Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 10 February, 2016 3:27 pm |

Food and beverage industry entrepreneurs have been served up a unique opportunity to pitch for seed capital for their ground-breaking business ideas.

The Innovation Hub finale to the F&B Business Forum – a core pillar of the all-new Gulfood conference programme running February 21-23 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) - will see selected entrepreneurs pitch game-changing business ideas to an expert judging panel. 

The entrepreneurs will have to impress Samer S. Hamadeh and Ziad Kamel, Co-founders and Joint Managing Partners at business and management consultancy Aegis Hospitality, and Nicholas Couvaras, Managing Director of F&B and Marketing Advisory, KROMA. The winner will walk away with a cash prize to invest in their existing or start-up business.  

“The Innovation Hub is a springboard for budding entrepreneurs to elevate their businesses – active or nascent – to the next level,” said Trixie LohMirmand, SVP, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC. “It’s an initiative clearly aligned to Gulfood’s ability to unearth more industry trends and help propel more trade forward.”

Entrepreneurs looking to grab the Innovation Hub opportunity should log on to Gulfood@bncpublishing.net for details on the full submissions procedure.

The F&B Business Forum will feature probing sessions on the crucial issues currently shaping business performance within the region’s expanding hospitality sector. It will explore the future of restaurant financing, franchising best practices and start-up advice for food and beverage entrepreneurs.

The 2016 edition of Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show, will feature more than 5,000 international companies from 120 countries when it runs at DWTC from 21-25 February. The 2016 show, the 21st in the annual series, will feature 117 pavilions – five more than last year – with first-time group participation from Russia, Costa Rica, Belarus and Mauritius and New Zealand returning after a six-year break.

Delegate fees for the Gulfood Conferences are AED4,957 (US$1,350) for a single pass and AED6,132 (US $1,670) for two passes with registration via Gulfood@bncpublishing.net 

Gulfood 2016 is a strictly trade-only event for business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am-7pm from February 21-24 and 11am-5pm on February 25. Visitors can pre-register at www.gulfood.com to save AED100 (US$ 27) on the AED300 (US$ 81.70) on-site entry fee.