Food&HotelAsia2008 (FHA2008), which ran from 21-25 April, reaffirmed its reputation as the leading trade event for the region’s food and hospitality industries.

This year, the event occupied seven halls (75,000 square metres) for the first time and hosted 2,627 exhibiting companies from 70 countries. The show attracted around 37,000 trade visitors from almost a hundred countries, of which 37% came from overseas.

Tan: FHA still has great potential for growth

Key buyers from hotel groups, hospitality and entertainment establishments made use of the opportunity to visit FHA to source supplies and establish important business contacts.

A total of 50 group delegations visited the show, including those from China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.

Stephen Tan, chief executive of Singapore Exhibition Services, which organised the show, said: “We are very pleased with the turn-out of exhibitors, buyers, as well as visitors. This certainly reflects the primary status of the show within the industry in the region. Our exhibitors have always seen the value of their presence at FHA and have maintained high visibility this time round.

“From feedback given by exhibitors, they are very pleased with the quality of visitors at this show. Many of them have found valuable contacts and interested buyers. Negotiations will naturally follow on from this exhibition and contracts confirmed in the next few months.”

Tan continued: “While FHA as a show has given a good performance, the six specialised events of the exhibition [FoodAsia, Wine&SpiritsAsia, Bakery&Pastry, HotelAsia, HospitalityTechnology and HospitalityStyleAsia] still have great potential for growth as Asia’s food and hospitality markets continue to demonstrate strong growth."

Topical issues such as food safety, halal, hospitality finance and technology trends were brought up at several conferences and seminars held within FHA. Participants included food producers and manufacturers, hotel general mangers, executive chefs, and other professionals in the food, beverage and hospitality sectors.

An integral part of FHA is the culinary competitions that served as a skills-sharing platform bringing together chefs, baristas, waiters and bartenders. Competitions such as the FHA2008 Culinary Challenge, FHA2008 Imperial Challenge, the Asian Pastry Cup 2008, the Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008 and the inaugural Asia Barista Championship created a real buzz on the show floor.

FHA Culinary Challenge winners:
Dream Team Challenge – Temasek Culinary Academy (Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore)
Gourmet Team Challenge – The Cannery Singapore
FHA Imperial Challenge – Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore)
Best Chef - Lee Chi Hwa from Persatuan Tukang Masak Johor Bahru (Malaysia)
Asia Barista Championship – Carl Sarah (New Zealand)
Asian Pastry Cup – Singapore Team
Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge – The Wine Challenge received a total of 600 wine entries, of which 423 won awards. Seven entries won gold, 38 were awarded silver, 206 received bronze, while 172 obtained Merit.