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FHA2008 toasts to a spirited close at Singapore Expo

Asia’s largest international food and hospitality trade show saw 37,000 trade visitors over 4 days coming into Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre

Singapore, 8 May 2008 -- FHA2008 (Food&HotelAsia2008) has once again reaffirming its reputation as a premier trade event for the region’s food and hospitality industries. Having been hosted at Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre for its past editions, the venue has once again been able to meet the requirements of the organizer, exhibitors, buyers and sellers in its flexible and dynamic multipurpose halls.

Organised by Singapore Exhibition Services, FHA2008 was declared open by Mr. S Iswaran, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry. It ran from 22 to 25 April 2008 at Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The event was a record breaker on several fronts - it occupied seven multipurpose halls (75,000 square metres) for the first time, hosted 2,627 exhibiting companies from 70 countries taking part - attests to the show being the choice sourcing platform for the region.

FHA2008 attracted about 37,000 trade visitors from almost a hundred countries, of which 37 percent came from overseas. Apart from the congregation of government dignitaries, key buyers from hotel groups, hospitality and entertainment establishments also made use of the opportunity to visit FHA to source for supplies and establish important business contacts. A total of 50 group delegations, which included those from China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan, visited the show.

Said Mr. Stephen Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Exhibition Services, the organiser of FHA2008, “We are very pleased with the turn-out of exhibitors, buyers, as well as visitors. This certainly reflects the primary status of the show with the industry in the region. Our exhibitors have always seen the value of their presence at FHA and have maintained high visibility this time round.” “

From feedback given by exhibitors, they are very pleased with the quality of visitors at this show. Many of them have found valuable contacts and interested buyers. Negotiations will naturally follow on from this exhibition and contracts confirmed in the next few months,” he said.

Mr. Tan continued, “While FHA as a show has given a good performance, the six specialised events of the exhibition still have great potential for growth as Asia’s food and hospitality markets continue to demonstrate strong growth,” he said. The six specialised events of FHA are FoodAsia, Wine&SpiritsAsia, Bakery&Pastry, HotelAsia, HospitalityTechnology and HospitalityStyleAsia.

Topical issues such as food safety, halal, hospitality finance and technology trends were brought up at several conferences and seminars held within FHA. Participants included food producers and manufacturers, hotel general mangers, executive chefs, and other professionals in the food, beverage and hospitality sectors.

Spirited Competitions

An integral part of FHA is the culinary competitions that served as a skills sharing platform bringing together chefs, baristas, waiters and bartenders. Competitions such as the FHA2008 Culinary Challenge, FHA2008 Imperial Challenge, the Asian Pastry Cup 2008, the Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge 2008 and the inaugural Asia Barista Championship, offered much action and buzz on the show floor. Below are results of the respective competitions:

FHA Culinary Challenge
Dream Team Challenge
Winner: Temasek Culinary Academy (Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore)
1st Runner Up: Team TAC (Tokyo American Club, Japan)
2nd Runner Up: Burj Al Arab (Jumeirah Emirates Towers, United Arab Emirates)

Gourmet Team Challenge
Winner: The Cannery Singapore
1st Runner Up: The Hong Kong Chefs Association Ladies & Cuisine Gourmet Team
2nd Runner Up: Singapore Chefs Association

FHA Imperial Challenge
Winner: Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore)
1st Runner Up: Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
2nd Runner Up: Taiwan Master Chef

Best Chef - Lee Chi Hwa from Persatuan Tukang Masak Johor Bahru (Malaysia)

Tasty Singapore Signature Dish - Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore)

Asia Barista Championship
Winner: Mr. Carl Sarah (New Zealand)
1st Runner Up: Mr. Scottie Callaghan (Australia)
2nd Runner Up: Mr. Liu Chia Wei (Taiwan)

Asian Pastry Cup
Winner: Singapore Team
1st Runner Up: Taiwan Team
2nd Runner Up: China Team

Singapore, Taiwan and China will make it to the World Pastry Cup 2009 to be held in Lyon, France.

Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge
The Wine Challenge received a total of 600 wine entries, of which 423 won awards. Seven entries won gold, 38 were awarded silver, 206 received bronze, while 172 obtained Merit.

Below are results of Gold winners:

Award
"Best of" Awards
Vintage
Name of wine
Region
Country

Gold

Best Sweet Wine
2002

Welsch Riesling-Chardonnay – TBA
Neusiedlersee

Austria

Gold

Best Blended Wine

2001

Jacob’s Creek Johann Shiraz Cabernet
South Australia

Australia

Gold

2006

Krondorf Show Reserve Barossa Valley Shiraz
Barossa Valley, South Australia
Australia

Gold

2006

Difabio Bosh Vine McLaren Vale Shiraz
McLaren Vale, South Australia
Australia

Gold

Best Shiraz

2005

Patricia Shiraz

Victoria
Australia

Gold

Best Italian Wine

2006

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Doc Crede Brut
Veneto
Italy

Gold

2006

Iphoefer Kalb Gewuerztraminer
Franken
Germany

FHA2010 will return from 20 to 23 April 2010.

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About Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre:
About Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre

Ranked one of the top Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) venues in Asia, Singapore Expo, managed by Singex, is the largest MICE centre in Singapore and Asia. It is proud to be the chosen venue for some of the biggest Conventions, Meetings and Exhibitions held in the region.

With 10 convention & exhibition multipurpose halls, 10 conference halls, multiple Meeting Rooms, 8 mobile conference rooms, the venue can host groups of 20 to 20,000 delegates, in a single session with plenty of versatile spaces for breakout sessions, private VIP lounges and auxiliary activities.

All its 10 multipurpose halls of 10,000 sqm each, totalling 100,000 sqm, are on ground level, with continuous fully linked column free space, high ceilings, heavy floor loading, and covered walkways allowing easy movement and logistics for large convention groups and exhibitions.

The centre is equipped with the fastest 3.5G wireless broadband service in the world, fibre optics backbone, wireless WIFI facilities, broadcast and satellite capabilities, broadband links, one of the top acoustics, AV sound and lighting systems, LCD panels, internet kiosks, and energy saving building automation systems.

Singapore Expo is a one stop conventions and meetings venue with concierge and hospitality services, event planning, operations, 3 top caterers providing exclusively designed banquets and food services, parking spaces for over 2200 cars, its own MRT station, at the crossroads of major expressways taking 10 mins to reach downtown, and 3 mins to Changi International Airport.

Surrounded by greenery, beaches, business parks and famous golf and country clubs, it is a relaxing, and inspirational location for all events. There is no traffic congestion and pollution, allowing for very effective events and focused visitors.

Visit http://www.singaporeexpo.com.sg for more details on our facilities.

Media Contacts:
Edna Ng

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Submitted by edna ng, Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday, 8 May 2008 at 12:30 PM
Category: Business