Leading food and beverage companies worldwide gear up to participate in ThaiFEX-World of Food Asia in May 2018.
F&B players from all over the world will present their best products at THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2018, which will be held from May 29 to June 1, 2018 at IMPACT, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok.
This year, THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2018, co-organised by the DITP, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse GmbH, will devote more time for business matching opportunities, with five days dedicated for trade visitors, up from three in 2017. An expected 60,000 trade visitors from all over the world will attend the fair, a 10% increase on the number of visitors last year.
“Thailand is the largest food exporters in Southeast Asia, with the country’s food exports forecast to reach U$27.4 billion this year, according to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak,” DITP Director-General Chantira Jimreivat Vivatrat said. “We are always striving to boost the potential of Thai players so that they become competitive to help them sustainably and efficiently operate on global markets, and THAIFEX-World of Food Asia is the optimal platform for this.”
“THAIFEX-World of Food Asia boasts Thailand’s competitiveness by bringing global and local players onto a single platform, and showcasing their world-class products and services in F&B,” said Kalin Sarasin, Chair of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand. “This trade show helps place Thai F&B businesses and SMEs on the world map of quality, expertise, and innovation, reinforcing Thailand’s position as ‘Kitchen of the World’.”
THAIFEX 2018’s organisers expect to see more than 2,500 exhibitors from 40 countries, showcasing 11 masterfully crafted trade shows across 11 mega halls – an increase from nine halls previously – in product groups consisting of: fine food; meat; food service; food technology; coffee and tea; drinks; sweets and confectionery; frozen food; seafood; rice; and fruit and vegetables.
Activities at THAIFEX will include the highly anticipated seventh Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge (TUCC), a chef’s competition focusing on Asian cuisine, and the fourth edition of the Celebrity Coffee Bar (CCB) where some of the world’s best baristas and brewers gather to show their skills.
An exciting debut this year is the “THAIFEXtaste Innovation Show” where in-depth analysis on the opportunities and challenges driving the F&B landscape will be showcased alongside top consumer trends on packaging, technology and flavours that will drive product development in 2018. Other special shows to be launched at THAIFEX are halal, organic and franchise markets.
The ‘Top 50 Innovative Products’ segment will return for exhibitors to submit entries on their innovative products or technologies, which will be reviewed by a panel of judges and the organisation committee. Last year, innovative products included gluten-free beer, quinoa nuggets and rice oil spray.
For more information, visit www.ditp.go.th, www.worldoffoodasia.com or www.thaitradefair.com
Words by Pimsirinuch Borsub