May 2019 will see the 27th edition of Seafood Expo Global and the 21st edition of Seafood Processing Global return to Brussels, Belgium for three days of networking and business opportunities for more than 29,100 international seafood buyers and suppliers, according to event producer Diversified Communications.
Taking place at the Brussels Expo from 7 to 9 May, Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global in 2019 are poised for continued growth, said Wynter Courmont, event director for Diversified Communications.
“The 2018 event was a record-setting year for attendance, as well as for the number of exhibiting companies and total exhibit space covered, making it the largest ever in the event’s history,” Courmont said. “This year’s edition promises to be even bigger as we’ve expanded the exhibit space into a new hall.”
Seafood Expo Global hosts seafood suppliers from all over the world who convene at the event to present their latest seafood products – fresh, frozen, canned, value-added, processed, and packaged – to international seafood buyers including supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, catering services, importers, distributors, and seafood markets.
Meanwhile, Seafood Processing Global features the many facets of seafood processing, including packaging materials and equipment, refrigeration and freezing equipment and supplies, primary processing equipment, secondary processing equipment, hygiene control, and sanitation and quality assurance services.
For 2019, Seafood Expo Global will expand into multiple halls – Hall 3 and Hall 4 – to accommodate additional seafood processing companies exhibiting this year. Exhibitors coming to Seafood Processing Global in 2019 include more than 70 national and regional pavilions, with new pavilion participation from Busan Techno Park (regional from Korea).
Seafood Processing Global’s previous home, Hall 8, will now exclusively hold seafood exhibits and will also feature the Seafood Excellence Global stand, Diversified said.
The success seen over the years for both Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global is thanks in part to growing trade, according to event organizers. A recent report by the FAO finds seafood and seafood products among the most traded food items in the world today, with 60 million metric tons of total fish and fish products exported in 2016 alone, a 245 percent jump over 1976. During the same period, world trade in fish and fish products also grew significantly, with exports rising from USD 8 billion (EUR 7.07 billion) in 1976 to USD 143 billion (EUR 126.4 billion) in 2016.
Success for the event can also be attributed to the growing popularity of seafood worldwide, Diversified said.
“In per capita terms, food fish consumption has grown from nine kilograms per person in 1961 to 20.2 kilograms per person in 2015, at an average rate increase of about 1.5 percent per year. World fish consumption in 2030 is projected to be 20 percent higher than in 2016, the report states,” the event organizer said in a press release.
Alongside dealings on the trade show floor, the Seafood Excellence Global awards reception will taking place on the first night of the event, Tuesday, 7 May, from 18:15 to 20:00 in Auditorium 2000 at the Brussels Expo. Winners of the Best Retail Product and the Best Hotel/Restaurant/Catering (HORECA) Product will be announced at the reception, which honors some of the best seafood products represented at the exposition. Special awards will also be presented for Innovation, Convenience, Health and Nutrition, Retail Packaging and Seafood Product Line. All participant entries will be on display at the Seafood Excellence Global stand in Hall 8-4430.
