UBM India successfully concluded the 1st Edition of Food and Hotel India (FHIn) Expo held from 5th-7th September, 2018. The event received great responses in the form of exhibitors and visitors alike. The show assisted in igniting business connections in the food and hotel trade industry in a way that has never been witnessed before. It belongs to the top-tier category of over 20 market leading food and hospitality shows across 12 countries, organized in Asia by event organizers UBM Allworld. These include Food and Hotel Asia Singapore, HOFEX and Hotelex, among others.
The three day Indian edition of the expo showcased premium products and services from around the world, presented new ideas and solutions for an industry looking to take on a new direction and enhance their business offerings. It has served as an opportunity for industry professionals to forge alliances with leading Indian & international hospitality chains, consultants, suppliers, investors, while networking with premier buyers and decision makers handpicked in accordance to their purchasing power. In its first year, FHIn witnessed over 60 exhibitiors, some of whom include — FnS, Feather Touch, Pascati Chocolates, Saimex Foods, Varahi, DL Corporation, Pam Hygiene, Metal Fabricator of India, Ace Technologies & More among others. The expo also saw participation of 10 countries including Spain, USA, Thailand, Turkey, Switzerland, Canada, Peru, and UK among others.
Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director of UBM India commented – “The response that we received at Food & Hotel India 2018 in the form of visitors and exhibitors was par excellence. A lot of business associations were made and it has turned out to be a good and penetrative experience for the Indian food and hospitality trade business.”
Selami AKGUL, Export representative from Duru Bulgur, Turkey said “This is the first time that we are exhibiting in India. We received a good response for our Bulgur dishes at FHIn. We had visitors and distributors from the catering and hospitality background. We hope to convert it into solid business relationship and look forward to venture into the Indian Market” Mr. Enrique from Elpozo Pork said “The demand of European meat products is increasing in India. Spain is the 3rd largest producer of pork in the world. With the help of FHIn and INTERPORC, Elpozo got a chance to exhibit its product in a new market and make people familiar with Spanish pork. We are trying to bring the Iberico pork to India. FHIn is helping us here to provide different and new solutions to the rising demand of high quality meat in the market” Some of the captivating events at FHIn included:
Day 1 of the expo witnessed the ‘Hospitality Strategy Summit’ which in association with Odd Box aimed at developing optimal strategies towards building a better working culture, and to solve challenges faced during the development of the same. The summit comprised 4 tract events in 1 day, covering key topics of the hospitality industry such as – HOSPITALITY BEGINS AT HOME – Creating a thriving company culture; THE RISE OF THE SHARING ECONOMY – Has the hotel industry got a new ‘frenemy’; BRAND, OPERATIONS OR DESIGN – Who rules the roost?; EMBRACING THE HEALTH CONSCIOUS TRAVELER to name a few. The expo also saw ProWein India, a three day event with a range of seminars, wine and spirit tastings, discussions and presentations focusing on sensory perception for wine, spirit and hospitality professionals.
Prowein India is organised by UBM India & Messe Dusseldorf in Association with WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) & All things NICE which is the world’s leading knowledge sharing platform for wine and spirits. Day 2 and 3 had a line up of further interesting events such as a Hospitality Leaders Roundtable with the leaders from the hospitality industry that covered topics like the mid-market segment, the future hospitality pipeline in India and various challenges that the industry is currently facing. The expo also saw a MASTERCLASS on Kitchen Planning and Designing. This Masterclass was an interactive session that explained ideal kitchen design processes for Back and Front of the House Kitchens, design criteria for optimisation of kitchen space, high energy efficiency and food safety. One of the highlights of the show was the ‘International Culinary Classic’ – supported and organized by IFCA (India Federation of Culinary Association) and WICA (West India Culinary Association), it was an inaugural Culinary Challenge that showcased elaborate dishes by top chefs categorizing into ‘Chocolate Showpiece’, ‘Plated Appetizers’, ‘Individual Plated Desserts’, ‘Bread Display’ and ‘Live Cooking’. To enhance the live cooking challenge, FHIn partnered with INTERPORC & USA Egg and Poultry Council for ingredients from Spain and US. Apart from these features, FHIn also witnessed business sessions and panel discussions on Vendor Hotel Relationships and Houskeeping seminars.
