News From : DagangHalal.com (10 Jun 2016)
2016 proved monumental, attracting an outstanding turnout of trade visitors beating last year’s record by 21% and resulting in million dollar on-the-spot trade deals for exhibitors.
(Bangkok, 6 June, 2016) – THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2016, Asia’s leading food and beverage show closed on 29 May on an overwhelmingly positive note after five days of power-packed programmes and activities. The 13th edition was THAIFEX- World of Food Asia‘s largest and most impactful show yet, attracting a total of 42,528 trade visitors – a 21% increase from 35,205 in 2015 and 1,919 exhibitors from 40 countries.
Mr Michael Dreyer, Managing Director and Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd said, “THAIFEX-World of Food Asia has once again surpassed expectations in both participation and visitors, emphasising the strategic role it plays as an important business platform for the international food and beverage community.
“THAIFEX-World of Food Asia shares a similar vision as the ASEAN Economic Community which is to help ASEAN integrate with global markets and reach its maximum potential to become one of the largest economies in the world. This strategic alignment has helped establish us as a brand that is associated with quality and returns as well as innovation, trends and significant trade opportunities.
“Moreover, we are pleased to share that 1,700 trade mission buyers attended this year’s event, reaffirming the importance of THAIFEX-World of Food Asia’s position as a global player in the food and beverage industry. We are encouraged by the overwhelming response and positive feedback from 33,024 Thai visitors and 9,504 international visitors and are already looking forward to expanding our presence with the 2017 edition.” he added.
For the first time ever, international participation matched that of local exhibitors – an impressive total number of 1,919 exhibitors took part in this year’s show of which a strong international representation of 955 were from Europe, North and South America North and South Asia and Southeast Asia. New country groups like Chile, India, Indonesia, Norway and Cambodia were also added to the mix, leading to an increase of exhibition space totaling 80,000 sqm across seven halls.
One significant success story was from an exhibitor at the new Indonesia Country Pavilion who secured on-the-spot orders from China and South Korea for an impressive 35 containers of kerupuk (popular Indonesian prawn and fish crackers) at a total order value of US$ 950,000. Indonesian seafood exporters were also able to clinch deals with international buyers from the EU, US, Mexico and Thailand.
“This was our first time participating at THAIFEX-World of Food Asia and it was most definitely a positive experience for all 41 Indonesian companies exhibiting at the show. THAIFEX-World of Food Asia proved to be an effective gateway to global trade with a healthy representation of both regional and international participation and visitors. The one-to-one business matching is second to none and I look forward to making this event a priority in our yearly trade calendar.” said Indonesian trade attaché member in Bangkok, Rita Tri Mutiawati.
Partner Country, Germany expands presence
Well-known for its trademark ‘Made in Germany’ products synonymous with Quality, Reliability and Innovation, Germany was at the centre of attention as THAIFEX – World of Food Asia’s 2016 partner country. Led by the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Germany Pavilion expanded in size this year occupying a total of 306 sqm of exhibition space. 24 exhibitors were represented at the fair presenting food products ranging from traditional to organic fare as well as chef demonstrations by two of Germany’s popular culinary stars, Steffen Burkhardt and Soeren Jahnke.
Axel Wildner, Counsellor for Food and Agriculture, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangkok said, “This was a proud moment for Germany. Being the official Partner Country for the 2016 edition of THAIFEX-World of Food Asia cast a spotlight on our impressive showcase of ‘Made in Germany’ products and created many opportunities to meet with potential buyers in ASEAN. This year’s show was extremely successful and we are excited to see what 2017 brings.”
“I am convinced that Germany being the official Partner Country this year gave WHAPOW a great boost in visibility at THAIFEX. WHAPOW is a German/Thai food start-up company. Our promotion at the German Pavilion under the ‘Made in Germany’ label – which stands for professional design, branding, quality management and international market presence – in combination with the sourcing of all natural and organic certified food ingredients from small farmers in Thailand is a recipe for international success and a unique selling point. Thank you THAIFEX-World of Food Asia for giving us this global platform.” exclaimed Ingo Puhl, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Whapow Co. Ltd.
Asia’s culinary talents shine bright
THAIFEX-World of Food Asia prides itself in bringing together some of the world’s leading culinary talents. This year was no exception with the return of the highly anticipated, Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge which saw an impressive line-up of 1,046 entries from 11 countries competing head-to-head in a series of culinary tests including the new ‘Pastry & Bakery Challenge’. Hosted by Thai Chefs Association, World Association of Chef Societies (WACS) and Koelnmesse, this year saw Mr Anucha Chuatbamrung from Impact Exhibition Management emerge victorious in the “4 Individually Western Plated Dessert” segment with the highest competition score of 94.75.
Mr Willment Leong, Organizing Chairman for the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge said, “This was an exhilarating five-day event as we saw some of the world’s best
culinary talents displaying their masterful skills. In its 5th edition, we welcomed 30 internationally-acclaimed judges including 26 WACS approved international judges which had the hard task of critiquing a record-breaking number of entries. The energy level was electric due to the largest ever group of participants. We are extremely proud to be one of the organisers of such a prestigious culinary event.”