Trade Fairs & Field Notes
Abdullah Erkam Polat
Business Development Manager — Birdem Gıda · 6 min read
When I look back on 2025, the one thing that stays in my mind is this:
Too many cities, too many people, but in fact, one single lesson.
Trade fairs.
Throughout the year, we attended many trade fairs in different countries and different cities.
But the point was not just to attend.
Each fair taught us something different.
We started the year with India.
We were in New Delhi.
A different market, a different perspective.
What we noticed most there was this:
Every market has different expectations, but they are all looking for the same thing.
Trust.
In February, we were in Germany.
Berlin and Frankfurt.
The European market asks clearer questions:
Here, you realize this:
A product alone is no longer enough; a system is needed.
Another stop in February was Dubai.
Gulfood was, as always, intense, fast, and competitive.
Here, business is more direct:
Price, quality, lead time.
But even within this speed, the same question keeps coming back around:
Who can I trust?
In March, we were in London.
The picture here is a little different:
You meet fewer people, but the conversations are more focused.
People know what they want.
There are fewer questions, but they go deeper.
During the year, we also attended several fairs in Istanbul.
Being in your own market feels different.
More people, more contact, but at the same time, more competition.
Here, to stand out, not only a product is needed, but also a story.
In October, Cologne,
in November, Chicago and Istanbul again.
At this point, you see this more clearly:
The world is big, but the industry is small.
People know each other.
And those who do good business are remembered somehow.
After so many fairs, the clearest conclusion is this:
Trade fairs are not just places to sell.
They are a place of learning.
Sometimes you get an order, sometimes you do not.
But each time, you gain something.
2025 was an intense year for us.
But what was truly valuable was not the intensity, but the accumulation.
Each fair taught us this a little more:
In this business, what matters is not being fast, but moving forward in the right way.
And we continue to move forward that way.
