Attendance record set at 2023 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona

The 2023 Seafood Expo Global attracted more than 33,000 seafood professionals through its three-day run in Barcelona, Spain – an increase of 24 percent over the 2022 show.

This year’s event, which ran from 25 to 27 April, also set a record for most exhibiting companies, at 2,078, and most exhibition space occupied, at 49,339 net square meters.

Diversified Communications USA President Liz Plizga said this year’s expo “exceeded all expectations.”

"This has been a busy and productive three days filled with opportunities for decision-makers in the seafood industry to gather and conduct business. The unprecedented number of visitors along with a record in exhibit space continue to position Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global as the must-attend global event in the industry," Plizga said. "Exhibitors and visitors told us how pleased they were with the event’s exhibits and content, the venue and the city of Barcelona. The expo is a valuable platform for the industry to do business on a global scale.”

The total square footage of exhibition space sold for the 2023 Seafood Expo Global surpassed what had previously been the largest-ever seafood show, the 2019 version of the event in Brussels, Belgium, making this year’s Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global the largest-ever seafood exposition. It had a local economic impact of around EUR 150 million (USD 165 million).

At the end of this year’s expo, an estimated 14,000 kilograms of seafood products were collected for donation to the Banc dels Aliments (Barcelona Food Bank)

The next Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will take place 23 to 25 April, 2024, again in Barcelona. Expected to attend the next edition are high-volume buyers from  retail, foodservice, and distribution that took part in this year’s Key Buyer program, including: Aldi (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Spain), Auchan (France, Portugal), Bidfood (Australia, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Italy, Poland, Czechia, Latvia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia), Brakes (U.K.), Coop (Switzerland, U.K., Italy, Denmark), Costco (U.S., Canada, Spain, U.K), Delhaize (Belgium), Foodbuy Foodservice (U.K), Groupo Eroski (Spain), HelloFresh (Spain, Netherlands, U.K., Germany), Kaufland (Croatia, Germany), Lidl (U.K., Spain), Loblaw (Canada), Marks and Spencer (U.K.), Metro (Turkey, Serbia, Austria, Czechia, Ukraine, Romania, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Hungary), Ocean Basket (South Africa, Kazakhstan), REWE Far East (Hong Kong, Thailand, Turkey, Germany), Sodexo (U.K., France, Spain, Italy), Sysco (U.K., France, Ireland, Hong Kong), Transgourmet (Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland), Walmart (U.S., China), and more. 

Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource