Amidst the monotony of sounds on a gentle afternoon, vendors exhibit their products and services in a bid to entice the thousands of consumers who thronged the exhibition halls, in hopes of snagging up a good deal.
Food and Hotel Asia (FHA) 2014 is the 19th edition of the this F&B industry event, it’s first held since 1978. Known as Asia’s largest international trade show for the food and hospitality industry, FHA is a 4-day exhibition held at the Singapore Expo Halls 1-9 together with Wine Spirits Asia.
The exhibition is aimed at professionals in the food and hospitality trade, while members of the general public and minors below the age of 16 will be denied entry.
Door admission tickets are at SGD $80, and visitors are to be in business attire, and also must produce their business card to validate their trade. There are invited F&B guests though who can preregister for a free admission.
The success of FHA has already been cemented when it registered a record high of 61,298 trade attendees converging from 103 countries/regions in the last edition in 2012, an incredible 11% increase as compared to the previous edition in 2010. Every alternate year, FHA is held in Hong Kong as well.
The exhibition saw professionals from respective trades from all over the world pit against each other in the various world-class competitions held, namely the FHA Culinary Challenge, FHA Barista Challenge, FHA Latte Art Challenge, and the Asian Pastry Cup 2014.
Emcee of the Barista Challenge entertaining the audience as the judges prepare the results of the challenge.
The exhibition is also congregated into sections based on the country of origin of the products and services, making it simpler for consumers to source for their desired products. Chefs, bakers and baristas alike flaunt their proficiency and dexterity with the tools of their trade, as food and coffee samples were offered to the public.
Baristas displaying their flair in latte art and offering coffee samples to consumers. If you like coffee, there’s an endless amount of coffee samples to go around.
A chef demonstrates the simplicity of preparing Chinese cuisine with an automated steamer.
Slices of ham were offered to consumers to sample.
Booths are grouped under the respective countries of origins of the products and services.
Big FMCG brands like Nestle Professional take part in FHA every year. They can find new overseas export opportunities from the large number of foreign business visitors.
Remember the iconic Moses Lim, long before your time, in the southern province of China?
Lau Choy Seng, along with Sia Huat, are two of Singapore’s most well-known kitchen ware suppliers. Big and small brands from all over Singapore’s F&B industry gather at FHA every year to showcase their inventory as well as get exposed to more clients.
The exhibition also showcased different state of the art technology and labour saving machines that businesses can use such as bakery equipment, steamers, automated packing machines and gelato machines.
A chocolate machine that coats sweets/pastries in thick chocolate.
Bread loaf sorting belt. Part of a larger bread baking system.
A robotic cake slicer that can cut cakes evenly, and also be programmed to wash its own blades at regular intervals.
A macaron tower stands tall amongst other delicate pastries. and goodies. Decadent amount of samples all around.
It was a humbling experience to be at the heart of the food and hospitality industry, to engage in the sharing of industry knowledge and the exchange of insights.
If you are in the food industry, be it a restaurant business owner, chef, barista, food writer, supplier, you have to check out the Food and Hotel Asia exhibition once in your life.
Till next time, FHA!
*Runs from 8 – 11 April 2014, 10am – 6pm
