FROM MARKET STRATEGIES TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE — KEY TOPICS AT FOODEXPO QAZAQSTAN 2026
FROM NOVEMBER 11 TO 13, 2026, THE 28TH CENTRAL ASIAN INTERNATIONAL «FOOD INDUSTRY» EXHIBITION— FOODEXPO QAZAQSTAN 2026 — WILL TAKE PLACE IN ALMATY AT THE ATAKENT IEC.
Over three days, the exhibition will serve as a platform for strengthening international trade and economic cooperation, expanding interregional production ties, and establishing direct business contacts among representatives of the food industry, retail chains, distribution companies, and suppliers of technological equipment.
Approximately 635 companies from 30 countries will participate in the exhibition, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, the United States of America, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Japan.
A significant part of the exhibition will be formed by national groups from Belarus, Germany, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, and the Republic of Korea, as well as the joint Asian Halal Group exhibition, featuring companies from Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Another dedicated segment will showcase American producers of meat products, poultry, and eggs, represented with the participation of USAPEEC and the USMEAT Export Federation.
Russian participation will be complemented by collective exhibitions organized by regional export support centres, including the Republic of Adygea, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Udmurt Republic, the Chuvash Republic, Belgorod, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Kaluga, and Chelyabinsk regions, Krasnodar Krai, and St. Petersburg. In addition, the collective exhibition “Made in Kuban” will participate in the event.
Alongside product and equipment demonstrations, FoodExpo Qazaqstan 2026 will provide opportunities for B2B negotiations, finding potential distributors, establishing partnerships, and discussing prospects for entering new markets.
A key component of the exhibition will be Food Business Forum Qazaqstan 2026, organized in collaboration with the analytical company INFOLine. The two-day business programme will bring together executives from leading companies, FMCG retail representatives, food manufacturers, and experts in marketing, commercial strategy, digital technologies, and business process management.
On November 11, the business programme will open with an INFOLine analytical report entitled “The Food and FMCG Market of Kazakhstan and Central Asia: Consumer Demand, Sales Channels and Growth Prospects”, presented by Ivan Fedyakov, founder of INFOLine.
The analytical programme will continue with the session “FMCG Retail in Kazakhstan: How the Market Is Changing and What Retailers Need”. The discussion will address retail chain development trends, supplier requirements, promising product categories, logistics, assortment policies, and the conditions necessary for manufacturers to successfully enter modern retail.
The session moderator will be Ivan Fediakov, founder of INFOLine.
The announced session speakers include:
Alexander Muravyev — Commercial Director, Magnum;
Olesya Kushchenkova — Marketing Director, Kulikovsky Confectionery House;
Islam Abdykerim — CEO, Griffin;
Anna Poluektova — Business Process Director, Arbuz Group;
Roman Mutnykh — Chief Operating Officer and Director of New Project and Product Development for Central Asia, TanukiFamily (to be confirmed)
The next thematic session, “New Products on the Market: How to Get on the Shelf and Realize the Commercial Potential of a Product”, will focus on practical aspects of developing, positioning, and commercializing new products. Particular attention will be paid to demand forecasting, building competitive advantages, pricing, packaging solutions, selecting sales channels, and product promotion strategies. The session moderator will be Nadezhda Bader-Baer, Head of Bader Baer CONSULTING, who previously held senior marketing positions at the Prostor and Citrus chains (Ukraine), Dom Comfort in Kazakhstan, and Technomart in Uzbekistan.
The following speakers have been invited to participate in the discussion:
Dmitry Dokin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Shin-Line;
Denis Kononov — Commercial Director, PepsiCo (Kazakhstan);
Denis Shevchenko — Head of Commercial Strategy for Eurasian Countries at Mondelez;
George Gusarov — Category Head, Mareven Food Tien-Shan;
Zeynep Erkan-Alp — Head of Marketing, Efes Kazakhstan JSC FE.
The first day of the forum will conclude with a special session entitled “Leadership, innovation and the future of the food industry: How to Create Companies That Change the Market”. Ivan Fedyakov, founder of INFOLine, and Zeynep Erkan-Alp, Head of Marketing, Efes Kazakhstan JSC FE, will share their expert insights and experience with the audience.
On November 12, the business programme will continue with the session “IT in Food Retail and the Food Industry: From Accounting and Logistics to Sales Management”, dedicated to the practical application of information technology in managing production and commercial processes. Expert perspectives will be presented by Roman Kovtun, CEO of Galdi, and Dmitry Gan, Product Manager for Sheetfed Printing Presses, Heidelberg.
The technological programme will continue with the session “Artificial Intelligence in Food and Retail: Real Case Studies and Business Impact”. Participants will discuss the practical application of artificial intelligence in the food industry and retail, including demand forecasting, business process optimization, sales automation, and improving production efficiency. The speakers will be Timur Marusiak, Executive Director, Docrobot (Central Asia), and Malik Mukhamedgaliyev, Co-founder, DataPulse.
The FoodExpo Qazaqstan 2026 exhibition will contribute to strengthening Kazakhstan’s position as one of the key centres for industry cooperation in Central Asia. The international profile of exhibitors, the diversity of product categories on display, demonstrations of modern production solutions, and a comprehensive expert programme will create favourable conditions for developing export and import operations, attracting new business partners, and expanding investment and technological cooperation.
Official support for FoodExpo Qazaqstan 2026 is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Almaty City Akimat, the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan, KAGiR, UCIMA and the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The exhibition is organized by the Kazakhstan Exhibition Company Iteca and its international partner, the ICA Events Group of Companies.