FHA2008 toasts to a spirited close at Singapore Expo

Singapore, Republic of (Press Release) May 8, 2008 -- Singapore, 7 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.