World’s largest food and hospitality trade show GULFOOD turns 20

A respectful success story of two decades in the food, beverage and hospitality trade show…
The 2015 edition of Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show, marks the 20^th anniversary for one of the most important international platforms for the global food trade. Taking place from 8 – 12 February 2015 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Gulfood continues to play a pivotal role in connecting nations and suppliers, opening distribution channels for industry-related business, and highlighting Dubai’s strategic role as a key trading hub for the global food industry.
Gulfood is an unrivalled opportunity to source and select from an incredible global product showcase. A warm welcome awaits you at this buzzing event, where you will network with thousands of industry peers and people passionate about driving the market forward. The show grants the opportunity to review the latest trends and innovations of the food & drink sectors, foodservice & hospitality equipment, as well as the restaurant & cafe industry.
With the 2014 edition of the show breaking its own participation records and generating show-floor and year-round legacy sales numbering in the billions of US dollars, Gulfood 2015 – the biggest edition in the show’s history – is expected to attract more than 4,800 international companies from 120 countries and more than 85,000 visitors from over 170 countries. To accommodate the meteoric growth and tens of thousands of participating brands, Gulfood 2015 will span 127,000m² of exhibition space – including a 23,000m², purpose-built temporary structure, the largest-of-its-type regionally.
A unique trade and sourcing platform for finished food suppliers, bulk commodity wholesalers and exporters across the spectrum of fresh, frozen, dry and processed food and beverage products, Gulfood 2015 also facilitates substantial global transactions for foodstuff commodities such as meat, cereals, grains, rice, coffee and tea. Driven by a fast-growing population, burgeoning hospitality and tourism markets and its prominent position as a re-export hub, the UAE’s demand for food staples is increasing at a rate of 30 per cent every year, according to the Ministry of Economy. With imports accounting for between 80-90 per cent of GCC food consumption, Dubai is best placed to cater for increasing demand in regional food trading.
“A landmark celebration such as the 20^th anniversary of Gulfood is an opportunity to reflect on the show’s growth in both scale and stature over the past two decades, and to reiterate the role Gulfood continues to play in brokering significant partnerships and business deals between companies, corporations and countries around the world,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC.
Gulfood 2015 will host an increasing number of international heads of state, ministers and government officials, as national trade associations ink lucrative bi-lateral trade agreements and debate food industry trends at industry-shaping conferences and summits scheduled during a series of Gulfood Conferences.
Gulfood is also a major contributor to Dubai’s growing reputation as a global events destination and a key pillar of Dubai’s 2020 tourism vision, which aims to double the emirate’s annual visitors numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020. According to a recent report by Euromonitor, the number of F&B outlets in the UAE is expected to double in the next four years, making food service and hospitality equipment a particularly pertinent sector at Gulfood 2015.
Thousands of food and beverage products and services are introduced every year at Gulfood and the Gulfood Awards – in its sixth edition this year – presents an opportunity for best-in-class excellence to be recognised and rewarded. The highly-prestigious accolades celebrate both people and companies behind the region’s leadership and innovation in the food and drink industry. Judged by an international panel of independent industry experts, the Awards will be divided in six categories and 10 different awards.
Taking place on the 10^th of February 2015 at the five-star Conrad Hotel in Dubai, the Awards evening will also play host to a unique and 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.
One of Gulfood’s undisputed draws for the regions’ top professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and bakers every year is the annual Emirates Culinary Guild International Salon Culinaire – a showcase of the region’s best culinary talent and expertise. Held in Za’abeel Pavilion, this year’s Salon will see more than 1,300 professional chefs evaluated by a panel of 25 renowned experts, mandated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to judge culinary events across the globe.
Gulfood 2015 is a strict trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am-7pm from February 8-11 and 11am-5pm on February 12.