Bi-Annual Hospitality Event Remains Unrivalled in Asia

ALREADY the largest trade exhibition of its kind in Asia, the 17th edition of Food&HotelAsia2010 (FHA2010) and the 11th edition of Wine&SpiritsAsia2010 (WSA2010) has surpassed all expectations to register its best-ever performance in its 32-year history. With the surge in wine & spirits exhibitors, WSA2010 was re-branded as a co-located show with FHA2010 for the very first time. The wine event had its own dedicated area, consolidating exhibitors of wine and spirits products and services on one show floor, and allowing for more focused and targeted marketing to wine buyers. Exhibition space for wine & spirits exhibitors has risen 44% from 2008. Attracting a total of 51,747 trade attendees from 99 countries/regions, the four-day event held from 20-23 April at Singapore Expo was abuzz with activities. While business partnerships and opportunities were being explored and exploited at the exhibition halls, the conference rooms were filled with delegates and speakers eager to share their industry knowledge, trends and developments within their fields of expertise. The numerous competitions, social events and free seminars held within the four days also garnered garnered great interest and attendance. Influx of overseas visitors A record 38,154 trade professionals from 91 countries/regions visited FHA2010 and WSA2010. Notably, overseas visitors increased 11.5% as compared to the previous edition and made up 40.1% of the total visitors. This was contributed mainly by the increase of visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Twenty-three overseas buyer delegations from 12 countries/regions attended the twin events. These included Malaysia F&B Executives Association (MFBEA); Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines; Regional Economic Development Agency, Sri Lanka; Malaysia Association of Hotels; Siam Makro PCL; Hong Kong Bakery & Confectionery Association; PRIMAS (Malaysia Indian Restaurant Owners Association); Chefs Association of Malaysia; Food Industries Association of Shenzhen; Tri Arc Enterprises; Fuxiang Group, China; and New Viet Dairy, Vietnam. Andrew Tjioe, executive chairman of Singapore's Tung Lok Restaurants (2000) Ltd, was impressed by how large FHA has grown since 2008. "This is perhaps the biggest FHA ever. I am very impressed with what I've seen so far and I am surprised that although the economic recovery is not full-fledged, the response has been tremendous. Despite the flight cancellations from across Europe, many of the exhibitors have found ways to come," said Mr Tjioe, who also explained that he was "looking mainly for production equipment to improve efficiencies in our restaurants as well as new and innovative ingredients." "There are so many new ingredients from all over the world at the show. For example, we just found French caviar from the wine region of Bordeaux, France, which is very good. This show is the best platform for us to find new products," he commented. Even more pleasantly surprised was Annabella S Wisniewski, president of Raintree Partners in Makati, the Philippines. "This is my first visit to FHA. I have been living in the States and didn't know that we have something as big as this. I am impressed with what's available. We are looking for new technology for out hotels, guest rooms and restaurants. We are here to attend the hotel conference as well as to see the show. I find the conference to be particularly useful for our project director, operations vice-president and the director of our Raintree restaurant division," Ms Wisniewski said. Essential platform for international exhibitors With 79.9% of the exhibitors coming from overseas, it proved that Asia remains an important market with great potential for further growth. FHA and WSA is decidVans Old Skool Grise