The most successful edition to date recorded 13% visitor increase with more exhibitors, bigger area and a greater diversity of products.Exhibitors confirm relevance of the trade fair as the most important business platform for the sweets and snacks industry in the MENA region.Turkish participation was one of the three national pavilions at the fair.
Sweets & Snacks Middle East is the successful satellite exhibition of the world famous ISM Cologne. The show is jointly organized by Koelnmesse GmbH & the Dubai World Trade Centre. Sweets & Snacks Middle East is the only trade show in the MENA region focusing on sweets, snacks & confectionery industries.
Sweets & Snacks Middle East 2014, which took place this year for the eighth time in Dubai, closed its doors after three intensive business days with its best results to date. Including an estimation of the last day’s participation a total of around 7,000 top purchasers from more than 70 countries visited the trade fair. This represents an increase in visitors over the previous year of 13%. The visitors, who predominantly travelled to Dubai from the MENA region, took advantage of the diversity of products at the trade fair, which also experienced strong growth in the number of exhibitors. Overall, about 230 suppliers from 38 countries exhibited a broad product spectrum, about thirty per cent more than at the previous event in 2013. “The dynamic course of Sweets & Snacks Middle East 2014 again shows how well the trade fair works as a trading hub for sweets and snacks here at the Dubai site”, says Denis Steker, Vice President International Outbound Fairs at Koelnmesse GmbH, summarising the results. “The market is growing continuously, and the size and relevance of the trade fair is growing with it.”
According to Euromonitor International, the sales market for sweets and snacks in the Middle East alone has risen by 20 per cent annually since 2010.
Comparable rates of increase are also anticipated for the coming year. This is due to the increase in disposable income and the trend towards high-end products in the growing middle class throughout the MENA region.
Hence quality was also a theme at the exhibitors’ stands. Leading manufacturers from around the world presented themselves with a broad spectrum of products.
In particular, this year was marked by a strong growth in exhibitor numbers from Europe and Asia. The national pavilions from Germany, Jordan and Turkey presented their products on a much larger area. Belgium, Brazil, China, Greece, Malaysia, the Netherlands and the USA were also at the venue in Dubai with joint participations.
The exhibitors were very impressed and confirmed the competence and quality of the trade visitors in Dubai, who amongst other things were intensively looked after within the framework of a “Hosted Buyer Program”. Amongst others, Atanás Zikas, Area Manager International at Lambertz, gave a positive appraisal of the company’s first appearance at Sweets & Snacks Middle East: “We have been able to make many high-quality, interesting and promising contacts at this trade fair. Dubai is the ideal location to develop the sales potential of the MENA region.” For Erik de Troyer, International Sales Manager Duc d’O, Sweets & Snacks Middle East is a clearly focused trade fair and hence precisely the right platform for placing the company’s premium brand within the region: “The quality of visitors at this focused platform is excellent for our products in comparison with non-specialized food trade fairs in the region, and the demand for high-quality products such as ours is very high here.”
The Specialty Food Festival, SEAFEX and Gulfood Manufacturing trade fairs took place concurrently in parallel with Sweets & Snacks Middle East, which permitted further synergies for both exhibitors and visitors.
