Meet the Buyer 2023 shaping up with WA exhibitors

Producers in Western Australia are registering for the 2023 Buy West Eat Best’s Meet the Buyer trade exhibition at Crown Perth. The event is returning for its third year, bringing together the $8 billion WA food and beverage sector. It will take place on 24 October with more than 600 visitors expected, including suppliers, producers, buyers and importers, chefs, sommeliers, media and educators.

The exhibition will offer attendees a chance to experience a range of WA local produce in a central location, providing opportunity for WA food and beverage businesses to display, showcase and feature products alongside everyone from all specialty local producers to industry leaders already taking advantage of global supply chains.

Deborah Pett, Food Industry Development Manager at Buy West Eat Best has encouraged exhibitors to register, saying the tradeshow supports food and beverage industries which are vital to the WA economy.

“Exhibitors, attendees and the WA economy benefits as a whole from Meet the Buyer, and this year’s show will deliver an array of opportunities not to be missed,” Pett said.

Previous Meet the Buyer trade expos have proven fruitful for exhibitors with over 60% seeing a positive commercial outcome for their business and 70% saying they felt the show was an opportunity to engage with a buyer or business contact they had not previously been able to. Over 65% of attendees also reported meeting a new buyer or business contact.

Currently, over 1500 food and beverage businesses support the Western Australian economy, employing over 19,000 people and turning over $8 billion in revenue per year. The Buy West Eat Best program membership represents 18.5% of this.

Bluey Zarzov’s Hot Sauce has exhibited at Meet the Buyer since the inaugural event and owner Paul Storm urges all to attend.

Since first exhibiting at Meet the Buyer in 2020, the company’s hot sauce has landed in a number of specialty Woolworths stores.

“It’s well worth it — and you get some inspiration on top of it from seeing all the different products out there,” Storm said.

Food represents around 12% by value of WA’s manufacturing industry, with the foodservice sector employing over 85,000 people across approximately 8000 businesses. Combined, the food and beverage manufacturing and foodservice sectors in WA employ over 100,000 people with an annual turnover of $16 billion.

The trade fair will take place at the Crown Ballroom Perth on Tuesday, 24 October with 80% of exhibitors already registered to attend.