DUBAI, UAE – The 2016 edition of Gulfood, a world-level annual food and hospitality trade show, will cement its standing as the world’s leading global food trading platform when more than 5,000 international companies from 120 countries gather at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 21-25 February.
Among the 85,000-plus visitors from more than 170 countries expected, Gulfood 2016 will host international heads of state, ministers, government officials and national trade associations from five continents.
With event and year-round legacy trading expected to run into billions of dollars, Gulfood 2016 will connect nations and suppliers, open distribution channels for industry-related business, and highlight Dubai’s strategic role as a key global food industry trading hub.
Having this year celebrated its landmark 20th outing, Gulfood 2016 is poised to deliver ‘More Tastes, More Trends and More Trade’ as the specialist event readies to welcome tens of thousands of finished food suppliers, bulk commodity wholesalers and exporters, and the show’s largest-ever collection of hospitality equipment suppliers.
Led by the nation’s Ministry of Agriculture, Gulfood 2016 will also welcome its first Russian national pavilion – one of 114 national pavilions spanning in excess of 120,000m² of world-class, multi-functional indoor exhibition space and two purpose-built, temporary structures spanning a 10,900m² at DWTC. The expanded indoor exhibition space includes three new DWTC halls – Za’abeel 4, 5 and 6.
“Gulfood is internationally renowned for providing a trusted and accessible platform for the world’s food industry to meet, transact and trade out of Dubai – one of the world’s most diverse, energetic and vibrant trading hubs,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC.
“As global food producers and traders establish new supply routes to reach customers and monetise opportunities in emerging markets, the heightened visitor experience will enable industry heavyweights to make strategic purchasing decisions with trusted suppliers, all while consolidating the UAE’s key role as a major transshipment destination for food products and hospitality equipment,” added LohMirmand.
Gulfood 2016 will host the third Halal World Food, the world’s biggest annual Halal food sourcing trade event. The dedicated show-within-a-show leverages Dubai’s mounting credentials as a global Islamic Economy capital and increase the emirate’s share of year-round trading in halal foods.
“This is now an essential prerequisite for any supplier looking to establish a foothold in the world’s fastest growing food industry sectors with the global Halal market expected to reach US$10 trillion by 2030,” said LohMirmand.
