It proved the most successful Food Africa in its history and a Pacprocess MEA on course for growth: after an economically challenging year the trade fair duo of the Interpack alliance set numerous positive impulses and trigged good business deals. 5 to 7 December saw 25,821 visitors from over 60 countries come to the Egypt International Exhibition Center in Cairo to gather information on innovations and trends and expand their contacts, especially with Africa and the Arab world. They met with 738 exhibitors from 32 countries as well as 14 national participations and joint stands. This corresponds to a 60% increase in visitors and an increase of around 70% in exhibitors compared to the previous event.
“The impressive development of the event but also the mood and conversations on site illustrate once again that Africa and the Middle East are attractive destinations for many companies. Those not joining the fray, leave opportunities untapped. The integration of Food Africa into our portfolio sends out a signal. With this move we offer a unique platform for accessing Africa’s mega market for food,” says Thomas Dohse, Director of Interpack Portfolios Processing & Packaging as the three-day event draws to a close. Since late 2021 Food Africa has been a part of the Interpack alliance and is held jointly by Messe Düsseldorf and its partners IFP Egypt and Konzept. For years it has been the No. 1 for the African food industry and - together with Pacprocess MEA - it has now further strengthened its position as a must-attend event for the region.
This year Food Africa again painted a comprehensive picture of all sub-sectors of the food industry and agricultural sector. Finished food, dates, seafood, fresh produce, herbs and spices, packaging and processing technologies. The fact that these trade fairs also receive strong support by Egyptian policy-makers was evidenced among other things by the event being opened by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Ahmed Samir and the Minister for Supply and Internal Trade, Aly Meselhy.
The spectrum of topics addressed at the accompanying conference ranged from global market developments such as digitalisation and sustainability to specifically regional content. At Food Africa the national strategy for the Egyptian date economy was presented, for example, which is of major importance to the country and seeing rising demand worldwide. Food Africa and Pacprocess MEA are also synonymous with the targeted networking between trade buyers and exhibitors on site. Proving a special benefit again this year was the Hosted Buyers Programme featuring more than 500 participants from 63 countries. This way trade relations were promoted selectively.
114 exhibitors were presented at the third edition of Pacprocess MEA, which is specifically tailored to the local market and maps the value chain of the packaging sector and related process industries. Here, too, a positive conclusion emerged after three days. “With this year’s event we have taken the next step into an important growth market,” says Thomas Dohse, and adds: “We will continue strengthening Pacprocess MEA with a view to offering the sector ideal prerequisites for establishing a foothold in this exciting region. In doing so, we regard the parallel scheduling with Food Africa as a very decisive factor just like the cooperation with our partners on site.” There are numerous synergies generated by this trade fair duo because all decision-makers get together in one place. In 2023 Food Africa and Pacprocess MEA will again be held in Cairo in December.
