The 27th edition of Food Hospitality World (FHW) exhibition kick-started today at MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The three-day exhibition, being held from January 21-23, 2016, was inaugurated by E Sabri Ergen, consul general, Turkish Consulate General in Mumbai; celebrity chefs Ajay Chopra and Ranveer Brar; Rohit Shah, owner, Hotel Tip Top Plaza; and Mehul Shah, managing director, Hannover Milano Fairs India.
Speaking at the inauguration, Ergen stated, “FHW is one of the best exhibitions I have participated in. For Turkey, India is a big market and it is a very good opportunity to promote our products here. We want to make Turkish cuisine the second most popular cuisine in India. We want to provide more variety of Turkish products.”
Speaking about the food and hospitality scenario in India, Brar stated, “Food and hospitality are innate in our culture. We, the chefs, are products of this industry which is structured and growing. Good hospitality and good food come with good intent. I see that at this exhibition. It is good being here.”
Adding to this, Chopra opined, “It is great to be part of FHW every year. I have been a part of this exhibition since the past five years. FHW has grown tremendously year-on-year. India is becoming a hotpot of global cuisine.”
Sharing his thoughts, Rohit Shah said, “We have opened a hotel catering to engagements and weddings. We are coming up with hotels in Lonavla and Pune. Initially, we started with making sweets and generated huge profits from that. India has a lot of potential and FHW has given us a great opportunity and we have been associated with The Indian Express Group in many ways.”
Over the three-day exhibition, FHW 2016 Mumbai will host various events including the 10th edition of the Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC), to be held across all the three days. This year GICC will receive participation from around 150 chefs representing various leading hotels, restaurants and hotel management institutes across India. GICC, supported by the Western India Culinary Association (WICA), provides a professional platform for culinary professionals from India to showcase their individual and collective skills, learn, share experiences, partner and network in a competitive environment.
Apart from the GICC, FHW 2016 Mumbai will be organising several interesting and engaging panel discussions. One such event is the Hospitality Think Tank, a knowledge initiative focusing on ‘The Challenge of Sourcing International Food Products’, being held on the first day. This discussion will witness participation from executive chefs, food consultants, F&B heads, founders and directors of leading hospitality brands across the country addressing key problems associated with importing food products, the role of FSSAI, the need for policy changes, solutions for the future, among others.
On the second day will be the Hospitality Knowledge Exchange panel discussion wherein general managers (GMs) of top hotels from western India will speak on the topic ‘India Hotel Development: Vision 2020.’ Following this would be The Power of Purchase panel discussion organised in association with the Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF). Here purchase managers will be seen discussing on the topic – Are we ready for the latest FSSAI ruling? On the concluding day, a special conference will be held by the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) involving key restauranteurs and hoteliers in the city.
An interesting highlight of FHW 2016 Mumbai is Turkey, which is having the largest pavilion wherein 13 companies are participating. This is also the largest showcase by any international country so far. Other participating countries include Japan, Thailand, UK, Tunisia, Singapore, Canada, Australia among others. Moreover, around 200 exhibitors are participating at FHW 2016 Mumbai representing different segments of the food and hospitality industry like F&B, interiors, kitchen equipment, housekeeping, bakery and others. Few of these exhibitors include Samarth Cookware, Vsilover Hotel Wares, AV&T Hospitality Solutions, Sun Mark, The Coffee Co, Venus, Gilly, Raunak Kitchen Equipment, Shree Manek, Alliance Laundry System, King Metal Works, Chheda Industries, SAPPE, Cello, Wilmax England, Bharat Fine Bone China, Eurotech, Aura Tableware, Avon Professional cookware, Anantam and many more. In the F&B category, companies related to confectionery, biscuits, energy bars, cheese and cheese products, fruit juices, Japanese sake and noodles, pasta, rice, bread and bakery, gravy and mixes, jams, ready to eat, wine, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc, are participating as well.
The FHW trade show is organised by Global Fairs & Media – a joint venture between Hannover Milano Fairs India and The Indian Express.