THE organisers of Thaifex-World Food of Asia 2019, a Thai food exhibition, are looking for business opportunities with Lao firms in the food and beverage sector, so they can expand their markets in Thailand and overseas.

With this vision in mind, representatives of the food fair have invited food and beverage companies as well as restaurants in Laos to participate in the exhibition, which takes place in Thailand from May 28 to June 1.

“We know that some food products and beverages made in Laos, such as Dao Coffee, Sinouk Coffee, Beerlao and other items, are of high quality in terms of taste and packaging, so Thaifex-World Food of Asia will be a great opportunity to show these products and introduce them to Thai and other buyers from around the world,” said the Deputy Director General of the Department of International Trade Promotion under Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, Wittayakorn Maneenetr.

“This trade show will allow exhibitors to meet up with buyers, giving them the potential to expand their markets into other countries,” he added.

Thaifex-World of Food Asia 2019 is the biggest food and beverage exhibition in the region. It is a platform for entrepreneurs across the world to meet up and engage in business matching with food and beverage exhibitors from Thailand and over 40 countries from East Asia, Asean, Europe, the US, Latin America and Africa.

It is believed this year’s trade show will generate sales worth over 10 billion baht ($316 million).

The event is co-organised by Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse.

The five-day exhibition will be open from 10am to 6pm at the Impact Arena, Exhibition and Convention Centre, Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province.

Business negotiations will take place between May 28 and 31 while the last day will see both business negotiations and retail trade.

Scope of the event

This year, over 5,800 booths from 2,537 companies in the food and beverage sectors, as well as Thai importers, are expected to be set up at the trade show, with over 130,000 visitors from 150 countries attending.

Event organisers are providing 10 rented booths to Lao firms who want to exhibit their food and beverage products.

“Visitors will not only see the products, technology and services developed by the food and beverage sectors but can also learn about food and beverage business trends through special activities and talks such as the Innofood Asia Conference, Innovation Design Zone, Smart Packaging and other activities,” said a Koelnmesse representative.

The exhibition will also include a cooking contest – the 8th Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2019 – for talented chefs from around the world.

Thaifex-World Food of Asia has been organised annually for 27 years.

Last year, over 2,500 businesses exhibited their products at 5,700 booths from 40 countries and generated nearly 11 billion baht in sales. Almost 127,000 visitors from Asia, America, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa attended the trade fair. VIENTIANE TIMES/ASIA NEWS NETWORK