ITCA Dubai 2007 will focus on the Middle East as a fast growing market

Held alongside the annual exhibition for travel catering and in-flight services for the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, visitors to the exhibition and conference will have a chance to debate the latest topics and visit the world's largest state-of-the art flight kitchen of Emirates Inflight Catering.

"We are delighted to host the ITCA Dubai Conference alongside the ITCA Dubai 2007 exhibition. This year the event will have some high-profile industry leaders talking about latest hot issues and trends and we are confident the event will be most informative and provide a good insight into this booming sector,"

said Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre.

According to our recent report, passenger growth at 16% per annum and reports predict the Dubai airport to be bigger than Heathrow by 2010 and spend is expected to reach $19.23bn over the next few years across airports in the UAE.

"The Middle East - the New Market " is a two-day conference programme that will present news and views from industry leaders and from international companies.

Lee Walton of the International Travel Catering Association says that "This event - initiated by ITCA in co-operation with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), symbolises the associations' ongoing support to the region by providing opportunities to key audiences in air, rail and cruise catering. We are creating opportunities for them to network and to tune in to relevant market information and to find new products and services to enhance their business," he stated.

The list of speakers includes leading representatives from various industries from across the globe. The conference will be opened with a key note address from Camille Ducharme - Global Channel and Customer Development Director at Nestle, Switzerland, other prominent speakers include Duncan Davis - General Manager of Emirates Flight Catering's Airport Catering Services, Haroon Siddiqii - EVP and CEO of Emirates Flight Catering, David Young - President of ITCA, and Bob Kirby - Managing Director of ITW Envopak.

Delegates will be invited by Emirates Flight Catering to a site visit to see first-hand the world's largest flight kitchen of Emirates Flight where over 115,000 meals are being produced for the passengers every day. Following the tour, delegates will be invited to a networking cocktail reception and Bedouin dinner for further networking opportunities.

According to Duncan Davis, the Airport Catering Services of Emirates Flight Catering is the only facility in the GCC region to have achieved a 5-star Health and Safety rating, and one of the very few to have achieved the HACCP certificate. "We are in a position of strength to teach conference delegates all about food safety control in a sophisticated and efficient food production environment," he said.

In addition, health, safety professionals can also get updated with the latest regulations and best practices at the two-day HACCP Programme. The HACCP Programme, sponsored by Johnson Diversey, will also be held over two consecutive days, underscores its importance for the region. "HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system - is a widely accepted food safety management system, which can easily be adapted to suit all sizes and types of food businesses. The main aim of HACCP is to focus attention on critical points in the operation and to take measures to ensure that hazards do not occur," says Khalid Sharif, Assistant Director of Public Health and Head of the Food Control Section at Dubai Municipality.

All delegates attending the HACCP workshop will also have the opportunity to take the examination for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's Level Two Award in Food Safety in Catering.

Delegates to the conference and workshop can also visit ITCA Dubai 2007 featuring 123 companies representing 23 countries including Gate Gourmet, Hobart and Gut Springenheide, Servair, Bestpartner World Wide Food Supply and Driessen Aerospace Group.