Record Gulfood show opens door

Event draws 4,800 exhibitors, over 1,000 international specialist Halal food brands and companies

Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Helal Saeed Al Marri and other officials visiting stalls after opening the Gulfood 2015. Photos by Leslie Pableo and Mukesh Kamal/ Khaleej Times

Dubai — The 20th edition of Gulfood, one of the world’s largest annual food and hospitality industry trade shows, opened on Sunday with the biggest line-up of exhibitors in the show’s history converging on Dubai World Trade Centre from 120 countries.

Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and UAE Minister of Finance, opened the five-day showcase for 4,800 food traders and suppliers in the presence of Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO of  DWTC, and a host of ministers, ambassadors and dignitaries.

Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president at DWTC, said the record participation at Gulfood signified Dubai’s position as the regional hub for hospitality, trade and tourism and the immense growth opportunities the emirate offers for the global foodservices industry as it prepares to host the World Expo in 2020.

“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  LohMirmand. “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.”

LohMirmand said that as a strategic enabler in Dubai’s vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital, Gulfood 2015 would also bring together more than 1,000 international specialist Halal food brands and companies at the second annual Halal World Food - the world’s biggest sourcing event for Halal food products.

FrieslandCampina showcases world class expertise  Dubai — FrieslandCampina Middle East, part of Royal FrieslandCampina — the largest dairy co-operative in the world, famous for its ‘Rainbow Milk’ brand, is showcasing its world-class expertise and products at Gulfood 2015 – the world’s largest annual food and hospitality show in Dubai. During the exhibition, FrieslandCampina will provide an overview of its entire product range suited to match the lifestyle needs of the region’s customers, including the Dutch natural Frico Cheese, which provides the pure goodness and authentic taste of natural riping and is crafted by experienced cheese makers. — business@khaleejtimes.com

As part of the Gulfood Leaders Events, Gulfood 2015 is hosting a number of international heads of state, ministers, government officials and C-Level executives from the private sector during a series of industry-shaping conferences and summits covering various food-related sectors. The World Food Security Summit - one of the world’s most important platforms for addressing global food security action plans and policies — will take place today. Khadim Abdullah Al Darei, co-founder and managing director, Al Dahra Agriculture, will deliver the Summit’s opening keynote address.

On Tuesday, the Halal Investment Conference will focus on a sector of increasing financial importance for the global food and beverage industry, with key Halal industry players and senior government decision-makers due to discuss commercial and business opportunities presented by the $1.1 trillion global Halal food market. With Nabil Molla, CEO of the GCC Standardisation Organisation among the speakers, the UAE’s leading role in Halal standardisation and certification will be top of the agenda.

On Wednesday, an effective network of entrepreneurs, franchisors, franchisees and investors will gather for the Food Franchising Forum to share insights, trends and opportunities for food franchising - one of the growth drivers of the regional hospitality market. An essential guide to food franchising, the conference is especially pertinent as the UAE is a strategic point-of-entry for the growing number of international brands expanding into the GCC and the wider region.

With thousands of food and beverage products and services introduced every year at Gulfood, the Gulfood Awards — in its sixth edition this year — present an opportunity to recognise and reward best-in-class excellence and innovation across the region’s food and drink industry. Comprising six categories and 10 different awards, the highly-prestigious accolades are judged by an international panel of independent industry experts.

On Tuesday, the Awards evening will also play host to a memorable celebration of the show’s achievements over the past 20 editions. Over 1,000 leading industry decision-makers, celebrity chefs, key exhibitors, customers, media and national groups are expected to attend the anniversary event.

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 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.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com