Foodservice, machinery and ingredient supplier exhibition Gulfood Manufacturing has been postponed this year, moving the event to 2021 due to COVID-19.

The event will now take place from November 7 to November 9 2021.

Though physical events across the region have been resuming, with others supplemented with digital events, Gulfood Manufacturing organisers said they could not deliver the event with many of their partners and exporters landlocked by travel restrictions.

In a statement, organisers said: “Whilst this decision will disappoint many who have come to rely upon the event as an important showcase of the latest manufacturing business improvement tools, the forward planning and advance logistics necessary to deliver an international event of such scale is not possible for many partners and exporters given current uncertainty surrounding travel and quarantine restrictions.

“This has particular impact upon food producers and manufacturers as they tackle the challenges around food security and safety.”

What started as an offshoot of the established Gulfood trade show, Gulfood Manufacturing has steadily become an industry-leading event in its own right. In 2019, the exhibition covered 19 halls, with 1,500+ companies showcasing their products to more than 35,000 international visitors.