776 first-time exhibitors will attend 2023 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global

At least 776 new exhibitors will attend the 2023 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, taking place 25 to 27 April, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

The 2023 expo, the second to be held in Barcelona following the show’s move from Brussels, Belgium, will be the largest-ever version of the event and, occupying 49,299 square meters, the biggest seafood trade show in the world this year. The event will be 24 percent larger than 2022 by size, according to Diversified Communications Group Vice President Liz Plizga, speaking at a press conference in Barcelona on Monday, 3 April. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns SeafoodSource.]

“The event presents the industry with a valuable platform to conduct business on a global scale and provide a significant positive impact on the local economy,” Plizga said. “For three days, we will once again bring together industry buyers and suppliers from all corners of the world to build business relationships, find new products, equipment and service solutions, explore current trends, and engage in discussions about the immediate and future challenges for the seafood industry.”

The 29th Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global brings with it a EUR 150 million (USD 138 million) boost to the city of Barcelona, according to Plizga. It will feature more than 2,000 exhibiting companies from 87 countries and will have 68 regional and country pavilions. Among the first-time exhibitors at the event will be Atunes y Lomos, Blumar, Golden Fish Sarl, Grøntvedt Group, Metarex Spa, North Pacific Seafood Pte Ltd, Pereira Productos del Mar, Pickenpack Seafoods GmbH, Activa Food Tech SAU, Aquatiq AS, Lineage Logistics, and Van de Velde Packaging Group.

Fira de Barcelona General Manager Constantí Serrallonga said the arrival of the event in Barcelona represents an economic boon for the city.

“Seafood is another example of how an event arrives at our venue and in the city to consolidate itself and grow, boost business, and be a driving force for its participants and be an engine of its industry and ecosystem,” Serrallonga said. “Hosting a world-leading seafood event reinforces the positioning of the fair institution in the field of food, a key sector for the economy.”

The upcoming event will include companies representing Austria, Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Gambia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Moldova, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Suriname, and Switzerland, all of which were not represented at the 2022 version of the expo. New country pavilions include Australia, Saudi Arabia, the Seychelles, while the regions of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States will have pavilions for the first time, and the Spanish region of Galicia is coming back to the event after an absence.  

China’s seafood industry will also have a much larger presence at the show, following the end of the country’s zero-Covid protocol, which made international travel difficult for those traveling into and out of China. More than 200 Chinese exhibitors will occupy 2,144 square meters of space at the show, according to Plizga.

“The expansion of the expo reaffirms the need for the seafood industry to meet in-person,” Plizga said. “It also confirms that the move to Barcelona and an innovative, contemporary venue was the right move for the Expo, providing more growth opportunities.”

Plizga said the expo has further room to grow in coming years.

“We're seeing this big growth trajectory now that we may have seen a few years ago had it not been for Covid,” Plizga said. “There are geographic gaps where we expect to fill, and also independent companies out there who have not exhibited at the event before.”

Plizga said there will be no Covid-related restrictions on attendance at this year’s expo.

“It’s pretty much business as usual,” she said, noting last year’s event also went ahead without restrictions related to the pandemic. “We encourage people to stay home if they're sick, and practice [good] hygiene, washing hands, and increased use of hand sanitizer.”

The 2023 edition of Seafood Processing Global will cover every aspect of seafood processing, including packaging materials and machinery, refrigeration and freezing equipment, primary processing systems, secondary processing systems, hygiene control, sanitation, and quality control services, Diversified said.

In addition, the 29th edition will expand the offer of its conference program as a platform to discuss the seafood industry’s major challenges, opportunities, and solutions. The program will include more than 20 informative sessions hosted by industry experts. This year, video recordings of the sessions are included in the conference registration.

Photo courtesy of Diversified Communications