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A STORY OF GROWTH.
Every global industry has a place it returns to. The one event on the calendar where the whole trade shows up at once, deals get made, and the direction of the market for the year ahead becomes clear.
For global food and beverage, that place is Gulfood. It didn't start that way. It started as a modest regional gathering in 1987, with no guarantee it would still be running a year later, let alone becoming the largest F&B sourcing event on earth.
What follows is the story of how it got there, not through a single big moment, but through four decades of the same principle, repeated and compounded: bring the right people together, and the market grows.
Four decades, one principle; GROWTH
Bring the right people together, and the market grows.
That one idea, repeated every edition, took Gulfood from 65 exhibitors in 1987 to more than 8,500 exhibitors across two mega venues.
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1987
The idea starts small
Gulfood opens as Gulf Food, with 65 exhibitors from 13 countries and around 1,600 specialist trade visitors. The numbers are small, but the premise is durable: bring together the people who make, move and buy food, and create a marketplace that can grow with the region.
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1991
Global from here on
By its third edition, Gulf Food was attracting exhibitors from beyond its immediate region: the first sign of the international marketplace it would become.
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1993
Authority backed by knowledge
Food safety, hygiene and regulation became increasingly central to the event’s wider role, giving the trade on the show floor a foundation of shared knowledge.
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1995
The name catches up
Gulf Food became Gulfood as the platform developed into an international F&B meeting point.
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2005
Scale becomes a fact
By the mid-2000s, Gulfood had grown far beyond its 1987 beginnings. The 2005 edition, the last before the show became annual, drew a record 20,000 trade visitors.
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2006
The map keeps widening
The Dubai International Food Safety Conference ran alongside Gulfood, with discussion spanning traceability, e-certification and import requirements. Over 1,800 exhibitors from 68 countries and around 32,000 trade visitors.
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2007
Twenty years, full circle
Two decades after launch, Gulfood had become a major international event. More than 2,600 exhibitors took part, and 37,618 trade visitors came from 140 countries.
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2024
Momentum, unbroken
The 29th edition brought together more than 5,500 exhibitors, with 49% participating for the first time, across 24 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Organisers described Gulfood as the world’s largest annual F&B sourcing event, with participation from more than 190 countries.
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2025
A record 30th edition
The 30th edition drew 5,500 exhibitors and 144,003 visitors, making it the largest Gulfood edition to that point. Nearly four decades after the first 65 stands, the platform had transformed in scale while retaining its central purpose: connecting the global food trade.
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2026
Gulfood doubles
For the first time, Gulfood ran across both Dubai World Trade Centre and the upgraded Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai. The 31st edition, held from 26–30 January, expanded by 100% and sold out more than 280,000 square metres of event space.
It brought together more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries, showcasing more than 1.5 million products; post-event coverage reported close to 300,000 attendees across five days.
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2027
The next chapter
The 32nd edition returns 15–19 March across two mega venues: Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai. Growth starts at Gulfood.