 |
ETW Staff – Mumbai
Food Hospitality World (FHW) 2014 exhibition held from January 23-25, 2014 in Mumbai was inaugurated by Anil Deshmukh, minister of food and civil supplies works, Government of Maharashtra. The other dignitaries present at the inauguration were Bharat Malkani, senior vice president, Hotel and Restaurant Association – Western India (HRAWI); George Verghese, CEO, The Indian Express Group; Mehul Shah, managing director, Hannover Milano Fairs India; Dr Ugo Cialatani, Consul General Italy in Mumbai; Gianni Fava, Minister of Agriculture, Regione Lombardia and Michele Trematerra, Minister of Agriculture, Regione Calabria.
While inaugurating the exhibition Deshmukh stated, “I am thankful to the Indian Express Group for organising this excellent FHW exhibition in Mumbai. FHW is a platform for building brand awareness, launching new products and networking with leading purchase managers. There are three major industries in India – agriculture, industrial and service sectors. The service sector is growing at a fast pace and from 46 per cent it has increased to 60 per cent in 2013. The service sector is the most important sector in Maharashtra and across the country.” He added, “As many international exhibitors are participating in the exhibition, it will be a good exposure for hoteliers. I wish success to this unique event.”
Adding to the same, Verghese opined, “The event is growing. There are more than 50 international exhibitors from 11 countries. The exhibition will be insightful and thought provoking to the guests and exhibitors.” FHW Mumbai 2014, organised by Global Fairs & Media – a joint venture between Hannover Milano Fairs India and The Indian Express, is spread across 10,000 sq metres of the MMRDA grounds, and is hosting approximately 300 national and international participants this year from various segments of the food and hospitality industry like F&B, interiors, kitchen equipment, housekeeping, bakery to name a few. The international pavilion has exhibitors from 11 countries. The exhibition aims at providing solutions to various industry-related problems faced by hoteliers, restaurateurs, facility managers, prospective students and distributors. Shah said, “This edition of FHW is very special as this is the first global exhibition where more than 50 per cent exhibitors are international and more than 50 per cent have representation in the market.”
Cialatani stated, “It is a great pleasure to be here today. I saw a lot of Italian companies participating in the exhibition. In Italy, food is one of the main businesses. We would like to be present in the Indian market. For the same, we need the support of the government.”
Over the three-days, FHW 2014 will host various special events including the eighth edition of The Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC). The competition is set to witness participation from more than 100 chefs working with various leading hotels and hotel management institutes. GICC is supported by the Western India Culinary Association (WICA). GICC is a food preparation competition involving senior and apprentice chefs from India. The competition 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 GICC 2014, the first day of the exhibition witnessed a panel discussion – Hospitality Think Tank: The GM’s Conclave, wherein general managers from leading hotel groups shared their insights on the topic -‘F&B: The Game Changer’.
The second day will witness a panel discussion – ‘Hospitality Knowledge Exchange: Rooms of the Future’ which will focus on state-of-the-art technologies and emerging trends in room design and interiors across all segments of the hospitality sector. The Power of Purchase will witness purchase managers and decision makers of leading companies expressing their opinions on the topic – ‘Role of Information Technology (IT) in the Modern Supply Chain’. The panel discussion has been organised in association with Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF). The second day will also witness Tea Appreciation – a tea tasting and sampling event which will be presented by the Tea Board of India.
There is also Bar World, where wine and alcohol will be showcased on all three days.The associations supporting the exhibition are Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA), Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF) and Food Bloggers Association India (FBAI).
