Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, Adnec, is preparing for the virtual conference for the food, beverage, and hospitality sector, the F&B Networking Hub by Sial Middle East – E-summit and Meetings.

The virtual event will be held as part of the Sial ME brand, in collaboration with Compexposium. It will run in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Date Palm Virtual Platform under the supervision of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, on November 23, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

Participants will focus on the challenges facing the global food, beverage, hospitality and dates industry, following the pandemic, as well as the opportunities for the sector over the next 24 months. Discussions will focus on ongoing strategies and policies to meet the priorities of the National Food Security Strategy 2051.

Mariam bint Hareb AlMheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security, will deliver a welcome speech, discussing "The Role of UAE in Supporting the Food Security Sector". Subsequently, the opening session will include Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, ADAFSA, who will be discussing food control and ADAFSA’s strategy; Mohamed bin Obaid Al Mazrooei, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development, AAAID, will discuss "Agri-food Investment in the Arab World"; and Rashid Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Under-Secretary of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADDED, will be speaking on "The Role of ADDED in Supporting the Agriculture and Food International Investors".


Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director of LuLu Group International, and Katarzyna Rzeźniczek, First Counsellor and Representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Abu Dhabi, will speak on the topic "From Field to Fork – Maintaining Sustainability and the Highest Food & Drink Quality Standards in the Supply Chain".

Derar Al Manaseer, Director of Strategy Management and Excellence, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, Adnec, will deliver the closing remarks.

Alongside the event, Adnec will host a private virtual platform for five days, starting from November 23. The platform will facilitate live meetings between sellers and buyers, allowing them to do business with one another.

Commenting on the event, Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of Adnec, said: "At Adnec, we are keen on supporting our partners’ and stakeholders’ business performance. The result is an event which brings together decision-makers from the food, beverage, and hospitality sectors, who help strengthen international co-operation in the industry, which is critical as we plan for life after the pandemic."

Saeed Bin Khadim Al Mansoori, Executive Director of Sial Middle East Exhibition, said: "With more than 15 speakers from the global food and beverage industry, our platform will host over 900 virtual meetings during the event. We are anticipating more than 500 participants to attend, with representatives from over 80 selling companies and more than 60 buying companies during the five days."

The strategic partners of the event are the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. Abu Dhabi Chamber will be the host sponsor, IMLO International will be the Diamond sponsor and Lulu Group International will be the event’s retail partner.