Unstable political situation doesn’t stop Thaifex trade show

The Thaifex – World of Food Asia, which took place from 21 – 25 May, saw an impressive over 30,000 trade visitors, despite rising political instability in Thailand that resulted in the declaration of Martial Law.  The event saw a record-breaking number of international participation. This included a 20 per cent increase in overseas exhibitor numbers, and an 11 per cent increase in trade visitor numbers.  “The 10th anniversary of Thaifex – World of Food Asia, marks a milestone,” said Michale Dreyer, Vice President Asia Pacific Koelnmesse, in a statement. “It is a bigger, better and ever more international edition. We believe the next decade will bring a more outstanding growth not just in the scale of our show, but also in quantitative and qualitative volume. The 11 per cent increase in our trade visitor attendance has proven our stance as a business-driven trade show, despite the challenging political situation right from the start of our show until the closing day.” This was the first year that the event held a seperate World of Coffee & Tea segment of the show.    “The environment was very conducive, as there were many experts in the coffee and tea business who shared their insights through our Boncafe Workshops,” said Charles Kutner of Boncafe Thailand in a statement. “We were able to network with the best from the industry, and made many good contacts.”