Just one week to go for the global seafood industry to gather again in Barcelona to celebrate the world's largest seafood event. The Catalan city is hosting the Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global for the second consecutive year. This 2023 will feature more than 2,000 exhibiting companies from 87 countries -more than 775 of them making their debut at the Expo-, and will host 68 national and regional pavilions.
The 29th edition, to be held April 25-27, 2023, will be the largest ever with 49,299 net square meters of exhibition space, up 24 percent from 2022. Together with our colleagues from AquacultureTalent – a leader in search and headhunting for the Aquaculture, Seafood, and Fisheries sector -, WeAreAquaculture will also be at the Expo waiting for all those who would like to visit us at booth 3QQ201.
"We are delighted to see the industry's growing interest in participating in our global event, and this year's edition promises to be the biggest ever", says Liz Plizga, group vice president of Diversified Communications, the organizing company. "The growth of the event is primarily attributed to an increase in the number of new companies participating and exhibiting countries and pavilions returning with larger booth spaces".
Exhibitors from 87 countries have confirmed their presence at Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global. Newcomers who were not present in 2022 include Austria, Barbados, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Gambia, Moldova, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, and Seychelles. In addition, the 2023 edition will also welcome more than 775 new exhibiting companies, including Tuna & Loins, Blumar, Golden Fish Sarl, Grøntvedt Group, North Pacific Seafood Pte Ltd, Pereira Productos del Mar, Pickenpack Seafoods GmbH and AquacultureTalent, at Seafood Expo Global; or Activa Food Tech SAU, Aquatiq AS, Lineage Logistics and Van de Velde Packaging Group at Seafood Processing Global.
The event will host a total of 66 regional and national pavilions, including three new national pavilions from Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Seychelles, as well as five regional pavilions belonging to Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and the return of the Galician region. Precisely that from Galicia is one of the pavilions that returns with significant changes in size at Seafood Expo Global, along with that of another Spanish region, Catalonia, and countries such as China, Portugal, or the Netherlands. At Seafood Processing Global, the Norwegian pavilion stands out above the rest.
Moreover, this year's edition will feature an expanded Seafood Processing Global pavilion. Seafood Processing Global focuses on all aspects of seafood processing, including packaging materials and machinery; systems for primary and secondary processing and hygiene control; refrigeration and freezing equipment and supplies; and sanitation and quality assurance services. Compared to 2022 it will have an increase of more than 20% in square meters of exhibition space.
According to Plizga, this means that the Expo "reaffirms itself as the world's leading seafood trade event and provides key players in the industry on a global scale with the necessary platform to discuss strategies, innovate and find solutions for their business".
This 2023 edition will take place in Halls 2, 3, 4, and 5 and the gallery between Halls 4 and 5 of Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via exhibition center, with Seafood Processing Global occupying half of Hall 3. The growth in exhibition space reinforces the event's position as the world's most important and diverse seafood trade show. After two years suspended due to the COVID pandemic, the first edition held in Barcelona last year brought together again 1,556 exhibiting companies from 77 countries. A total of 26,703 industry professionals from all over the world visited the event.
Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global are the world's largest seafood trade event. The Expo brings together the main players (suppliers, buyers, authorities, distributors, industrialists, and services) of the seafood sector from around the world. For three days, they meet, network, and do business. Exhibiting suppliers offer the latest seafood products, processing and packaging equipment, and services available in the seafood market. For their part, attending buyers represent importers, exporters, wholesalers, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and other retail and food service companies.
