Seafood professionals from around the world have gathered in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America Expo, taking place through March 14.
Event organizer Diversified Communications opened the exhibit hall doors March 12 to welcome buyers and industry professionals who have come to network, learn and experience the largest seafood trade event.
The exhibit space spans 237,665 net square feet – 31 percent larger than last year’s event – with 1,141 exhibiting companies from 49 countries, including new exhibiting countries from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland and Tunisia; and an increased presence from countries, such as Canada, China, Ecuador, Iceland, India, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S.
The expo welcomed new pavilions representing Australia, Denmark, Papua New Guinea, Poland and Singapore. Pavilions from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Maldives, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam have returned to Boston, presenting the new seafood products to industry buyers. Exhibitors from China are also back after a hiatus brought on by pandemic-related travel restrictions.
The exhibit hall was packed, offering a variety of fresh, frozen, canned, value-added, processed and packaged products. It showcases processing and packaging equipment, along with logistics services and other providers.
New companies participating in this year’s edition include A&M Cold Storage and Trailer, Arnarlax hf., Atunes y Lomos, S.L., Blount Fine Foods, Bluefina, Boston Bluefin, Boston Conveyor and Automation Corp, Forever Oceans, Maersk, Ode and Seas Star Foods USA.
Companies such as Acme Smoked Fish, Bakkafrost, Beaver Street Fisheries, Camanchaca, Cermaq US, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, Clearwater Seafoods, C.P. Food Products, Eastern Fish Co., Eastern Fisheries, Fortune International, Harbor Seafood, Hilo Fish Company, Mowi USA, Nissui Corporation, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Pescanova USA, Phillips Foods, Sea Port Products, Sea Watch International, Southstream Seafoods, Trident Seafoods, True North Seafood and Westmorland Fisheries are welcoming buyers in the exhibition hall.
“It’s incredible to see the convention center filled with suppliers and innovators from around the world presenting their products to industry peers,” said Liz Plizga, group VP for diversified communications.
“There’s no better way to connect with the seafood industry and get a pulse on what the industry is excited about right now. We’re thrilled to host a valuable event year after year for seafood buyers from every corner of the industry – restaurants, supermarkets, catering firms, seafood markets, hotels, airlines and cruise lines – and to deliver cutting-edge information to drive the seafood industry forward.”
Led by a slate of top industry experts and thought leaders, the three-day conference program is centered around the following topics: aquaculture, corporate social responsibility, food safety and compliance (policy), business and leadership, sustainability, traceability and transparency, plastics and climate change as it relates to seafood and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global seafood trade.
The expo also offers special events, awards and features to enhance attendees’ experience and product knowledge, such as the New and Featured Product showcases, the Seafood Excellence Awards, a new Empowerment Lounge providing content to help attendees with social media presence and career development, chef demonstrations and the oyster shucking competition.
Industry professionals can learn more about the expo by visiting seafoodexpo.com/north-america.
