Interview: Mark Napier

Caterer Middle East catches up with Gulfood exhibition director Mark Napier to find out more about the 20th anniversary edition of one of the most anticipated food and hospitality trade shows, Gulfood

How can exhibitors make the most of this year’s show?
One of the reasons Gulfood is so highly-regarded internationally is our world-class global visitor profile. In response to changing international markets, evolving supply routes and general industry trends, the vast majority of our overseas visitors now look to the Middle East as their new sourcing hub, and Gulfood offers a platform for worldwide food suppliers to meet, trade and explore business opportunities with the regional industry.

We’d also recommend our exhibitors visit the Gulfood website (www.gulfood.com) and take advantage of the tools it offers. In addition to the most relevant up-to-date information, it allows exhibitors to download the Gulfood mobile app that includes an interactive map to enable users to navigate the show and many other useful features.

‘Gulfood Connexions’, available to both exhibitors and visitors, provides exclusive access to an online networking and schedule management platform, allowing participants to establish connections, search for business leads and book meetings ahead of time.

Other than taking advantage of the technology, exhibitors attending the Gulfood Conferences will find them to be a source of practical information — for building connections with industry stakeholders, gaining insight into the industry and its regional trends, and benefiting from the knowledge base of over 35 expert global speakers.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Gulfood. What special celebrations can we expect to see?
A landmark celebration such as the 20th anniversary of Gulfood is an opportunity to reflect on the show’s growth in both scale and stature over the past two decades, and to reiterate the role Gulfood continues to play in brokering significant partnerships and business deals between companies, corporations and countries around the world. Many of our exhibitors will be bringing special anniversary offers to celebrate the show’s 20th outing, so there will be great deals to be had for buyers.

Additionally, more than 1000 leading industry decision-makers, celebrity chefs, key exhibitors, customers, media and national groups are expected to attend our evening anniversary event that takes place on the 10th of February at the five-star Conrad Hotel in Dubai. The evening’s programme will also include the annual Gulfood Awards.

How successful was the first Gulfood Manufacturing in 2014?
In addition to being major food importers, GCC governments have increasingly explored avenues to boost their domestic food processing sectors.

The inaugural edition of Gulfood Manufacturing was the largest dedicated food processing event in the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia (MEASA) and hosted more than 1100 companies from 56 countries, including 26 official country pavilions. Vitally, the show attracted 26,329 specialist visitors with considerable purchasing power from 156 countries.

With participation from major food processing industry heavyweights from around the world, Gulfood Manufacturing 2014 served as a platform and a one-stop-shop for regional food processors looking for access to the latest technology and consumer trends.

Hundreds of machinery and equipment manufacturers secured sales and received enquiries that exceeded their expectations. As more food processing companies set up shop in the UAE and the wider GCC, we’re seeing tremendous growth in the purchase of ingredients, processing and packaging equipment, warehousing, logistics and cold chain technologies as Dubai and other regional players move further up the supply chain. This proposition is the driving force behind Gulfood Manufacturing.

Creating a standalone event for showcasing food and beverage processing industry solutions has allowed us to focus on the commodities aspect at Gulfood 2015, freeing up capacity for more exhibitors to present their products.

What can we expect to see from the 2015 Gulfood Manufacturing event?
As a dedicated platform for the food processing industry, Gulfood Manufacturing was conceived to provide UAE and GCC-based food manufacturers with the latest in cutting-edge business improvement solutions to drive innovation, improve cost-efficient manufacturing and enhance operational quality, as well as providing a strategic gateway for international manufacturers to tailor their products to suit regional tastes and foster new, lucrative inroads into markets across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

The feedback we have received from exhibitors and visitors that attended the inaugural Gulfood Manufacturing suggests we achieved our objectives. The show struck all the right chords both regionally and globally and we can expect another stand-out event — with more new companies, products and services — in 2015.