the product or service.
Ray Bruen, commercial director, Yamato
We had over 50 qualified enquiries and made sales in to the snack industry at Gulfood 2011. We look forward to meeting these contacts at the 2012 show and aim to reinforce these relationships whilst also building foundations with new businesses.
Jacomien Korstanje, international sales director, Lamb Weston
We have been attending the show for many years, and feel that it is a good way to present ourselves and our products to the Middle East market. It allows us to promote our company, showcase our new products and meet with our distributors and customers face-to-face.
Alisdair Wilcox, sales manager, Arc International
It is an exhibition where we can meet regional key customers and potential business partners. And due to the high traffic at Gulfood our brand awareness among hoteliers and professionals increases. It is also a great opportunity to introduce any new products launches that we have.
The Essentials
When: February 19 - 21, 11am – 7pm and February 22, 11am – 5pm
Where: Dubai World Trade Centre
Admission: Free in advance: www.gulfood.com. AED 200 (US $55) at the event.
Key Presentations:
Leading Brands: Feb 19, 1.15pm. Presented by Eelco Camminga, vice president for South Africa, Middle East and Pakistan, Unilever.
The Leader in Foodpreneurship: Feb 20, 10.30am. Presented by Kamal Gupta, managing director for MEA and CIS, Fonterra.