Gulfood 2014 a ‘stunning' success for UK catering equipment manufacturers
The Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA) has acknowledged the UK presence at the Gulfood Show in Dubai last month as a ‘stunning' success with the fourteen companies in the Great Britain Pavilion generating a total of 2,641 leads and CESA member IMC winning the Best Sustainable Catering Equipment Innovation at the show.
Gulfood is the world's biggest catering industry show, representing a market worth estimated at $9b (£5.5b).
Held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from the 23 February to 27 February CESA was appointed by UK Trade & Investment as the Catering Equipment Group Organiser at the event with the Great Britain Pavilion expanded to offer more companies the opportunity to exhibit.
The increasing importance of the show was reflected in a visit from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UEA and George Eustice, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for farming, food and marine environment attending and speaking to all the exhibitors in the GB Pavilion.
Nick Oryino, chair of CESA, was delighted with the increasingly closer relations CESA is forging with its overseas partners, and said: "During the Show CESA representatives had detailed discussions about future collaborative work, for example in relation to the CFSP training programme, with organisations such as NAFEM and FCSI EAME.
"Trade organisations are much stronger, and our influence is much more effective, when we are working together, both nationally and internationally."
Another success for CESA at the Show was the growing interest in CESABIM designed to help manufacturers exploit the potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) by making it easy to develop BIM models. "The interest in CESABIM comes from both manufacturers and operators, from the UK and abroad," said Keith Warren, director of CESA. "It is becoming a very significant resource for both suppliers and specifiers."
