Over 115 exhibitors to join Seafood Expo Asia

SEAFOOD Exposition Asia is attracting more companies to its sixth installment scheduled from 8–10 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

To date, over 115 exhibitors from 29 countries are confirmed to attend the leading trade event that will showcase the world's high-value fish and shellfish. They will be coming from Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, Chile, France, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States.

Trade visitors will be able to see products from first-time participants from France, Norway, Canada, Spain, Viet Nam, USA, Netherlands, and Chile. So far there are 55 new companies on the exhibitor list, including Lenger Seafoods Group and POSEIDON FOOD from the Netherlands, Trangs Group represented by their Viet Nam office.

“It is exciting to report that the exhibit space booked for this year's event is more than 770 square meters larger than it was at this time last year,” says show director Ms Terri Tsang. "This growth is an indication that companies recognize the strong opportunities that the Asian market has to offer."

Ms Tang also noted that based on surveys, exhibitors were highly satisfied with the quality of visitors.  "Our 2014 survey indicated that over 80% of exhibitors planned to return. The growing reputation of Seafood Expo Asia as an important platform for conducting business is clearly resonating with the seafood industry. Key benefits that exhibitors can enjoy include the opportunity to meet with senior industry buyers, raise the exposure of their brands and take advantage of peer networking and learning," she said.

Ms Tsang said that the primary reason quoted by attendees who visit the event is to source new products. "With regards to purchasing authority, around 79% of visitors to Seafood Expo Asia are directly involved in or influence the purchasing decisions of their organizations.

"In fact, our visitor survey from 2014 also found that the other reasons people visit the exhibition are to find new suppliers, keep up-to-date with industry developments, network with other seafood professionals, as well as brainstorm business ideas."

With regards to visitor demographics, Seafood Expo Asia welcomes a mix of industries including foodservice, hotel, catering, importers, exporters, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and manufacturing and processing companies.

21 pavilions and counting

For 2015, different regions of the world are strongly represented at Seafood Expo Asia. The exhibit hall will feature a record number of national and regional pavilions with at least 21 pavilions having so far confirmed their participation, such as Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, mainland China, France, India, Indonesia, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

"Always a popular attraction, these respective pavilions are set to showcase the finest, premium fish and seafood from different regions of the world and in doing so provide increased sourcing options for visitors," says Ms Tsang while noting that the international reach and quality of attendees offers lucrative opportunities for participants to network and establish new business connections.

Organized by Diversified Communications, Seafood Expo Asia is co-located with Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong, the leading fine dining and bar exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region.