More than 25 of the world’s experts, food entrepreneurs and business leaders will share the latest knowledge and business advice at the upcoming Gulfood Conferences in Dubai.

Gulfood Conferences will run from February 19 to 22 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre alongside Gulfood, a leading annual trade exhibition for the food and beverage industry.

This year’s Gulfood Conferences will incorporate four key summits:  Food Leaders Summit; Foodpreneur Forum; Food Packaging & Processing Forum; and the Gulfood Workshop on Franchising.

“Given the stature and importance of Gulfood as a key sales platform for the industry both regionally and globally, it is equally important for us to support knowledge exchange for this fast-paced industry,” said Trixee Loh, senior vice president for Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Gulfood.

“Gulfood conferences showcase the very latest trends and innovations across all sectors, and include invaluable interactive business workshops for companies wanting to start operations, expand into new markets or even develop global leadership.”

Bringing together some of the most dynamic principals and captains of the food and beverage industry, the Food Leaders Summit on February 19 will address the many challenges and trends shaping the competitive landscape.

With the growth of SME businesses in the Middle East at an all-time high – approximately 200,000 SMEs operate in the UAE alone - the Foodpreneur Forum on February 20 will prove exceptionally valuable for entrepreneurs and business owners in the industry, a statement said.

The event brings together international food-biz veterans, including celebrity chefs, global brand leaders and retail gurus to guide start-ups, fledgling businesses wanting to expand, and those looking to compete regionally and globally.

Keynote speaker at the Foodpreneur Forum, Yousif Abdulghani, managing director of McDonald’s Middle East Development Company, will illustrate how an internationally recognised brand like McDonald’s can adapt itself to local markets with great success.

He said:  “McDonald’s Corporation plays an important role working with individual locally owned Development Licensees to build each business, incorporating locally relevant foods into the menus for the region and ensuring brand relevance in advertising that works well beyond just showing local people in ads.”

This year’s Food Processing and Packaging Forum, running on February 21 will outline the very latest trends across the sector, with keynote presentations on a broad range of highly relevant topics.

One of the world’s leading providers of business intelligence and strategic market analysis, Gulfood’s knowledge partner Euromonitor International will provide delegates with comprehensive insights on the latest global and regional trends impacting how consumers eat, both at home and away, and how this impacts the Middle East and its consumers specifically.

This includes the global packaged food market, global food service and strategies for adapting brands, products or concepts globally.

The Gulfood Workshop, facilitated by Kit Brinkley, director of World Franchising Association, will focus on the growth of franchising opportunities across the Middle East.

The will offer practical advice on evaluating brands, recognising legal and financial issues, maximising the franchiser-franchisee relationship and differentiating between local and international markets for business success.

“The calibre of speakers and depth of content that the Gulfood conferences offer this year is unsurpassed, and continues to ensure global leadership for this key trade exhibition at all levels,” added Loh. – TradeArabia News Service