Tens of Thousands of Global Trade Visitors expected at Ruby Jubilee Edition of Food&HotelAsia and Second Instalment of ProWine Asia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE, April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Food&HotelAsia (FHA) and ProWine Asia (PWA) (Singapore) opened their doors today to usher in industry professionals looking to access an international showcase of food and hospitality, as well as wines and spirits products, equipment and solutions.

Guest-of-Honour Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, graced the opening ceremony for FHA2018 and PWA 2018. Also in attendance as special guests were several world leaders, including Vietnam's Deputy Minister forAgriculture Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, and Poland's Minister for Agriculture, Mr.Krzysztof Jurgiel.

Tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe will surge the halls of FHA and PWA 2018 throughout the events' four-day staging. As the largest to date, visitors can experience a multitude of world-class exhibits from 3,500 international food, drinks and hospitality exhibitors across 120,000 sqm at FHA, alongside 300 international wines and spirits exhibitors across 7,500 sqm at PWA 2018.

Trade professionals attending FHA2018 have indicated an estimated sourcing budget of US$ 11 billion[1].

Delivering business excellence for food and drinks, wines and spirits, and hospitality ecosystems

As Singapore's longest-running and Asia's most comprehensive international food and hospitality mega trade event, FHA has grown from occupying a small hotel carpark in 1978 to spanning two venues at Singapore Expo and Suntec Singapore, housing the biggest ever industry congregation today.

"This edition of FHA -- [40 Years] is extremely special to us. The sheer increase in space, support of stalwart exhibitors and growing interest from attendees are testaments to FHA's four-decade transformational journey. Today, we are irrevocably recognised by industry for being always on the forefront of latest innovation -- for the industry," said Mr. Rodolphe Lameyse, Project Director, Food & Hospitality, UBM, organiser of FHA and co-organiser of PWA.

"FHA is an event that ignites the six senses -- taste, sight, touch, smell, sound, and the last, the business sense. I'm very excited to welcome everyone to join us at Expo and Suntec to celebrate the event's 40^th anniversary, and together we take our six senses on a phenomenal journey to behold some of the world's best tastes and innovations that are driving the food and hospitality industry of tomorrow."

61 local and overseas group delegations will attend FHA, their presence a true reflection of its reputation as the preferred event in the region for the industry it serves.

For PWA, now into its second edition, the specialist trade fair comes under the banner of the highly successful ProWein World series, which is based on the knowhow and expertise that has made ProWein Düsseldorf the world's leading trade fair for wine and spirits for more than two decades.

"PWA 2018 has seen significant growth in terms of the range of exhibitor profiles and trending wines and spirits profiles. This year we welcome first time participation from Croatia, stronger presence from regions such as Chianti, Rioja and Catalonia, and even the participation of Asian wineries, alongside sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines," said Ms Beattrice J. Ho, Project Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia, co-organiser of PWA 2018.

"We believe there is great synergy and value for both exhibitors and visitors in colocating with FHA, from creating opportunities for investment to knowledge transfers and are very excited for what future editions of PWA can become."

Bringing deeper insights and value

For exhibitors, FHA delivers the quality buyers and to visitors, it is the best place to catch the latest game-changer products. However the event is more than simply a mega tradeshow. With the food and hospitality market constantly evolving, businesses need to be agile to keep up with new concepts, and consumers' demand for fresh experiences. In collaboration with Euromonitor International, FHA today unveiled an Industry White Paper titled "Smart Innovations Transforming the Food and Hospitality Landscape by 2020". The report provides a unique insight into major disruptors impacting the industry, such as megatrends of how developed market consumers are trading down on everyday commodities to trade up on experiences, and are increasingly choosing industry concepts that match their ethical values.

Furthermore, four key tracks at the FHA International Conference and 50 complimentary workshops and activities spread across the two venues will offer participants with unbeatable value to business matching, skills upgrade, and industry discourse.

While for sommeliers, bartenders and industry specialists, PWA 2018 includes a series of seminars on the flourishing tropical viticulture in Southeast Asia, how to detect aromas in whiskey, and understanding craft beer. Additionally, there will be the first-ever running at an exhibition of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET®) Level 1 Award course in Wines.

