London Halal Expo 2022 has successfully concluded after welcoming thousands of people for two days, on December 2-3 at the ExCel exhibition center.
The expo had a conference addressing the Halal Economy as well as an exhibition area showcasing businesses looking to sell everything into the British Muslim space, from honey suppliers to mobile apps and more.
The first stand to catch my eye was the Muslim Sports Foundation which had a shirt signed by the Lionesses up for offer in a raffle.
Run by Shazia and Parvenu, the foundation’s objective is to encourage more British Muslims, women and men, to be more active and take up sports to improve their health and make friends.
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With this theme in mind, the Emerald Network ran a series of networking events bringing together professional British Muslims for regular socials and events.
Steps away, there was a marriage app, Salams, which has seen over 210,000 marriages, but interestingly enough, they have a feature that allows people to find locals to be friends.
Appealing to youngsters is the Aamina Talking Muslim Doll, an alternative to the traditional Ken and Barbie many of us grew up with.
A brand named Imran Kids has fun educational and learning toys. It was also interesting to discover a brand named Fresh Fragrances whose air freshener included one which sprayed the traditional oud scent so many of us are familiar with.
For those interested in fashion, there was a swimwear brand MFITT Modestswim, which has a range of beach and swimwear. What stood out were the designs which were much more fashionable than simply functional. The Amal and Aisha swimsuits, for example, looked fab!
Food Too
In terms of food, many brands stood out. MindoFoods has nutritious and healthier curry pastes, S2 Cafe has a fabulous blend of the Kam Heong Asian Spice Blend, and Najma prepared a buffet for visitors to feast on. My favorite was from The Ojos Foods, whose Spanish beef is simply divine!
There was also Nourish Halal, a home delivery start-up, which will be providing a five-meal box via post with rice and chapatis/naans. I tried their butter chicken and have to say it tasted delicious!
There was generally a strong international contingent. From Malaysia, the brand which stood out to me was the Imperia Asia Group which had health drinks for men and women and casual drinks such as pomegranate and soursop. They’ve recently started with chilies as well! Perhaps quench your thirst after setting it on fire 🙂
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For board game enthusiasts, I discovered ‘Road to Makkah,’ which was like a Monopoly meets Taboo styled experience complete with cards named ‘Dean’ and ‘Dunya.’ I did find the question I picked up to be a little difficult and should have played the children’s version of the game instead.
Perhaps the coolest the expo was a Dutch innovation from a husband and wife team named El Hidaya.
Physical paper/board day planners, and a pocket supplication (dua) book which has Arabic transliterations, English, and a QR code at the bottom of each page which, when you scan with your phone, would play the supplication in Arabic. Faith and technology were coming together.
All in all, the Halal Expo provided an interesting space for people to learn more about the British Halal Economy as well as facilitated a friendly space for individuals to meet, learn, and discover new brands.