FHA and WSA max out Singapore Expo

SINGAPORE – The region’s most established and comprehensive food and hospitality trade show, organised by Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), has made its mark to become the first event to max out the Singapore Expo. Occupying all 10 exhibition halls and Max Atria, the 2014 edition of Food&HotelAsia (FHA) and Wine&SpiritsAsia (WSA) will be held from 8 – 11 April this year.

Spanning a total of 100,000sqm, an eight per cent increase in size from 2012, it is the largest edition in the event’s illustrious 37 year history.  FHA had humble beginnings at the Hyatt hotel’s basement car park, where 213 exhibitors from 13 countries/regions took up 4,000sqm. Since then, the event which includes WSA that was launched in 2010, has rapidly grown more than 25 times in size and witnessed a 13 fold increase in exhibitors. This year, industry buyers can expect to source from a gathering of 2,800 exhibitors from 70 countries/regions and 54 group pavilions at FHA. Offerings span across all aspects of the food and beverage (F&B) and hotel industry such as food products, bar and kitchen equipment and supplies, food processing equipment, hotel amenities, table ware and hospitality technology, among many others.

Stephen Tan, chief executive of show organiser SES, who has nurtured the show over the last 30 years says, “As industry pioneers we wanted to create a platform where local and regional food and hospitality businesses could benefit from what was available in the global market place as it was not easily accessible back then.  Over the years, FHA has grown with the development of the region’s hotel and F&B industry to become its top sourcing platform, and pinnacle trade event. This year is a milestone for FHA and WSA as it has maximised the available exhibition space of Singapore’s largest exhibition venue. Moving forward, the event will only continue to grow as new markets in the region become more developed, and demand increases.”

Food&HotelAsia – Keeping pace with the industry

In 2011, the number of establishments in the accommodation and F&B services sector in Singapore stood at 6,842. This is in contrast to just 4,739 in 2005.[1] 

In 2012, total F&B operating receipts amounted to S$7.8 billion, with all F&B services groups including restaurants, fast food outlets, food caterers and other F&B services registering increases. The number of hotel rooms in Singapore is also expected is to grow by more than 20 per cent to about 53,000 rooms by 2015. [2]

With the increase in the number of F&B establishments and hotels, competition has intensified and it has also become increasingly important to have innovative concepts and a unique selling point. By bringing together a vast selection of unique food offerings and front to backend solutions from all over the world, FHA creates a unique and comprehensive marketplace for businesses to source for new food products and innovative solutions that not only help set them apart from the competition but also save time and labour.

Conversely, Singapore’s locally produced exports and re-exports have also been increasing over the years. Domestic food exports nearly doubled from S$2.4 billion in 2006 to S$4.2 billion in 2012.1 Singapore’s status as aNike news