Seminar in Beirut on prospects for developing food and hospitality exports

The leading organizer of trade events in the Middle East and North Africa, the International Trade Exhibition (IFP) held yesterday a seminar on franchise opportunities and outlooks of export for the food and hospitality industries at the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. The seminar entitled ‘Agro-Food and Hospitality’ focused on IFP’s upcoming expos, namely, Food Africa (Cairo, from April 22-24), Agrofood (Erbil, from October 23-26) and Hospitality Qatar 2017 (Doha, from November 7-9). In his speech, the head of the Chamber’s Agriculture Committee, Raphael Debbane, commended IFP plan of action aimed to support made-in-Lebanon exports, highlighting bilateral meetings on the sidelines of similar expos and conferences that the group organizes or represents. Debbane also reasserted the importance of the initiative taken by Lebanese enterprises to expand their businesses and increase the marketing of their products without relying on official support. He mentioned that the most successful companies have not received backing from the government to this effect. Similarly, IFP Chair, Albert Aoun, disclosed that the Group, in collaboration with the Chamber of Tripoli and the North and the Tripoli Special Economic Zone, are planning a conference on March 28, on the prospects and challenges in the economic development of the northern capital, particularly in the projected reconstruction of post-war Syria.  (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, March 16, 2017)