The show, the biggest in Asia, has become an important fixture on the exhibition calendar for companies seeking to cement relationships, or to grow their business in the world’s largest and fastest growing seafood market.
A UK pavilion supported by Seafish will feature alongside national stands from more than 20 countries, and will have a distinctly Scottish feel to it. Seven Scottish and two English companies representing the shellfish, pelagic, whitefish and farmed seafood sectors are to feature their products. Staff from Scottish Development International and Seafood Scotland will also be on hand to field enquiries.
A focal point is the Scottish demonstration kitchen, where Scottish and Japanese chefs will perform 10 demonstrations each day, and produce seafood samples for around 5,000 international visitors. This is funded through a European Fisheries Fund project and is being invested in to promote Scottish Seafood Items on the UK pavilion.
“We aim to educate seafood buyers and visitors to the expo about the range of seafood and other high quality produce available from Scotland, and to demonstrate how well it lends itself to Asian cuisine. ” explained Clare Dixon, SFS emerging markets marketing manager. “We will be cooking up samples for stand-holders to showcase to their VIP buyers, and will have translators on hand to assist with the demonstrations and to handle both supply and media enquiries.”
To complement the exhibition activities, a week-long promotion from Saturday 2nd November, is being held at the Dalian Shangri-La hotel, where a UK promotion has been arranged in the i-café to serve more than 2000 people. Industry is providing crab, langoustine, mackerel, scallops, salmon, herring, smoked products, haddock and salmon for this event, ensuring that a wide range of Scottish quality species are showcased.
“We saw a good opportunity to raise awareness of Scottish seafood in a premium key hotel chain, whilst a wealth of seafood buyers from around the world are visiting the city,” said Jim McConville of the e2 Partnership Ltd, who is managing the event.
Also at the Shangri-La is a VIP networking reception for 260 seafood buyers, hosted by Seafish. This will provide a platform for companies to network further with buyers, to forge new relationships and improve existing links, whilst highlighting the versatility and value for money of UK seafood products.
“We are working with the China-Britain Business Council, who are coordinating a guest list featuring buyers from many nations including, Russia, Ukraine, Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. It’s also a great example of how industry and collaborative organisations work together to support the UK industry,” explained Seafish head of regional delivery Malcolm Large.
The Shangri-La reception features a hot and cold seafood buffet with live cooking stations. The menu for both this event and the i-café has been developed by Scottish chef Tony Jackson from Peterhead northeast Scotland, working with the Shangri-La head chef Ricky Tang, and food and beverage director Allen Khoo.
Graham Young, head of Seafood Scotland said: “Discerning buyers in the Chinese market are beginning to recognise the quality of Scottish Seafood, and appreciate the pristine environment in which it is caught and our attention to detail.
“The Scottish industry has been working hard to develop contacts and networks to build long term business relationships, and is keen to capitalise on the prospects offered by the Chinese market. I am sure the exhibition and networking events will open up a wealth of new opportunities for companies, and we will be following up to ascertain how successful they have been.”
