Working alongside UKTI we recently organised a programme of events for the Northern Powerhouse and Welsh business delegations. The programme was focused on food and drink and utilised Gulfood 2016, the largest food and beverage trade event in the region.
Attending companies were introduced to large international supermarket chains (Carrefour, Spinneys, Lulu, and more) and their details sent to 122 companies in total.
Day one was set aside for information gathering as the group heard from Dubai Municipality, Clyde & Co, Tudor Rose, and Chef Middle East. The evening was given to a networking event, lots of hand shaking and business card exchanges; but most importantly it was a chance for the delegations to meet with over 50 local retailers & distributors at an event graced by Her Majesty’s Consul General to Dubai.
Day two was fact finding. Visits to the major supermarket chains as well as Emirates Flight catering, which produces an astonishing 160,000 meals per day.
Day three was Meet the Buyer day during which the delegates were given access to two of the largest local retailers, Lulu Hypermarkets and Al Maya Supermarkets. Deals were made on the spot.
Days four and five was our chance to help the delegations. I and other BCB team members were on hand for one to one meetings to help people understand the nuances of the UAE market.
We’re pleased that the programme was the success it was, and we’re honoured to have received testimonials to that end.
“We have done a lot of work here developing halal-approved product for the retail packs and it has paid dividends but only because of Ali and his efforts. I cannot thank him enough for his preparation and professionalism. He is a credit to himself and the team! I have followed up with the contacts BCB introduced me to in Dubai and today received our first order from Al Maya supermarkets. Just fabulous news for me.”, Laura Gunderson, Crème O’dor
“Many thanks indeed for such a quality trade mission. The tours, meetings and network event included high level decision makers and this is crucial to progressing discussions and even though it was my 5th visit to the region, I thought this was the most positive one of those 5. You deserve absolute credit for all the organising you and the team at BCB did.”, David Hill, Cocoda
“I would wish to extend my thanks to the BCB team, particularly Mr Ali, who has worked tirelessly throughout this trip to make it valuable to the delegates, he was always attentive, knowledgeable, and always ready to assist in all aspects of the trip. You can also clearly see from this interactions with the visit sites he has taken the time to build a very trustworthy and respectful relationship with them to allow the delegation unrestricted access. An excellent trip and would recommend to anyone who is considering venturing overseas.”, Nham Lee, Mao Holdings