In addition, the event will also host the FHA Barista Challenge and first-ever FHA Latte Art Challenge, alongside a number of courses, workshops and fringe activities.
Ms. Ting Siew Mui, Project Director of Lifestyle Events at SES says, “Rising affluence and changing lifestyles in the region has created greater demand for gourmet coffee. Perfectly complementing FHA’s five existing speciality shows, the launch of SpecialityCoffee&Tea throws a spotlight on the industry and highlights its development, and caters to the region’s booming café culture.
In addition to the showcase at SpecialityCoffee&Tea, visitors can also source from the unique offerings at HospitalityStyleAsia and Bakery&Pastry for all their café needs. Overall, we have received much enthusiasm from international exhibitors wanting to get a leg into the regional market and great support from the associations who have come on board as partners.”
The other five speciality shows are FoodAsia, HotelAsia, Bakery&Pastry, HospitalityStyleAsia, and HospitalityTechnology.
Wine&SpiritsAsia – the region’s premier industry event
Since 2010, WSA has been held alongside FHA to give it the space and distinction to grow into a premium trade exhibition of spirits and wines for regional buyers.
Spread over 5,000sqm the show has 200 exhibitors from 20 countries/regions and seven group pavilions. This year’s show has the most number of group pavilions, representing the world’s top producing wine regions, with Spain leading the charge with the biggest pavilion.
Adding to the buzz on the show floor is a series of talks and master-classes highlighting wines from countries such as Austria, France, Italy and Spain.
All-rounded experience at FHA and WSA
Come April 2014, a combination of the shows’ exhibition, conference, competitions and fringe activities will deliver a holistic experience to all attendees.
Competitions – The FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) will see 856 chefs from all over the world battle it out in the Individual Challenge, Dream Team Challenge and Gourmet Team Challenge.
Returning this year to the FCC is the National Team Challenge. Held once every four years, 11 national teams will compete, but only the top three will qualify for the Battle of the Lion, with one emerging victorious. SpecialityCoffee&Tea will play host to the FHA Barista Challenge and the first FHA Latte Art Challenge, while the Asian Pastry Cup will be held in conjunction with Bakery&Pastry.
Competitions at WSA include the RIPE-WSA Cocktail Challenge as well as the WSA Wine Challenge. Entries from across the globe will be judged by a panel of Asia’s top wine buyers and writers for the WSA Wine Challenge. Awards for the winning wines will be presented at the first MAGNUM NIGHT, an exclusive networking event for the international wine scene, on 8 April 2014.
The winning labels will also be displayed at an exclusive tasting lounge at WSA.
Conference – The FHA International Conference this year has more than 90 speakers and will throw the focus on key issues currently affecting the industry, paramount among them is the manpower crunch and ways to ease it. In view of this, the conference will feature a plenary session and an in-depth master-class to provide the industry with practical solutions on how to deal with the manpower shortage.
Other topics that will be covered include managing hotel operations and revenue optimisation strategies; managing F&B operations and food concepts; latest technologies for the hotel and F&B; food Safety, covering latest food regulations and contamination detection methods and food product innovation and development.
Commenting on the value the shows bring to the industry, Ms. Margaret Heng, Executive Director of Singapore Hotel Association says, “FHA and WSA provide industry practitioners with an exciting one-stop shop on the latest products, services and technology solutions from all over the world.
The synergy of the two shows offers an excellent platform for networking and the sharing of best practices. In addition, the competitions are a great opportunity for talents from the region to showcase their skills while at the same time, promoting knowledge exchange.
Constantly staying ahead with new and refreshing concepts, FHA and WSA are two events which the hospitality industry is always looking forward to with eager anticipation.”
“Overall, FHA and WSA deliver a comprehensive, holistic and meaningful event for the whole industry,” added Mr Tan. “Providing businesses with the latest innovations, new food products and unique amenities to choose from, as well as sharing ideas, knowledge and best practices will in turn translate to an enhanced experience for the consumer.”
