Inaugural Sweets Middle East trade exhibition opens today

The trade-only exhibition offers a specialist networking platform for manufacturers of confectionery, ice cream, raw pastries and snack items seeking to penetrate the Middle East's lucrative market, which is viewed as one of the top markets for confectionery products, with high per-capita consumption of chocolate in particular, boasting an annual consumption of $4.2bn.

In order to stay ahead of their competition visitors to this key event will have the opportunity to source products from an international range of confectionery products and snack items some of which will be presented in the region for the very first time.

'Sweets Middle East will now become the major annual trade show within the sweets and confectionery industry in response to the robust growth in the region. The high levels of interest shown during the Gulfood exhibition to host a specialised event dedicated to the sweets and confectionery industry has encouraged us to organise Sweets Middle East. With the show selling out and having a strong pavilion presence in its INNAGURAL year, confirms to us, that this is the way forward to identify and facilitate new specialised events within the food industry,' says Helal Saeed Al Marri , Director General at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

BDSI, an association that represents the economic interests of largely medium-sized businesses within the German confectionery industry is currently on a trade mission in the UAE. The delegation of 25 high profile industry heads will be attending Sweets Middle East 2007 to research the market and evaluate its potential. Part of the program is to develop industry relations and meet with buyers from the wholesale and retail chains both regional and international such as Spinneys, Carrefour, or Geant.

Official support from seven national pavilions to the show has been overwhelming with groups from Egypt, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey and the USA. They are joined with individual companies from across the globe and as far a field as North Africa, Asia, CIS, Europe and the Middle East, with leading players such as IFFCO (UAE), Istanbul Gida (Turkey), Salehia (Saudi Arabia), Perfetti van Melle (Switzerland) and Wrigley (USA/UAE) taking part.

Strategically positioned by leading international exhibition organisers DWTC, organiser of Gulfood and Koelnmesse GmbH, organisers of Anuga - the world's largest food event, and ISM - the world's premier confectionery and snack show Occupying 4,000 sq metres of exhibition space, the event brings together key buyers from across the region with leading suppliers of confectionery, ice cream, raw pastries and snack items.

It draws upon the expertise delivered by these two heavyweight organisers to ensure a targeted platform is provided. DWTC, organiser of Gulfood, leverages on the show's status as the region's leading food exhibition whilst Koelnmesse uses its international reach as organisers of Anuga and ISM.

Sweets Middle East will take place on November 18-20 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is strictly for trade and business professionals only and will be open from 10am - 6pm on November 18 -19, and 10am - 3pm on November 20. General public and persons under the age of 18 will not be admitted.