The first edition of Food & Hotel India (FHIn), held from September 5-7 in Mumbai, witnessed participation from more than 10 countries. The event received good response from exhibitors and visitors alike, and concluded on a promising note.
Food & Hotel India, which debuted in Mumbai, served as the perfect platform for connections in the food and hotel trade industry in a way that has never been witnessed before. The show belongs to the top-tier category of over 20 market-leading food and hospitality shows across 12 countries, which include Food & Hotel Asia Singapore, HOFEX, and Hotelex among others. The three-day Indian edition of the exposition 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 helped enhance their business offerings. It served as an opportunity for industry professionals to forge alliances with leading Indian and international hospitality chains, consultants, suppliers and investors, while networking with premier buyers and decision makers handpicked in accordance to their purchasing power.
In its first year, FHIn witnessed over 60 exhibitors, including FnS, Feather Touch, Pascati Chocolates, Saimex Foods, Varahi, DL Corporation, Pam Hygiene, Metal Fabricator of India, Ace Technologies and several others. The expo also saw participation of 10 countries including Spain, USA, Thailand, Turkey, Switzerland, Canada, Peru, and the UK among others.
Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India (organiser of the event), said, “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 turned out to be a good and lucrative experience for the Indian food and hospitality trade business.”
Day one of the expo witnessed the Hospitality Strategy Summit, which aimed at developing optimal strategies towards building a better working culture and to solve challenges faced during the development of the same. The expo also saw ProWein Educational Campaign, 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.
On the second and third day of the exposition there was a line-up of more interesting events such as the Hospitality Leaders Roundtable that had leaders from the industry cover a multitude of subjects, including 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 was an interactive session that explained ideal kitchen design processes for back and front of house kitchens, design criteria for optimisation of kitchen space, high energy efficiency, and food safety.
Another highlight of the show was International Culinary Classic, an inaugural culinary challenge that showcased elaborate dishes by top chefs, categorised into Chocolate Showpiece, Plated Appetizers, Individual Plated Desserts, Bread Display, and Live Cooking. Apart from these features, FHIn also witnessed business sessions and panel discussions on vendor hotel relationships and housekeeping seminars.
