UAE: SHARJAH TO HOST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

Expo Centre ties up with Pakistan’s Halal Development Council to organize the Halal Congress Middle East alongside Halal Food Trade Expo

Sharjah, UAE, September 25, 2012: After a high-profile international launch and strategic tie-ups with several premier global bodies, the upcoming Halal Food Middle East 2012 exhibition has roped in a leading industry entity to organize a Halal Congress.

Expo Centre Sharjah on Tuesday (Sept. 25) signed an agreement with the Halal Development Council of Pakistan to organize the Halal Congress Middle East 2012 as part of the debut edition of Halal Food Middle East trade expo from December 10-12.

The MOU was signed by Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and Mr. Asad Sajjad, CEO & Secretary General of Halal Development Council (HDC Pakistan), at the Expo Centre Sharjah premises.

Halal Food Middle East trade expo is organized by Expo Centre Sharjah, a subsidy of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Trade show has the official patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, the Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the UAE Supreme Council and full support of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, apart from several trade bodies, leading retailers, food producers and dealers.

“Halal Food Middle East trade expo is proving out to be a major event to look out for. By taking on board an NGO dedicated to the development of Halal economy in Pakistan, we are adding more value to Halal Food Middle East and at the same time leveraging on the experience of both the organizations” said Mr. Midfa.

“HDC Pakistan is also credited with successfully organizing the first Global Halal Congress in Karachi. Expo Centre Sharjah will draw on the expertise of HDC Pakistan in organizing the Halal Congress Middle East 2012 as part of the Halal Food Middle East trade expo,” he added.

“The congress will present country experiences; local, regional and international outlook for the industry; compliance, certification and standards systems; branding, marketing, research and trade development; industry updates and investment promotion,” said Mr. Midfa.

It will enable professionals and decision-makers to identify investment, joint venture and trading opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region, apart from Pakistan and the rest of the sub-continent, Central Asia, Afghanistan and OIC countries.

It will also be an opportunity to network with major Halal producing and exporting countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand and the US.

Mr. Asad Sajjad of HDC Pakistan said that Pakistan’s importance in the Halal industry is borne out of the fact that it is a Muslim country with 100% Halal production and consumption having over 170 million domestic consumers and with direct by road access to millions of consumers in Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Asad further explained that HDC Pakistan has been working for the last 4 years with the mission to provide platforms for Halal Awareness, Research, Certification, Marketing, Trade Development, Investment promotion and Halal Industry development and with its strategic agreements with over 2 dozen international Halal Certifiers, Halal Research Centres & Laboratories and Halal Agenda promoters, for the development and promotion of Halal economy, HDC Pakistan plans to play a major role in the Middle East specially in mainstreaming the Halal products and services trade from UAE to compete in the global market.

“The show, along with the congress, is set to be a treasure trove of opportunities, given that nearly one-third of the 1.6 billion global Muslim populations live in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) alone and can be directly accessed through the trade show. Our strategic agreements and promotional activities have made the trade show a talking point of the industry much before its launch… and we expect to translate this interest into actual visitor footfalls and business leads & deals,” said Ms. Lilian Segundo, Director – Sales, Expo Centre Sharjah.

The Show had an international launch in Kuala Lumpur, and has tied up with OIC’s trade promotion wing Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and most of the major Halal Certifiers, Halal Agenda promoters and Halal trade promotion bodies around the world.

The Global Halal Congress was held in Karachi in December 2010, which was attended by more than 400 delegates from international Halal certification bodies, scientists and prominent traders from 17 countries. The Halal Congress Middle East is the 2nd of the series with addition of a Halal trade expo. (MINA/HaLalFoc)