IFEX 2024 retrospective: Resounding success

IFEX 2024 took place at the Titanic Exhibition Centre Belfast from 5-7 March and a saw record number of visitors, with a 50% bigger show. Northern Ireland’s premier food, drink, retail and hospitality trade event welcomed over 7,000 visitors (up 22% from 2022) and over 200 world class exhibitors. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with 70% of exhibitors preferring IFEX to other trade events and 63% of visitors attending to keep up-to-date with new innovations.

Who exhibited and who attended?

IFEX partnered with The Guild of Fine Food (Great Taste Awards) in the Great Taste Market, adding a touch of culinary finesse and sophistication to the proceedings.

This biennial event is the only place to see leading key buyers from Northern Ireland and Ireland from the following areas: bar equipment, beverages (non & alcoholic and alcoholic), catering, retail and display equipment, furniture, tableware, packaging equipment chilled, dairy, fresh, frozen and speciality food, meat and fish, confectionary, disposables, EPOS/computer systems, waste solutions and much more.

Visitors to the show come from an assortment of backgrounds including: chefs, catering managers, directors, food & beverage buyers, hotel managers, independent retailers, multiples buyers, off-trade, owners/proprietors, publicans, restauranteurs, symbol group buyers and wholesalers, all looking for the biggest and brightest new product innovations.

Chef Skills Live Theatre

There was a buzz in The Chef Skills featuring exciting top-level culinary competitions, which in the past discovered many of Northern Ireland’s top chefs including stalwarts: Michael Deane (Michelin-starred restaurant), Chris Bell (Two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence) and Roisin Gavin (Roux Scholarship finalist).

IFEX 2024 prided itself on nurturing new talent in the fast-paced culinary world and the Hospitality Core Skills Hub hosted a hands-on demonstration theatre for students. The focus was on teaching new specialist skills like fish filleting, latte art and cocktail mixology to a whole new generation of chefs and baristas.

Here at Food & Drink Matters, we’re always on the lookout for the latest industry trends and outstanding companies offering ‘products of choice’. This is our recommended list of the Top Exhibitors at IFEX 2024:

● Bespoke Beverages – Fitch & Leeds bespoke mixer drinks collection offers ‘taste elevation’ through mesmerising cocktails. (including alcohol-free). Defined as ‘cocktail aficionados’ – these purveyors of luxury mixers and tonics certainty lifted everyone’s spirits.

● Forged Irish Stout – Newcomers on the block and definitely ‘one to watch’ – this handcrafted stout from Dublin offers chocolate hints and roasted coffee notes. In their own words they’re “not here to take part: here to take over.”

● Outwalker – Aged in four different ways – a curious mix of pot still Irish whiskey (aged in ex-oloroso sherry casks), single malt aged in burgundy white wine casks, fine grain whiskey aged in Virgin American oak and in rye whiskey casks. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

● Causeway Coffee – Specialist coffee from ethically-sourced coffee beans. One of our favourites was bestselling ‘Ciara’ – extra rich dark roast coffee with caramel, hazelnut and dark chocolate flavours. Perfect for a cheeky espresso or in cafetiere. Made from Columbian and Guatemalan coffee beans.

● Bluebell Falls – Award-winning goat cheese –winner of the Great Taste Awards and Bloom Irish Cheese Awards. The honey, garlic and thyme flavour caught our eye – delicious in recipes or sourdough bread.

● Frylite Solutions – Ireland’s leading cooking oil supplier to food businesses and Gold Winner of Deloitte’s Ireland’s Best Managed Companies 2023. We were suitably impressed by the company’s circular economy solutions, by turning all waste oil collections to renewable energy.

● Gene Curry Shop & Bar Equipment –supplier of ice cream machines, milkshake machines, coffee machines, juice machines, grinders and roller grills. The Nissei ice cream machines were stand-out products – designed for longevity with delicious soft-serve ice cream.

● GH Enterprises – there’s nothing better than sparkling cutlery in hospitality and this company came up with the first cutlery polisher in Ireland. This year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary and continues to supply the hospitality industry, catering companies, through to airports with its industry-leading cutlery polish.

● Kelly Hygiene & Catering – One of Ireland’s largest hygiene & catering suppliers from tableware, barware, packaging, cleaning chemicals, and uniforms. Now recognised as Ireland’s top agents in Merrychef Ovens, parts & accessories for the hospitality sector.

● Stephens Catering Equipment – sponsor and exhibitor for IFEX 2024 – this distinguished company has a history spanning 50 years with leading kitchen equipment and hygiene products. Congratulations to the team for winning the Silver Award in the Catering Equipment, Design & Technology category at the IFEX 2024 Exhibition Innovation Awards for the Moffat Go-M: heated and chilled merchandise for the retail sector.

● Reflex Label Plus – high-end label and packaging supplier for luxury drink brands, fine foods and many other products. Embellishment and finishes include- gloss, silk, matt varnish, hot foil, debossing and many other options – adds the perfect finishing touch to luxury products.

● Versatile Packaging – Expert packaging company, including the Evolve sustainable range – made from an average of up to 85% recycled PET post-consumer content. Perfect for the circular economy in the food packaging industry.

IFEX will return in 2026, register your interest here: www.ifexexhibition.co.uk/register-interest