Gulfood is a unique opportunity for F&B operators to get personalised solutions from the professionals, according to one TV chef appearing at the event.
Brian Turner, known for his various books and television appearances – including on the popular UK show Ready, Steady, Cook – noted: “Everyone thinks they know what’s going on here from their catalogue, but in reality there’s nothing better than coming along and seeing for yourself and talking to people about what they’re up to.
“And then of course you can say ‘in the past, my problem has been...’ or ‘my need in the present is...’ and then you can talk to the team that’s on the stand and they can explain how they would solve that problem.
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“Everyone’s obviously got their own slant, but here you get personalised efforts to find you will find a variety of solutions from dedicated professionals, which is fantastic.”
Turner is appearing at the show for a third year as the special guest of tableware providers Steelite and Ronai, offering an interactive twist to the stand.
“While at a lot of the tableware stands you see fake fruits, uncooked pasta and varnished food items to add something, we felt that, although it’s quite hard work, it’s a nice touch to offer some real food, so the visitors can see exactly what it looks like,” Turner explained.
“We’re doing little cooking demos throughout the day, so everyone can see it on the plates, then have a little something to eat, and go away feeling cheerful.”
Commenting on the show, Turner noted that the 2010 edition was notceably bigger than previous years.
“Of course it’s spread out across more space, so it’s easier to get lost and not find the stand you want – but by the same token, while you’re looking for it, you can stumble across a stand you never thought of visiting and find something extremely interesting. So it’s great for having a wander and finding out what’s happening in the F&B world,” he said.
“So overall I think it’s a great show; lovely people, very well organised – just hard on the feet!”
A Ronai managing director Gavin Dodd said so far the stand had seen a great deal of quality footfall.
“We’ve had an excellent few days, great footfall, so it’s all been very positive,” Dodd said.
“We feel that it’s important to have a presence at major exhibitions; we have a lot of great clients and very strong products and we feel it’s important to showcase them as well as possible,” he added.
According to Steelite International vice president - Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Stuart Wilkinson, Gulfood 2010 seems to have imporved on last year’s show.
“The first day was much better than last year; we’ve been really impressed by the quality and volume of the visitors,” he said.
“And despite a tough past year, there is a very positive vibe here and seem to be a lot of exciting projects coming up,” he concluded.
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