Benchmarking new business innovation

FHA and PWA also serve as a springboard for many companies, from startups to established brands, to expand their footprints in the region and around the world. Innovative products and solutions, along with new technologies set to disrupt the industry and transform businesses are featured across the two venues. Some examples include:

Singapore Expo

• Make fresh cold-pressed juice from first commercial counter-top cold press juicer (Santos, Hall 3)
• Ticketing, deposits and card storage solutions to deter "no shows" reservations at restaurants (ResDiary, Hall 4)
• Achieve consistency in the kitchen with ready-to-use sauces and toppings (CAP Culinary Solutions, Hall 6)
• Nitro cold brew coffee straight from the bottle (Cool Cool Beverage, Hall 2)  While at PWA at Hall 10:
• First time features such as Asian wines from Thailand (Siam Winery), and India (Grover Zampa Vineyards), local craft and artisanal beer brands (Brewlander and Rachelle the Rabbit Meadery), and Welsh Whiskey (Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky Distillery)
• Sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines (Wines of Rhonda) o Innovative wine coolers that keep wine at an "optimum temperature" (PrioVino), and creative concoctions made from green walnuts (Rankel Walnut) and alcoholic smoothies with vodka or wine (SmooVo and SmooVino)

Suntec Singapore

• Automated cooking systems that recreate the "wok hei" of traditional Cantonese stir fry (IKC, Level 4)
• Chill wine right from the coffee table (Williams Refrigeration, Level 4)
• Universal plug & play 3D food printing solution – can customise pasta, chocolates, sweets and even starters within the system (Continental Equipment, Level 4)
• Internet connected table-top post-mix hygienic drinks system with real-time information, remote monitoring and personalised video upload functionality (Zerica, Level 4)

Digital initiatives that will transform consumers' current dining or shopping experiences are also highlighted at FHA2018. Restaurant 3.0 by Enterprise Singapore in Suntec is one such showcase, where futuristic concepts for the consumers' dining experiences from farm, processing and production, to service at the table, are highlighted.

Over at Expo, Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) are launching the SMF SMART App at the Singapore Pavilion. This app not only consolidates online orders for overseas buyers, it is also capable of product traceability and authentication features, making it easier and more convenient for food manufacturers to export overseas.

Picking out the best talents

Visitors can see some of the world's budding as well as top talents right here at FHA2018. They are displaying their mastery and skills to panels of distinguished judges, and vie for top spots in a series of highly acclaimed competitions: the first ever Asian Gelato Cup, Barista Super Duo Challenge, Latte Art Showdown, the Asian Pastry Week (Asian Pastry Cup, the new Valrhona C3 (Chocolate Chef Competition) & Global Star Chefs Pastry Show), and the FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) series. Held once every four years, the National Team Challenge (part of FCC) returns to FHA with an arena for top national chefs to compete for Best National Team Award. The top three national teams will qualify for the Battle of the Lion competition held on the final day of FCC.

"Worldchefs is the authority of chefs and the culinary industry globally. Competitions is an integral part of a chef's development, which is why the competitions committee has spent much effort and time developing guidelines and standards for culinary competitions of an international standard. For example, we ensure all the judges have undergone training and are of a certain standard," said Mr Otto Weibel, chief judge of the FHA Culinary Challenge series and member of the Worldchefs culinary committee.

"The Battle for the Lion competition has a long standing relationship with our association, and it is our pride and joy that it is endorsed as a Worldchefs international culinary competition edition after edition."

On the wines and spirits front, for the first time, the National Cocktail Competition organised by the Association of Bartenders & Sommeliers Singapore (ABSS) will be co-located at PWA 2018, with categories such as flairing, tea cocktail, and speed bottle opening by more than 50 participants.

Over at Suntec, visitors can view winning products of the inaugural SCI Equipment Awards. Jointly organised by UBM and Foodservice Consultants Society International (FSCI) Asia Pacific Division, the awards aim to deliver recognition to foodservice equipment manufacturers who have incorporated sustainability in their innovations.

Hi-res photos of the ceremony are available from the link here.

Events at a glance:

Media Enquiries:

Juliet Tseng / June Seah
UBM
Tel: +65 9687 6657 / +65 9852 6756
Email: Juliet.Tseng@ubm.com  / June.Seah@ubm.com

Alvin Sim / Zarina Ann Muhammad

Messe Düsseldorf Asia
Tel: +65 9270 8505 / +65 9873 3674
Email: alvin@mda.com.sg / zarina@mda.com.sg

Sherwin Loh / Serene Chow

Ruder Finn Asia
Tel: +65 9137 9757 / +65 9836 4873
Email: lohs@ruderfinnasia.com / chows@ruderfinnasia.com 

About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the premier global provider of news release distribution and multimedia platforms that enable marketers, public relations officers and investor relations professionals to engage with their key audiences: businesses and consumers, the media, and investors.