The landmark 20th edition of Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show, was inaugurated this morning by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, in the presence of His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and a host of local, regional and international ministers, ambassadors and dignitaries.

This year's show is the biggest in the event's history, with more than 4800 companies from 120 countries participating across 120,000 square metres of exhibition space.

“For almost three decades, Gulfood has provided a strategic investment platform for food traders and suppliers from around the world to meet in Dubai,” said Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, DWTC, organiser of Gulfood.

“With billions of dollars’ worth of trading taking place directly on the show floor, business transactions at our milestone 20th event are expected to record their highest level to date – further enhancing Dubai’s position as the world’s leading trading hub and contributing to the growth and development of the UAE’s increasingly diverse economy.”

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Following Dubai’s vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital, Gulfood 2015 will also bring together more than 1000 international specialist halal food brands and companies at the second annual Halal World Food - the world’s biggest sourcing event for halal food products.

As part of the Gulfood Leaders Events, Gulfood 2015 will host a number of international heads of state, ministers, government officials and C-Level executives from the private sector during a series of conferences and summits covering various food-related sectors.

The World Food Security Summit will take place on Monday 9th February. His Excellency Khadim Abdullah Al Darei, co-founder and managing director, Al Dahra Agriculture, will deliver the Summit’s opening keynote address.

On Tuesday February 10, the Halal Investment Conference will focus on a sector of increasing financial importance for the global food and beverage industry, with His Excellency Nabil Molla, CEO of the GCC Standardisation Organisation (GSO) among the speakers.

On Wednesday February 11, a network of entrepreneurs, franchisors, franchisees and investors will gather for the Food Franchising Forum to share insights, trends and opportunities for food franchising.

The Gulfood Awards - in its sixth edition this year - recognises and rewards best-in-class excellence and innovation across the region’s food and drink industry. Comprising six categories and 10 different awards, the accolades are judged by an international panel of independent industry experts. Taking place on Tuesday 10th February at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai, the Awards evening will also play host to a celebration of the show’s achievements over the past 20 editions.

On the main show floor, the Emirates International Salon Culinaire in association with the Emirates Culinary Guild will showcase the culinary skills of 1,300 professional chefs. This year’s Salon will be evaluated by a panel of 25 renowned experts, mandated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to judge culinary events across the globe.

Part of the Dubai Food Festival, a city-wide culinary celebration running throughout February, the second annual Halal World Food and Gulfood 2015 are strict trade-only events open to business and trade visitors. The shows are open 11am-7pm from February 8-11 and 11am-5pm on February 12. Visitors can register on-site for an entry fee of AED250 (US$ 66.65).