NI’s largest food, drink, retail and hospitality show opens its doors!

TODAY, 20th March 2018, IFEX, Northern Ireland’s largest international food, drink, retail and hospitality exhibition, opened its doors, welcoming thousands of trade visitors to the event on the first day.

Home to some of the country’s biggest food companies, manufacturers, distributors and artisan producers, the event runs until this Thursday, 22nd March, and thousands of industry professionals are expected to attend over the three days.

This year IFEX has almost doubled its show size with the addition of a sister event – Meat@IFEX, which welcomed over 500 international delegates from across 12 countries, who will be competing in the World Butchers’ Challenge over the next two days.

Multi-Michelin star award-winning chef, Jean Christophe Novelli, officially opened IFEX today, 20th March, and met with some of the 150 plus exhibitors who are attending the event to generate new business and contacts. Mr Novelli praised the quality of local produce on show and welcomed the large crowds on the first day of the event.

Speaking from the event Caroline McCusker, IFEX Event Manager comments:

“The foodservice and hospitality sectors are vitally important to Northern Ireland’s economy.  To see the vibrancy and level of business being done here today is really positive.

“From large foodservice businesses to speciality suppliers in the Great Taste Market, IFEX is helping to generate business for exhibitors and visitors alike, and I hope that the buoyancy evident today will continue on days two and three of the event and so deliver for the foodservice and hospitality businesses in the months and years ahead.”

Caroline continues: “Based on today’s footfall, exhibitors are set to have a busy few days ahead.”

From naming the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Northern Ireland Chef of the Year, to artisan companies from across the country exhibiting in the Great Taste Market, IFEX and Meat@IFEX is the place where all of those in the food, drink, retail and hospitality industries will be over the next few days.

IFEX and Meat@IFEX opens at 10am daily and runs until Thursd

ay 22nd March at 4pm. The trade expo is free to attend, and you can register at www.IFEXexhibition.co.uk