Dubai F&B expos target new customers

Head to Dubai for a trio of specialist food exhibitions designed to showcase the latest and greatest trends in gourmet cuisine and catering equipment from October 31 to November 2

Premium New Zealand oysters, luxury confectionery, and fine olive oils are just three of the items on the menu for three gourmet expos in Dubai later this month.

The Speciality Food Festival, ITCA Dubai and Sweets & Snacks Middle East, all organised by Dubai World Trade Centre, aim to place high-quality produce from across a variety of sectors under the spotlight.

The Speciality Food Festival brings together four strands of cuisine in a developing regional market under the banners Gourmet, Halal, Organic and Seafood. It is the festival’s debut at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Organisers have billed it as the “premier event for gourmet professionals”. The latest trends and tastes in the gourmet F&B arena will be featured alongside a diverse range of international produce, including foods and beverage products from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Spain.

According to Ali Mahmoudi, chief executive officer, Gourmet House: “It is great to have a speciality food event in Dubai. There are so many businesses which rely on the best food available and this is a city which has a reputation for attracting luxury tastes and premier customers”.

Building a reputation for quality high-end cuisine in the Middle East is a key aim of the festival.

Live cooking demonstrations by high-end chefs and educational seminars discussing the latest trends and examples of best practice will also take place.

Shadi Joweihan, founder and managing partner of Milk & Honey Providore/Trading said: “We are trying to create more of a lifestyle experience with things that are in everyday use. We focus on lifestyle and quality and the Speciality Food Festival is an opportunity for us to present this. What we are promoting is that the consumer can shop and eat healthily all under the one roof.

“We source high-end products from around the world — we have over 300 products.”

Milk&Honey stocks a wide variety of health food items, which includes more than 18 types of dry pasta. The niche outlet also boasts a 24-hour delivery service.

“The Speciality Food Festival gives Milk&Honey the opportunity to promote our brands of healthy produce and a balanced healthy lifestyle. The products stocked in the shop include gluten-free bread and high end gourmet health foods,” Joweihan said.

Sweets and Snacks Exhibition

Organised by Koelnmesse and Dubai World Trade Centre, Sweets and Snacks Exhibition 2010 is looking to build on the success of last year’s show, when more than 155 companies and 4786 trade buyers from 79 countries attended. The 2010 event occurs at a time when the market is increasingly buoyant.

Confectionery imports into the UAE showed a steep annual growth of 14% between 2005 and 2008, reaching AED 686 million. In total, the UAE imports increased by 45% compared to 2008.

According to industry research experts Pira International, the Middle East and North Africa offer attractive investment opportunities for packaging material, machinery and equipment suppliers.

Sweet & SnackTec Middle East is held in conjunction with Sweets & Snacks Middle East and organisers expect more international exhibitors than in previous years.

“Consumption of packaging material in the MENA region is set to reach a total of 25.5 million tonnes by 2014 (Pira International). The Middle East is considered as a region with tremendous growth potential,” said Nestlé’s regional chief executive officer, Yves Manghardt.

ITCA Dubai

Now in its fifth year, the Travel Catering Services Exhibition will showcase a full range of equipment and catering trends for the travel industry. Airline operators, cruise-line operators and land travel operators will be presented with the latest products to appear on the market.

The market is a burgeoning one, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) pinpointing the Middle East as the fastest growing region for the sector world-wide.

By 2012, the region’s 10 leading airports will have the capacity for 320 million passengers per year.

The ICTA exhibition will showcase products for operators and outlets looking to meet that demand.