Saudi Arabia continues to be the single-largest food market in the Gulf, accounting for more than 60 percent of the region’s total food consumption and representing 74.1 percent of total food production in the GCC. In its second edition this year, the four-day Foodex Saudi 2014, the Kingdom’s largest food and beverage exhibition organized by Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions, takes place at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events starting today, providing an effective platform for assembling the various stakeholders from the F&B industry.
Organized in collaboration with the Halal Development Council and under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture, this year’s theme centers on the “Responsible Development of Saudi Arabia’s $70 billion Food and Beverage Industry”.
A keynote address will be delivered by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Eng. Jaber Mohamed Al Shehri, with speakers from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the King Abdullah Initiative for Agricultural Investment Abroad, Al-Dahra Agriculture, World Association of Chefs Societies, Halal Standards Institute of Thailand, King Abdulaziz University – Tourism Institute (KAUTI) and Carrefour Supermarkets also sharing their wisdom.
With a focus on attaining ROI for both their Saudi and international exhibitors, Reed Sunaidi has introduced a mixed B2B and B2C concept at the exhibition. In order to attract the right F&B professionals, the organizers have conducted highly targeted campaigns and launched several initiatives such as the Hosted Buyer Program (HBP) and the Saudi Food Forum. In the B2C segment, by reaching out to relevant consumers, Reed Sunaidi has ensured that participating brands will be able to target the right class of customers during the exhibition.
Simon Blazeby, Head of Exhibitions at Reed Sunaidi, said: “Foodex Saudi 2014 provides an excellent platform for matching the needs of local F&B stakeholders with those of the international, or even local or regional, exhibitors. The Hosted Buyer Program, for example, strives to match the requirements of various decision makers and those of the exhibitors, allowing the parties to meet, network and establish business relationships. In 2013, with the help of this initiative, we were able to facilitate 134 productive connections.”
“With 19 sectors being represented – fruits and vegetable, seafood, poultry and game, frozen products, health foods, and technology and packaging to name just a few – undoubtedly the KSA market holds great potential for international F&B companies.”
Foodex also host the Saudi Food Forum, an annual forum that attracts the best minds and expertise in the F&B industry globally, to debate and discuss issues that are pertinent to the Kingdom’s F&B sector – food security and safety, import and export, supply chain and logistics, Halal food standards, and food marketing.
Commenting on the success of the forum last year, Simon Blazeby said: “Over the course of three days, the Saudi Food Forum was attended by 125 delegates and focused on 18 topics that are key to the advancement of the Saudi F&B sector. Going forward, it will be interesting to note the outcomes that these opinions and decisions will have on influencing the direction of the industry, both in the short and long term.”
*This article was originally published on Yahoo! News on 18 November 2014. Read the original article here.
