JEDDAH, 3 June— Business deals running into millions of riyals were signed or discussed at the five-day food show, which ended here over the weekend.
Levels of business conducted were so high that midway through the show 90 percent of the machinery exhibited by Taiwan companies with a combined value in excess of $1.2 million had been sold to a local businessman.
Malaysian companies reported sales of more than $2.5 million. Belgian company Sabert Europe SA said the volume of deals was more than double the volume normally clinched at European exhibitions.
Thailand Trade Officer Prajuab Supinee said: “Our companies have entered into deals valued in excess of $150,000 on the first day of the exhibition.”
Turkish Consulate’s Commercial Attache Ozkan Aydin said: “Almost all 40 companies in the Turkish pavilion reported high levels of business. All of our companies found local businessmen and traders evincing tremendous interest in their products. They are so overwhelmed with their participation that they hope to return with bigger stands in the next biennial event scheduled in 2004.”
Australian company Lemons Foods finalized several orders during the exhibition. “The show attracted serious buyers,” said its General Manager Hari Raman. “We’ve identified distributors and concluded many business transactions,” he added.
American companies also struck several successful deals. “US firms conducted new business deals worth millions of dollars,” US Department of Agriculture’s Regional Marketing Specialist Hussein Mousa said. Paul J. Miller, general manager of American Food Services International, said his company received a number of inquiries that would be followed up.
“The high level of trade visitors and volume of deals has been the distinguishing feature of our participation,” he added.
British Contract Furnishers Association Exhibition Manager Peter Palmer, UAE-based Arabian Packaging Co.’s Shaukat M. Farooq, and Tamah Trading Est. local Branch Manager Martin Touma expressed similar sentiments.
Organizers, Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. (ACE), said the food, hotel and propac exhibition had set new standards with record attendance and unprecedented business volume. As many as 350 exhibitors from 26 countries participated with working displays and latest technology in the show that was opened by Minister of Agriculture and Water Abdullah Muammar and Czech Republic’s Minister of Agriculture Jan Fenel.
“More than 70 percent of the exhibitors were new and the show attracted 6,500 business visitors from across the Kingdom and neighboring Gulf states,” an ACE spokesman said.
Mohammed Siraj Aziz, executive sous chef at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, won the top local chef title at the inaugural “Food Arabia top chef cooking contest” organized as part of the show. The contest had the participation of chefs from leading hotels and restaurants within the Kingdom. They competed against chefs who had been flown in from France, the UK, Germany and Turkey. Popular TV personality and chef Osama El-Sayed was the judge.
“I’m overwhelmed by the award and I thank the show organizers for giving me the opportunity,” Aziz remarked.
