More than 150 companies from Portuguese-speaking Countries will take part in the 20th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF). It is being held in the Special Administrative Region of China from October 22 to 25.

The Portuguese-speaking Countries’ Pavilion will occupy 2,241-square-metres, local newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau reported on Tuesday.

Visitors to the pavilion will be able to see not only food products from those countries, but can also learn more about services provided by Lusophone companies. They include consultancy, translation and exhibition-related assistance. It is the first time such services are being displayed at MIF, an event held annually.

“It’s an exhibition within the exhibition,” said Glória Batalha, Executive Director of MIF’s organiser the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), as quoted by the newspaper.

Ms Batalha added that if the revised pavilion display proves successful, IPIM would study the possibility of launching a new business fair in Macao specifically focused on the relations between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Total floor area for MIF 2015 “exceeds 37,000 square metres, hosting about 2,000 exhibition booths”, said Irene Lau, Executive Director of IPIM.

This year’s event has the same budget as last year’s – at 36-million patacas (US$4.5-million) – but bigger coverage. There will be a total of 950 companies and organisations participating, up 22 percent from 2014, local newspaper Macau Daily Times reported.

More than 50 countries and territories will be represented at MIF 2015.