The show must, and will go on.
A little more than one month after the suicide bombings attributed to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) killed 34 people and wounded at least 270 more at Zaventem International Airport and within the Brussels metro underground station at Maelbeek, the April 26-28 Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global event will take place as scheduled in Belgium’s capital city.
While a number of exhibiting companies have opted out of the annual event in the wake of the coordinated attacks, organizer Diversified Communications reports that more than 1,650 companies from 76 countries are expected to attend. That amounts to 95% of those booked prior to the terrorist strike.
“Our primary goal is the safety of our customers while maintaining a pleasant and valuable customer experience. We have a comprehensive security plan in place, which includes everything from metal detection scanning with wands, body pat-downs, bag checks at the perimeter of the Brussels Expo, to detection dogs and possible ID checks,” said Liz Plizga, Diversified’s vice president of seafood expositions.
Management at the Brussels Expo venue has confirmed that a strong police and military presence will be in place at the fairgrounds, as well as around city centers, the airport and other transportation hubs.
Meanwhile, flight volume into Zaventem remains reduced as the national airport’s temporary structures are functioning below normal capacity. Some carriers are flying passengers into Paris, Amsterdam and elsewhere, from where ground transportation to Brussels is readily accessible.
Additional shuttle service will be available from the Zaventem airport to Brussels Central Station on Monday, April 25, running from 8 AM – 7 PM. This is supplemental to the regular free bus rides provided to and from the airport and the show fairgrounds. Attendants with Seafood Expo Global signs will be on hand to greet air travelers exiting the arrival hall in Belgium and direct them to the shuttle pick-up point at Zaventem.
“Additional security measures are in place, but cannot be divulged to the public for everyone’s safety,” said Plizga. “We encourage people to limit bags and we also encourage people to allow for extra time. A shuttle reminiscent of the service in place for the strike last year will be provided during the exposition days to and from six major points in the city center and the exposition center to provide another transportation option. All shuttle stops will have security screening as well.”
While there has been speculation that the number of visitors and attendance among major buyers may drop due to post-attack safety concerns, Plizga remains optimistic on both counts. In an interview published on April 18 by SeafoodSource.com, a website owned by Diversified Communications, she commented: “Our key buyer program includes a dedicated outreach to high-volume retail and foodservice buyers and represents a subset of the overall audience. The pre-registration of this group is currently tracking similar to last year at this time.”
The 2015 edition attracted more than 26,000 seafood suppliers and buyers to the three-day exposition, which is the biggest B2B seafood show in the world.
“Understandably, the attacks on the city will have an impact on this year’s event, however, as it stands, we are still tracking ahead of last year with over 36,000 square meters of exhibit space, and buyers are still registering every day to attend the event,” said Plizga.
New exhibiting countries represented this year include Barbados, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda. Furthermore, there will be new country and regional pavilions from Finland, Russia, Scotland and Uruguay.
