FoodTech QLD opened to positive reviews from both exhibitors and attendees. Hosted at the Brisbane Convention Centre, more than 130 companies had their wares and services on show aimed at the food, beverage and bulk handling industries.
Event director, Jonathan Wilczek was pleased with not only the quantity, but the quality of exhibitors, plus the different types of businesses on show.
“You have different groups here,” he said. “You have the food and beverage manufacturers who have come down here, which is our key group, and there is a lot of other things on offer here. You’ll see ingredients, processing equipment, packaging equipment – people will be coming for a variety of things. A lot of people will be looking for solutions and our exhibitors will be providing solutions. It’s a place to come and network and matchmake.”
Tony Tate, head of the food division at Total Construction, had a couple of reasons for exhibiting. “We’re looking to talk to new clients, as well as connecting with current clients who are looking to extend the current premises. The stands around us, and the people who are exhibiting, are of very good quality.”
“We’re looking to meeting prospective clients from the Brisbane area or Queensland,” said Aerofloat’s Michael Anderson. “We’ve done a number of projects up here, and it’s always nice to come back here and let them know we are around. You need to be seen. ”
SMC is a first-time exhibitor at the event. National sales manager for Australia and New Zealand, William Lebihan, wants to get a couple of key messages across.
“For us it’s a celebration of 60 years in business,” he said. “What better place than to celebrate it here. We also want to talk about energy savings. It is our first public outing of our energy saving initiatives on a road map. We are going to help our customers optimise their plant and machinery to be as energy efficient as possible. Today has been a good day. Being a Sunday, we’ve seen a few people that we might not have seen if it had been during the week, so it is good.”
“For us it is chance to talk to everyone we already know,” said Rachael Hedges, marketing manager for project specialist’s Wiley. “It’s also a great place to network and meet new people and tell them about our business and how it can help them grow.”