Business : Int’l firms target Gulf food market to boost business

DUBAI - Gulfood 2012, the premier event for food and hospitality industry, on Monday continued to attract government officials, trade visitors and investors seeking business opportunities in the food and beverage industry. While high-rank government officials used the platform to promote their local products, the trade visitors showed interest in national pavilions and stands set up by various companies to increase their customer base in the region.

Over 3,800 exhibitors from more than 88 countries showcased various products and expect trade deals worth millions of dollars with local and regional competitors during the four-day event.

On Monday, the UK Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said his country has great opportunities to sell more food and drink to the Middle East.

During a mission to promote British produce at one of Asia’s biggest food and hospitality trade shows, Paice backed the 60 UK companies exhibiting cheese, chocolate, crisps, curry and other British classics.

“From cheese to chocolate our foods are already known the world over for their quality. Successful, vibrant places like the Middle East represent a fantastic opportunity for growth,” Paice said.

The focal point of Paice’s visit to Dubai was to the Gulfood trade fair, which is regarded as the premier event for food and drink exporters seeking new sales in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The visit was part of a UK government-backed drive launched last month to boost exports of British food and drink to high growth markets to generate significant economic growth and jobs.

Ambassador of South Africa to the UAE Yacoob Abba Omar, who was present at Gulfood Expo, also highlighted the increasing export trends between the two regions.

“Gulfood is a fantastic opportunity for the hard working food producers of South Africa to showcase their world class products to a high-level food industry audience. Since Middle Eastern countries import most of their food products, food security is naturally an issue that South Africa is well positioned to provide support with as part of a mutually beneficial relationship,” Omar said.

The UAE is of great importance to South Africa and is considered one of the top five countries, which contribute to South Africa’s GDP and exporting activities; equating to a total bilateral trade between both at approximately $1 billion.

Singapore companies unveiled more than 40 new products at the event. The Singapore pavilion represents the largest range of new-to-region products ever to be brought to the trade exhibition in Singapore’s 12 years of participation.

Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, or Emarat, stand attracted visitors, especially from investors seeking opportunities to secure franchise rights to Emarat’s trade names ‘Freshplus’, ‘Bakeria’ and ‘Cafe Arabicca’, all of which are participating in the exhibition under one roof.

—muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

View the original article here

Business : Int’l firms target Gulf food market to boost business

DUBAI - Gulfood 2012, the premier event for food and hospitality industry, on Monday continued to attract government officials, trade visitors and investors seeking business opportunities in the food and beverage industry. While high-rank government officials used the platform to promote their local products, the trade visitors showed interest in national pavilions and stands set up by various companies to increase their customer base in the region.

Over 3,800 exhibitors from more than 88 countries showcased various products and expect trade deals worth millions of dollars with local and regional competitors during the four-day event.

On Monday, the UK Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said his country has great opportunities to sell more food and drink to the Middle East.

During a mission to promote British produce at one of Asia’s biggest food and hospitality trade shows, Paice backed the 60 UK companies exhibiting cheese, chocolate, crisps, curry and other British classics.

“From cheese to chocolate our foods are already known the world over for their quality. Successful, vibrant places like the Middle East represent a fantastic opportunity for growth,” Paice said.

The focal point of Paice’s visit to Dubai was to the Gulfood trade fair, which is regarded as the premier event for food and drink exporters seeking new sales in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The visit was part of a UK government-backed drive launched last month to boost exports of British food and drink to high growth markets to generate significant economic growth and jobs.

Ambassador of South Africa to the UAE Yacoob Abba Omar, who was present at Gulfood Expo, also highlighted the increasing export trends between the two regions.

“Gulfood is a fantastic opportunity for the hard working food producers of South Africa to showcase their world class products to a high-level food industry audience. Since Middle Eastern countries import most of their food products, food security is naturally an issue that South Africa is well positioned to provide support with as part of a mutually beneficial relationship,” Omar said.

The UAE is of great importance to South Africa and is considered one of the top five countries, which contribute to South Africa’s GDP and exporting activities; equating to a total bilateral trade between both at approximately $1 billion.

Singapore companies unveiled more than 40 new products at the event. The Singapore pavilion represents the largest range of new-to-region products ever to be brought to the trade exhibition in Singapore’s 12 years of participation.

Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, or Emarat, stand attracted visitors, especially from investors seeking opportunities to secure franchise rights to Emarat’s trade names ‘Freshplus’, ‘Bakeria’ and ‘Cafe Arabicca’, all of which are participating in the exhibition under one roof.

—muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

View the original article here

VFM Leonardo Helps Hotels Target Business Travelers - PRWeb

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) February 17, 2012

Corporate travel will likely fuel the hospitality, travel and leisure industry in 2012, according to a Deloitte survey. Specifically, 85 percent of business travelers surveyed expect to take more or the same number of trips this year. This presents a significant opportunity for hotels to win more corporate travel business in 2012.

VFM Leonardo, technology and online media company for the global hospitality industry, is already the leader in the syndication and display of hotel visual media within corporate self-booking tools. With new agreements and those previously established combined, VFM Leonardo’s VNetwork offers hotels the broadest reach and ability to target business travelers with their visual marketing message. Notable partners include:

Click here for a complete listing of VFM Leonardo’s corporate VNetwork channels.

Hotel properties using VFM Leonardo’s VBrochure Online Merchandising System can provide an enhanced hotel shopping experience for millions of business travelers and corporate travel planners monthly. VBrochure enables hotels to better differentiate with targeted merchandising, meaning customized stories using multi-media and descriptive text focused on the specific hotel features and amenities that appeal most to the business segment.

For instance, event and corporate sales are a big part of the Wyndham Boston Andover’s business. They use VBrochure to showcase and differentiate their hotel and shorten the sales process. Kathy Martin, Director of Sales at the property says “A large portion of our business is group and event sales. VBrochure helps us differentiate ourselves from competitors. A prospect looks at our VBrochure Player and can see that we have the features and amenities that they’re looking for - making it easier to book with us over the competition.”

“A strong visual presence on corporate self-booking tools can help hotels increase bookings in the managed travel space. As business travel increases, it’s time for hotels to prepare so they can take advantage and increase revenue,” said Paolo Boni, President and CEO, VFM Leonardo.

Hotels that wish to accelerate their business bookings on corporate channels can download the The Hotelier's Guide to Targeting Business Travelers or contact VFM Leonardo.

About VFM Leonardo

VFM Leonardo is a technology and online media company for the global hospitality industry. We provide e-marketers at hotel brands, management companies and hotel properties with technology, sales conversion tools and a global travel media network that enables them to better visually merchandise their hotels to millions of in-market travel shoppers monthly. Our core products, the VScape® Digital Asset Management System and VBrochure™ Online Merchandising System, leverage the VNetwork™ - the largest media syndication network in the industry. It includes all major search engines, Global Distribution Systems, online travel agencies, travel research and supplier websites, search portals, review, travel editorial, local directories and major social media and video sharing sites. Taking advantage of VBrochure’s mobile and social media platforms, hotels can ensure that their rich visual presentations reach consumers on their mobile devices and through their social graphs. For more information about VFM Leonardo, visit http://www.vfmleonardo.com.

Connect with VFM Leonardo

Twitter @VFMLeonardo

Facebook

Blog

Media Contact:

Julie Ford, VFM Leonardo Inc.

Toll free: 1-877-593-6634

Phone: 416-263-5446

Email: press(at)vfmleonardo(dot)com

###

View the original article here