The world’s first virtual halal fair, E-Halal Expo, which began in parallel with the sixth World Halal Summit that kicked off in Istanbul, was extended by one week to Dec. 30 thanks to the high demand it received, a press release said Wednesday.
E-Halal Expo 2020 offers a wide platform for visitors, traders, buyers, halal sector pioneers and investors from all over the world to promote their work, products and services.
The event, which was held on the website www.e-halalexpo.com, was attended by 50 companies operating in the fields of food and beverage, cosmetics, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and health, tourism and health tourism, finance, media, textiles, modest clothing and technology. It attracted great attention with the participation of 4,000 buyers a day.
The platform allows commercial visitors to meet and interact with their customers via various interaction options such as Skype, WhatsApp and Zoom. The E-Halal Expo includes the main fairground, exhibition halls, realistic stands that can be visited in 360 degrees and network and conference areas.
Yunus Ete, the chairperson of the organizing company, Discover Events, said they have renewed and improved ways to conduct business during the pandemic this year.
"For this purpose, Halal Expo, which we organize every year together with the Halal Summit, takes place this year on our virtual platform tailored for the event," he said. The event shows how important it is to access halal food, products and services in today's world where health and nutrition are more important than ever, Ete said.
He noted that the halal-certified products and services are preferred by not only Muslim consumers but also non-Muslims who want to find healthy and reliable foods.
The market size of the Islamic economy, which was $2.1 trillion (TL 16 trillion) according to the 2018-2019 data, is expected to reach $3 trillion in 2023, Ete said.
Islamic finance has a $2.4 trillion market share, while halal food is valued at $1.3 trillion, halal tourism at $177 billion, modest fashion at $270 billion, halal media at $209 billion, halal medicine at $87 billion and halal cosmetics at $61 billion.