Attendance estimates for the 2024 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global show that this year's expo brought together more than 35,000 seafood professionals through its three-day run in Barcelona, Spain, marking a record total for the event.
This year’s event, which ran from 23 to 25 April, occupied 51,248 net square meters – an increase of 4 percent over the 2023 show, according to event organizer Diversified Communications USA. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications owns and operates SeafoodSource.]
Diversified Communications USA Vice President of Seafood Wynter Courmont said the global seafood industry depends on this annual event to meet business goals.
"It was exciting to feel the buzz throughout the exhibit halls,” Courmont said in a release. “The industry relies on this event to reach their annual business goals in the global market. Both exhibitors and visitors utilize this platform as a place to meet with current customers, find new ones, forge customer relationships, and expand their knowledge of the industry."
This year's edition had an estimated local economic impact of more than EUR 156 million (USD 167 million), according to Diversified.
To accommodate the rapid growth and effectively welcome new exhibitors, the event expanded to Hall 1 of the Fira Barcelona Gran Via Venue for the first time and occupied halls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the Galleria, located between halls 4 and 5, of the venue.
"We wanted to exhibit at Seafood Expo Global this year because our company's expanding in new markets with the acquisitions of our snow crab and our lobster companies in Canada, and this is the place to be to launch our new products in those categories and to talk to customers face to face," Phillips Seafoods Senior Vice President and COO John Knorr said. "This event allows us to meet and talk with our customers, get their feedback on new items, and catch up to see what their goals are for the coming year. Even if you're a small company trying to start up or a large company, it's important to be here to see what the trends are, what people want, and what people are talking about."
This year’s expo featured exhibitors from 87 different countries. New exhibiting countries included Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), the Czech Republic, and Kiribati, with new regional pavilions hosted by Brazil, France, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Oman.
New companies exhibiting at the expo included CPF Culinar, Frinsa Del Noroeste, S.A., Giraldo Asistencia, S.L., Hijos de Albaladejo Garcia, Regal Springs AG, Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Pacifico Aquaculture, Phillips Foods Inc, Reynaud, Lequertier Maree (SAS EDB Maree), and Merpacifico. For Seafood Processing Global, new exhibiting companies included Ashworth Belts BV, COLIGROUP SPA, GEA Food Solutions Germany GmbH, Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG, Heinen Freezing GmbH & Co. KG, HAROPA PORT, Mosca GmbH, TECMAQ, Vaessen Schoemaker, and Velec Systems.
Also occurring at the show, on 23 April, the Seafood Excellence Global Awards recognized Cancale, France-based Parcs Saint Kerber as the winner of the Best Retail Product for its Oysters Trio Saint Kerber – a single retail box featuring three different types of oysters – and Loctudy, France-based Algolesko – which won the Best Hotel/Restaurant/Catering (HORECA) award for its Wakame Pickles.
Additionally, the expo hosted its first-ever reception and networking event – Connecting Women in Seafood – providing attendees a space to connect, share experiences, and expand professional networks in order to create a more inclusive seafood industry.
Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global partnered with the Banc dels Aliments, a local food bank in Barcelona, for the third year in a row to collect donated seafood products from exhibitors.
The next Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will take place in Barcelona from 6 to 8 May 2025, again at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Vía venue.
