Turnout crowd at FHA 2014

THE REGION’s largest biennial food and hospitality trade show, Food&HotelAsia 2014 (FHA), has set new records in size and scope. From 8-11 April, the Singapore Expo’s 10 exhibition halls came alive with the latest production and processing technology, food and beverage products, and services from 3,213 exhibitors. Sixty-three pavilions were spread across the halls, giving buyers a variety of options.

Many exhibitors said they joined the fair to tap the growing middle class in Asia, which is forecast to account for more than 80% of the population by 2030. In Singapore alone, food trade with neighboring countries reached S$13.0 billion in 2013. Exhibitors at Wines&SpiritsAsia (WSA), which ran concurrent with FHA, said they were hoping to expand their foothold not only in Singapore but in Southeast Asia where the market for alcoholic beverages is strong.

The mega fair drew a crowd of 64,826 visitors, with nearly half coming from overseas. Despite the size, the 102,000-sqm event was structured and easy to navigate, thanks to the expertise of the Singapore Exhibition Services.

Local exhibitors were pleased with the four-day outcome, according to Sunny Koh, chairman of the Membership & Industry Groups Function Committee of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF). The host country had two pavilions with 570 exhibitors.

International participation

In an interview with show organizer, Christopher Rees, senior trade commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission said, “We had a good mixture of Australian companies which have an established presence in the market and companies that are trying to break into the market. They are happy with the show.” Australia was represented by an estimated 124 exhibitors.

The Western Australian pavilion, though smallish, was packed with a wide range of interesting products. Among healthy offerings were natural sweeteners made from carob from Ainsley, tasty sandalwood nuts from Santaleuca, and Jarrah pure honey (with total antibacterial activity of 35) from Fewster’s Farm. Several exporters of wines from Australia also attend the show. Among them are Yilgarnia which makes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz. The Lake House Denmark, which owns a winery, also offers jams and jams and chutney infused with wine. Other products on display were olives from Fini Olives and spices from Whittington’s.

Nearly 20 companies came from the Philippines to show off their products, according to Glenn Pe?aranda, commercial counselor for the Philippine Trade & Investment Centre, Embassy of the Philippines in Singapore. In an interview with organizers, he said Philippine exhibitors did not want to miss the opportunity in FHA because it continues to year after year.

Spanish influence came in the form of 15 leading exhibitors, offering a range of products from refrigeration, coffee equipment, tableware, and other products for hospitality industry. While the Italians, true to their expertise, showcased not only pasta and olive oils, but dairy, espresso, tomato pizza sauces, dry ready meals, and other coffee products. Some companies organized demos and food tasting at the pavilion.

First-time exhibitor Gregory Chantereau of Clovis Wines said, “We came to the show to look for new importers to develop our range and network. We met about 15 good buyers from the region each day. We have selected two distributors, one from Singapore and the other from Malaysia.”

What visitors had to say

Mimi Murphy, vice president of US-based Scheidigger Trading Company, said the show was “an opportunity to meet our many customers from Southeast Asia and show them our latest products. At the same time, we meet new buyers. We met about 60 buyers here. It would be great if we get about 10 new customers from among them.”

Franco Ho Swee Fook, honorary advisor and life member of the Chef Association of Malaysia sourced for inspirations for his kitchen at the show with his entourage of younger chefs to learn about different equipment available in the market. “FHA has always been professionally organized, with a wide variety of new kitchen technologies available. The show offers a great learning experience for all. I will definitely encourage my colleagues to come to FHA2016,” said Mr. Ho.

A regular visitor to FHA, Chris Glaessel, managing director of CIR | VIS (Food & Beverage | Hospitality Consulting) visits the show to be kept updated with the new products and technologies available in the marketplace. “FHA has proved to be an effective platform to reconnect with industry professionals from around the world. The various competitions held alongside also added excitement to the exhibition.”

“This is the third time I am visiting FHA because it gives me the opportunity to meet existing suppliers, and source for new ones. FHA has a fine selection of food and beverage supplies, and that makes coming down to this show very worthwhile,” said Deza P. Onesa, category manager of Puregold Duty Free, Inc., who noticed that the show is bigger compared to previous years.

Watch for the return of these biannual fairs on April 12-15, 2016.