<The fifth edition of SIAL Middle East Food 2014, which was hosted in Abu Dhabi during the last week of November 2014, was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and witnessed the participation of a wide range of exhibitors specialized in the food products industry and associated equipment and supplies from different regions of the world. 27 national pavilions and 5 international pavilions participated in the exhibition, which is the fastest growing international event dedicated to the food, beverage and hospitality services sector in the region.

Strong start
Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of SIAL Middle East and Director of Communication and Community Service Department at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, said: ”The UAE has strong and documented trade relations and partnerships with various global entities specialized in the food industry in terms of export and import movement. As we focus on addressing food security issues and continuing our role as a global hub to facilitate global trade, we believe that working to attract new partnerships in this field and working to enhance cooperation with them is in this direction. 27 national pavilions
Joanna Cook, Director of SIAL Middle East Food Exhibition, said: ”SIAL Middle East Food Exhibition has been witnessing an increasing demand for participation by international companies and entities involved in the food industry from different regions of the world as it is an ideal platform for direct entry into the GCC markets.” In confirmation of this, this year's event witnessed an increase in the number of national pavilions to 27 pavilions and new companies participating for the first time from Egypt, Indonesia, Georgia, Lithuania and Sri Lanka, which showcased the latest food products from their countries and capitalized on trade opportunities for the first time. International participation
Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Georgia, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States and Vietnam were among the international participants. Nathan Notah, Director of American Indian Foods at SIAL Middle East, also participated for the first time, presenting a range of Alaska Native American products.
“We met with a number of traders and distributors who expressed interest in traditional food products harvested in specific ways hundreds of years ago by American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and SIAL Middle East undoubtedly provided a unique opportunity to meet a number of potential partners in the region,” said Nathan Notah. ”We are participating in SIAL Middle East because we feel it is an ideal platform to reach new markets in the region and we are participating with a different range of natural chocolates that have caught the interest of visitors and we hope it will be a start for us in the local market,“ said Agnie Sparnetti, Marketing Manager of Lithuanian chocolate company Taito.”

“We have a unique product for the region and we want to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in SIAL Middle East, which is a unique platform to meet entrepreneurs and those looking for opportunities for new investments. We are looking to start our business base in the UAE and then launch across the region,” said Sylwia Baida Szelig from Polish water company Pirlage. Amlak participates in an event
Amlak Real Estate participated in SIAL Middle East 2014 The newspaper met with its customers and a number of personalities who participated in the activities and events of the exhibition, where the newspaper provided a detailed explanation about its experience in the field of real estate documentation and coverage of events, sponsorship and activities of the exhibition and regional and international conferences, as well as a number of dialogues and meetings with businessmen and investors participating in the exhibition.
Amlak Real Estate Newspaper also met with a group of Saudi investors who participated in the activities of the exhibition, where the exhibition witnessed the participation of a group of factories specialized in the packaging and storage industry with distinction, most notably Al-Samani Factory for Metal Industries specialized in storage solutions.
17 thousand visitors
SIAL Middle East attracted 17,000 visitors in 2012 from companies specialized in the food industry and related services, an increase of 37 percent over the 2010 edition, with 700 exhibitors from 52 countries and 1,000 exhibitors this year.

SIAL Middle East Food Fair is one of the SIAL Group's portfolio of exhibitions specialized in organizing corporate food fairs and includes SIAL Paris, SIAL China, SIAL Canada, SIAL Brazil, SIAL Ischian Manila and SIAL Interfood Jakarta.