Oman's biggest food and hospitality exhibition to open on October 16

Muscat: Oman’s signature food and hospitality trade event, Food & Hospitality Exhibition & Conference, will hold its 12th edition from October 16 to 18 at the new Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. The event will be inaugurated by Mohsin bin Mohamed Al Sheikh, chairman, Muscat Municipality.
This year, organiser Omanexpo is offering its trade audience more than 500 brands from companies from 15 countries. These brands cover the entire gamut of the food and hospitality sector, with products and services representing food products, beverages, agriculture and fisheries, ingredients and seasoning, catering and kitchen equipment, packaging systems, resort and spa facilities, hotel décor, hotel and hospitality technologies, HORECA furniture and services, and food processing technologies.
Highlighting the exhibition are the Omani Products Pavilion and the India Pavilion, which will showcase 40 companies. A concurrent feature is the 2nd Food Safety Oman Conference, which will cover current relevant issues as Food Safety Culture and Environment, Regulatory Environment, Food Handlers Training, Food Inspection, Supply Chain, Logistics and Packaging and New Technologies. Speakers will also present best-practice case studies to help and identify how to tackle critical issues in food safety.
Another highlight of the event is the traditional Professional Chefs Competition organised in association with Oman Chefs Guild. The competition will put more than 50 of the country’s best professional chefs from 4 and 5-star hotels, restaurants, catering companies and bakeries, to a test of skill, technique and style in five categories: Three-Tier Wedding Cake, Tapas, Petit Fours, Live Cooking Mystery Box, and Five-Course Gourmet Dinner.
The sought-after Oman Barista Competition (an initiative in cooperation with Al Roofoof Trading, Nuova Simonelli, illy, and National Hospitality Institute), will also be a crowd-drawer after successfully making its mark in the coffee scene after four editions.
Ammar Ahmad, exhibition director, Food & Hospitality Oman said, "Our strategy to offer the sector and its audience and market more opportunities, whether business, investment or learning is contributing much to the sector's advancement. By creating awareness of current issues and challenges in Oman, especially food safety, which is also a global issue, and bringing in experts to the conference, we are able to create a wider audience and market base."
"The business-to-business meetings, which is also part of the show offering, is a way for us to provide companies with opportunities to increase their contacts in the local and international markets," he added.
To date, the show boasts a supporter and sponsor lineup that includes Omani Products, Riyada, Unilever Food Solutions, Renaissance Services Group, Al Ansari Group, Convotherm, Al Jarwani Hospitality, Oman Foodstuff Factory and Sweets of Oman.