May 24--JEDDAH -- Saudi Food & Hotel and Hospitality Expo 2013 has been hailed as a major success as it concluded a four-day run in Jeddah.

Organizers said the next edition will take place on April 13-16 at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.

They said said this year's show attracted 18,000 visitors and saw millions of riyals worth of trade transactions.

Around 400 exhibitors from 18 countries took part in the event.

While there were on-the-spot deals between the overseas participants and their local partners to the tune of more than SR 200 million.

"The exhibition had set new standards with record attendance and unprecedented business volumes," said Zahoor Siddique, vice president for exhibitions, ACE.

"We are glad to meet the needs of the industry by providing a platform for restaurants, hotels, retailers and businesses to network, gather the latest industry information, and forge new business opportunities," said Siddique.

Joao Paulo Paixao, international business executive at Arab Brazil Chamber of Commerce, said: "The fair, provided an excellent opportunity for us to introduce our products and services to the wider Saudi Arabia market."

He said: "The visitor turnout was notable. The exhibition allowed us to make new contacts and further our goals in establishing our brand in Saudi Arabia and the region."

He said the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce encourages and supports both Brazilian and Saudi organizations to strengthen ties between these partners.

"As a result of this support we were able to increase Brazil's bilateral trade with Saudi Arabia to reach $ 15 billion," he said.

Mohammed Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, consul general of Malaysia, said: "Eleven Malaysian companies were taking part in a big way at the Saudi Food & Hotel and Hospitality exhibition showcasing their goods and services in various food products such as processed canned food, chocolates products, healthy food and beauty products, nutraceutical and functional food related products, pre-instant mixed coffee and variety of buns, bread and biscuits."

Taking part at exhibition for the fifth year, Dieter Fiebelkorn, GM, Kaechele, Germany, said: "Varieties of hotel linen had received a number of inquiries. We see great demand here for our linen-- different varieties and qualities of tablecloth, chair cover, curtain and uniform."

He added: "The Saudi market is big and difficult but participating in this exhibition made things easy for us to meet partners."

The office of Agriculture Affairs at the Embassy of the US in Riyadh introduced its products that are known worldwide for their variety and quality.

Hassan Ahmed, agriculture attache, commented "It is a great opportunity for us to introduce the variety of agriculture products here in the Saudi market which is considered as a good market for us."

He pointed out that the trade volume between Saudi Arabia and US in agriculture and food had reached $ 1.3 billion and added that the opportunities for trade between the two countries will continue to grow because the Saudi economy is growing rapidly and both countries enjoy robust bilateral trade relationship.

The expo was organized by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE).

The event, which was double the size of last year's exhibition, attracted thousands of visitors with a major influx of specialized and business visitors in the last couple of days.

Mohammed Cheettih, assistant director of Algerian Agency Trade Promotion Exterior, emphasized the importance in taking part of such fairs to promote his country's products.

"We have around seven companies who came to Jeddah to showcase their products and I hope it is time to expand our bilateral trade relationship with Saudi Arabia and other regional states," he said.

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(c)2013 the Arab News (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

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