Kühne + Heitz meets Dubai:
the Gulfood fair

The Gulfood fair in Dubai is the annual event for the food sector. More than 5,000 local, regional and international suppliers from the food sector – from five different continents – gather here. And thus for our traders the perfect opportunity to put Kühne + Heitz even better on the map and tap into new markets. Our traders Jasper, Eddie, Nico, Samir, Johannes and Serhii traveled last February to Dubai, the city of unlimited possibilities. We spoke to Eddie about this special trip.

“Everyone who matters at all in the food sector can be found at the Gulfood fair at the Dubai World Trade Center. From vendors to traders. And everything in between. So you can imagine that the five-day fair attracts a lot of audience, and a lot of possible prospects. We are talking about tens of thousands of visitors and exhibitors.

Therefore, being present at the exchange as a traders’ organization is a must for several reasons. As traders, we have a large network and know intimately where and how to tap into new prospects. Such a fair is the perfect opportunity to meet them again and strengthen ties. But precisely also to engage prospects who are not easy to find online.

During those five days, we welcomed people from all over the world to our booth. From Africa and the Middle East to the Far East. We came into contact with an immense number of cultures. It is important then, even more than during work visits abroad, to be aware of the differences in etiquette, manners and negotiation styles. And continually navigating between them, fast switching you could call the theme of our exhibition week. We were all assigned the area in which we ourselves operate as traders. As a result, we knew in advance what to expect by culture. For example, I myself am active in Africa, so I took charge of contacting African customers during the fair.

That quick turnaround combined with enthusiasm and showing interest describes our five days in a nutshell. Because during the little time you have with your booth visitors, you want to make an indelible impression. But as authentic as possible. Are there common ground? Then make a note of it. That can come in handy when reconnecting to take advantage of action opportunities.

“The Gulfood fair is the place where

unexpected opportunities arise”

Dubai is the city where anything is possible. The same goes for the Gulfood fair. Unexpected opportunities, I also call it. Along the way, we discovered that our product range is in high demand. We keep a close eye on trends and developments.

The cool thing about such an international adventure is that in between you also have time to reflect on successes together, and explore the city together. We had dinner with the team the first evening at a super-luxury restaurant downtown to celebrate the successful first day. A visit to the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, where we saw the world’s largest aquarium up close, could not be missed either. Plus it’s still Dubai, we saw lots of beautiful and extremely expensive sports cars there.

One thing is for sure: next year we will be there again!”