FOOD BUSINESS GULF & ME July-Sept 2019 | Page 20

SNACKEX REVIEW 18 A s record-breaking temperatures swept across Europe, business was heating up in Barcelona, with plenty of hot new developments on show at SNACKEX 2019, together with lively discussions around which of the latest savoury snacking trends are coming to the boil. Footfall was high, with a total participation of around 3,000 people. While the biggest contingent was naturally from Europe, people travelled from all continents to be there. For some the focus was on finding specific technical solutions to help their production operations. “It's extremely useful to have so many snack industry professionals together with their machinery. We couldn't visit that many companies individually - it would take forever,” said Mathew Wilcox, project manager with Kettle Foods in the UK. “At SNACKEX we are able to sit together with different people from a team and discuss projects we are working on. It's both a time and cost saving.” Others were keen to explore networking opportunities and explore the insights on offer during the conference sessions. “SNACKEX is the industry standard for us snack food manufacturers. It's where we get to meet all the 'big boys' and learn more of the industry in one central place and save time,” said FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST SNACKEX: EUROPE'S ONLY EVENT DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO SAVOURY SNACKS Nilesh Shah, chairman of Kenyan snack maker Tropical Heat. The response from exhibitors was also overwhelmingly positive, with many yet again highlighting the advantages of SNACKEX's unique position as Europe's only event dedicated entirely to savoury snacks. There were plenty of familiar faces and big industry names among the 170 exhibitors, which also included many first time companies. JULY-SEPTEMBER 2019