The total number of exhibitors and exhibition space at the third edition of Gulfood Manufacturing, to be held tomorrow (November 7), in Dubai, UAE, will see an increase of 20 per cent.

The event, the Middle East’s biggest food manufacturing, processing and packaging, logistics, cold chain and materials handling exhibition, will run until November 9, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The show’s rapid growth comes just months after HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Industrial Strategy – a multi-faceted policy that aims to elevate Dubai into a global platform for knowledge-based, sustainable and innovation-focused businesses.

Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, exhibitions and events management, DWTC, said that the event is perfectly aligned with the industrial strategy, which aims to generate more than 27,000 jobs and contribute Dh160 billion towards the emirate’s economy by 2030.

“This year is a genuine coming of age for Gulfood Manufacturing,” said LohMirmand. “As the region’s primary platform for regional food and beverage (F&B) industry companies to access global food producers, equipment manufacturers and cold chain providers across the international food production value chain, the event is a strategic catalyst for prolonged food manufacturing industry growth in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region.”

Moreover, having swelled to 13 halls – two more than last year – Gulfood Manufacturing 2016 will be split into three specialist areas across more than 80,000 square metres of exhibition space.

The sectorised show includes Ingredients Middle East, which features fine and functional ingredients and the latest bulk and commodity ingredients, innovations, tastes and flavours; ProPack Middle East, covering automation, processing equipment and packaging machinery to solve production challenges and increase volume, flexibility, efficiency, quality and cost control; and Logistics Solutions Middle East, a platform for firms involved in materials handling, transport and commercial vehicles, IT and technology solutions, warehousing operators, facilitators and service providers.

Across its three dedicated zones, Gulfood Manufacturing will feature more than 1,600 exhibitors from 58 countries including 29 official national pavilions, including production machinery leaders Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.

The show will also welcome first-time national pavilions representing Indonesia, Ireland, Russia and South Africa.

Alongside Gulfood Manufacturing 2016, DWTC is also staging its annual trio of conveniently-segmented food events: The Speciality Food Festival, which caters for producers, suppliers, importers and exporters of gourmet, halal and organic products; Seafex, the region’s biggest trade fair and sourcing platform for the international seafood industry; and Yummex Middle East in partnership with Koelnmesse, the region’s leading international trade fair for the confectionery and snacks market.

Joining the four specialist food events is the new Future Food Live, Dubai’s first international conference on Applied Nutrition that DWTC is running in partnership with the Dubai Municipality. Trade visitors focusing on the wellbeing segment will discover the full spectrum of organic, free-from, halal and other healthy food products and ingredients. Attendees will include everyone from global food specialists and distributors to large-scale government-backed farms, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service