Seafood Expo Asia 2016 to Explore Key Trends Driving Growth

Seafood Expo Asia 2016 to Explore Key Trends Driving Growth of the Industry in Asia

The region’s growing population, rising middle class, increasing per capita spending and well established eating out culture is fueling demand for higher value fish and seafood.

HONG KONG (22 June 2016) – Seafood Expo Asia (www.seafoodexpo.com/asia) will return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on the 6-8 September 2016, providing buyers from major supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, airlines, wholesale and foodservice sectors with an opportunity to source the world’s finest seafood products and learn about the top trends set to impact the region’s fish and shellfish market in the future.

The outlook for Asia’s seafood industry will be a central theme at this year’s event which runs alongside the fine dining and beverage exhibition, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong. With the region’s palate for premium seafood evolving, Asia is expected to dominate global aquaculture trade and import growth with the World Bank predicting that by 2030 Asian countries will account for around 70% of global fish consumption.

A 2014 Global Industry Analysts report suggests that in terms of demand, the Asia Pacific is not only the largest and fastest growing market in the world, but is projected to increase at an average compound growth rate of 5% between now and 2020. Growth is being driven by a rising middle class population that according to 2013 data from Ernst & Young and SKOLKOVO stands at around 525 million people but which over the next 20 years could potentially expand to more than 3 billion.

“Asia has become increasingly important to the global seafood market as with the growth of the region’s middle class population, consumers in this income bracket are able to afford higher value goods and products, one of them being premium fish and shellfish,” says Ms. Liz Plizga, Seafood Group Vice President of Diversified Communications, organizers of Seafood Expo Asia.

“Improving living standards and rising incomes, coupled with an already well established dining out culture, are driving market expansion as individuals become more conscious of taste and quality particularly in China and South East Asia, where economic growth is positively impacting seafood imports making these countries especially attractive to producers and exporters of premium produce.”

At Seafood Expo Asia, industry buyers will be able to meet with over 240 suppliers of fish and shellfish from over 30 countries, and find the products they are looking for to satisfy their customers’ growing appetite, including abalone, clams, bass, crab, shrimp, salmon, prawns, scallops, lobster, cod, and oysters among many other species.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to hear from seafood experts who will offer business advice, support and insight during the three-day event. The presentation theatre will stage culinary demonstrations, master classes, networking events and educational seminars covering a broad range of issues and trends affecting the industry that are designed to equip delegates with new ideas to grow their businesses.

Through Seafood Expo Asia’s Key Buyer Program, high volume trade customers will also be able to enjoy special privileges that range from access to an exclusive lounge for meetings and networking opportunities, to participation in the exposition’s Business Matchmaking Program. Another popular destination is the event’s New Product Showcase which over the last three years has introduced more than 220 new packaged seafood products, condiments and culinary dishes to the Asia market.

“With lifestyles becoming busier, Asian consumers are turning to ready meal solutions that are quick and easier to prepare,” says Ms. Plizga, while noting that this trend along with rising demand for higher value seafood is creating unique opportunities for food manufacturers to create new culinary combinations from fish and seafood being paired with more decadent sauces, to dine-at-home options inspired by local flavors.

To learn more about opportunities in the Asian market, interested parties are invited to visit http://www.seafoodexpo.com/asia/free-webinar-on-asia-seafood/ to sign up for a free webinar hosted by Seafood Expo Asia’s official media partner SeafoodSource.com, which will take place on the 23 June 2016 at 9.00am US Eastern time. The webinar will analyze latest trends and offer predictions for the future of the region’s seafood industry. Visit this website for more information, to view a video of 2015 highlights, or to register for a free trade pass to the 2016 event.
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About Seafood Expo Asia
Seafood Expo Asia is a trade event where buyers and suppliers of seafood from around the world come together to network and conduct business in the lucrative Hong Kong and Asia Pacific markets. The event’s seventh edition takes place from the 6-8 September 2016 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wanchai, Hong Kong. SeafoodSource.com is the exposition’s official media covering industry news year-round. The exposition is produced by Diversified Communications and is co-located with Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong. http://www.seafoodexpo.com/asia.

About Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, digital products, publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine and business management. The company's global seafood portfolio of expositions and media includes Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia and SeafoodSource.com. Diversified Communications, in partnership with SeaWeb, also produces SeaWeb Seafood Summit, the world’s premier seafood conference on sustainability. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified has divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: http:// www.divcom.com.

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