Tourism & Hospitality | Sunday 21 February, 2016 9:32 am |

Gulfood, one of the world’s major food trading platforms, celebrates its 21st edition at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) with a “record exhibitor and pavilion lineup delivering more tastes, more trends and more trade.”

The multi-channel event, which includes the third edition of Halal World Food, considered the biggest global annual halal food sourcing trade event, will feature 5,000 international companies from 120 countries and 117 trade and industry pavilions.
The exhibitor lineup includes finished food producers, bulk commodity wholesalers, distributors and exporters, and the show’s largest collection of hospitality equipment suppliers.
The 5,000-plus companies will occupy in excess of 1.29 million square feet of world-class, multi-functional indoor exhibition space.
“The rise of Gulfood is due to a number of key factors, including Dubai’s global standing as an import and re-export hub, the emirate’s growing sea-air transport links expanding its geographic trading footprint and the strategic importance placed on the domestic and regional tourism, and hospitality industries,” explained Trixie LohMirmand, SVP, exhibitions and events management, DWTC.
“For the retail, food service, catering and hospitality industries, Gulfood presents an incredible sourcing opportunity with hundreds of new product launches, innovations in health and special diet, and an even wider range of ethnic and specialty foods,” added LohMirmand.
The importance of Gulfood as a global trading platform is demonstrated by the 117 national and food export industry groups attending this year’s event. 
These pavilions include first-time representation from Russia, Costa Rica, Belarus, Mauritius and New Zealand returning after a six-year break.
The conference program also includes the F&B Business Forum, which debuts on Sunday and features the Innovation Hub sponsored by British Airways and Avios.
“The Innovation Hub is a springboard for budding entrepreneurs to elevate their businesses – active or nascent – to the next level,” said Melanie Mingas, group editor of conference producers, BNC Publishing.