Food Hospitality World (FHW) Mumbai 2018 remarked itself as a leading platform for industry development, knowledge hub and a promising stage for young talents; the event has been recognised by Maharashtra government as strategically important for its tourism initiatives
The 33rd edition of Food Hospitality World (FHW), held at MMRDA Grounds, BKC, Mumbai witnessed renewed commitment from the hospitality industry for its growth. FHW Mumbai 2018, held from January 18 to 20, saw the presence of Jaykumar Rawal, minister for tourism and employment guarantee scheme, Government of Maharashtra as the chief guest. Rawal inaugurated the FHW Business Excellence Honours which awarded industry leaders for excellence in numerous areas. Rawal also gave away the honours to the awardees. Speaking at the occasion, Rawal said, “FHW has brought everything related to F&B on one platform. Cuisine attracts a lot of travellers from across the globe and FHW provides a 360-degree offering. For 2018, Maharashtra Tourism’s punchline is ‘Maharashtra Tourism 360-degree and food forms an integral part of it; FHW is a beautiful platform for the A-Z of the food and hospitality space. This is an important event for us and I also consider it a crucial tourism event.”
FHW Mumbai 2018 also witnessed key industry dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony including Ralph Hays, consul general and trade commissioner of New Zealand in India; Neerav Panchamia, president, Poona Hoteliers Association; Partha Chatterjee, president, Skal Mumbai; Arun Kumar Singh, principal, IHM Mumbai, Mohan Deshpande, chairman, Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF), Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, senior vice president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) and Chef Sudhir Pai, treasurer, Western India Culinary Association (WICA). Addressing the audience, Hays said, “New Zealand is all about experiences, and this show is all about the ingredients that go in creating those experiences. We have a wide portfolio of F&B products. Many New Zealand companies are interested in the India market and this is an ideal platform for them.”
With an objective of creating bigger and better opportunities of partnership within the trade fraternity, the event saw participation of over 450 leading food, hospitality and beverage and equipment brands showcasing over 2,000 product categories. Whereas, Kohli commented, “I have been coming to FHW for around 20 years, and I have only seen it grow year on year.”
The trade show also featured industry specific live competitions – The Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC), Professional Housekeepers’ Challenge – Western India (PHC), alongside two live workshops – Trends in Chocolate by Chef Santosh Kotla and Raspberry Vanilla Verrines by Chef Ruhee Bhimani.
Deshpande stated, “I have been associated with FHW for more than 10 years, and I have seen it evolve every year. FHW acts as a catalyst for HPMF’s growth.”
A unique highlight this year was the WICA’s fifth Annual Chef’s Connect, which was held for the first time alongside the trade show. Chef’s Connect is a congregation of top notch three, four and five star hotel’s head chefs, food bloggers/experts, industry influencers and hospitality entrepreneurs, bringing the key focus on global trends, market leading renovations and recent developments on cutting-edge issues. This year’s theme was ‘Change: The Only Constant’. While the industry stakeholders came together to share their insights on the topic, they also got an exclusive opportunity to network with the exhibitors. Chef Pai said, “It’s fantastic to come here. There are new vendors every year. The Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC) by WICA here is a great opportunity for young chefs.”
The event is supported by numerous renowned industry associations such as HPMF, HRAWI, i-Professional Housekeepers Association (iPHA) and WICA. Alongside the event also witnessed five country pavilions showcasing their specific products and offerings. Panchamia added, “There’s a need for the industry to evolve and upgrade and this is the perfect platform. There are great seminars here that help us learn and explore the latest industry developments.”
Like each year, key conferences at the trade show included The Power of Purchase, and Hospitality Think Tank – The GMs Conclave, which was participated by general managers of leading hotels. These discussions threw light on some recent issues as some prominent industry stakeholders shared their insights.
Leading companies at the event include Zafran Innovacion, Adwin India, Pillsbury, Morde Food, Unilever Food Solutions, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing, Amul, Prabhat Dairy among many others. While some prominent players of hospitality industry like Blue Star, Cello Industries, Cerra Globe Inc, Anandi Specialities & Services, AV&T Hospitality Solution, Gilly Professional Kitchens, FNS International, Kaapi Solutions India, Elan Professional Appliances, Dolphy India, Duroflex, Italian Food, Voltas, Coffee Day Global also showcased at the event.
