After establishing a strong foothold in the Mumbai and Bengaluru markets, the 26th edition of Food Hospitality World (FHW) exhibition made inroads into a new market -Goa – to diversify its reach and explore the state’s hospitality potential. Goa, a maiden market for this trade show, was a challenging yet successful learning platform
In a new milestone, Food Hospitality World (FHW) opened doors for the first time in Goa. The 26th edition of FHW exhibition was held at Dayanand B Bandodkar Ground, Campal, Panaji from September 29-October 1, 2015. The three-day exhibition was inaugurated by Chef Hemant Oberoi, consultant, Indian Hotels Company, India. Speaking about the exhibition Chef Oberoi stated, “An exhibition like FHW Goa is a good platform for the hospitality industry. I met a lot of suppliers here, some of whom I already know. Exhibitions such as these expose a market like Goa to various business opportunities.”
The event also witnessed the launch of an exclusive coffee table book titled ‘Famous Flavours of Goa’ featuring Goan recipes by well known chefs in the industry. Dignitaries present during the book launch included Chef Sunit Sharma, executive chef, Cidade De Goa; Chef Manjit Singh, executive chef, Holiday Inn Resort Goa; Chef Surajit Sarkar, senior sous chef, The O Resort and Spa, Goa; Chef K S Mahesh, executive chef, Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach; Chef Edia Cotta, Goan specialty chef at Spice Studio, Alila Diwa Goa; and Chef Farooq Baig, executive chef, The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino. Commenting on the coffee table book and the exhibition, Mahesh said, “From the quality of paper to the layout and design, the coffee table book was spectacularly done. It was an honour to have my recipe featured in this book and have it launched at the exhibition, which was very well-organised and I got to meet many vendors on a single plat form.”
Engaging exchanges
Spread across 3,200 sq metres of space, the three-day FHW exhibition witnessed several panel discussions. The first day was the Power of Purchase panel discussion on the ‘Changing Face of Hospitality Procurement’. Eminent panelists present for the session included Nitin Fadthe, materials manager, Alila Diwa Goa; Prasad Phondekar, materials manager, Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa; Ramesh Iyer, AVP materials, Delta Corp; Sundeep Mujumdar, deputy GM procurement, Diana Buildwell; and L Subbaiyer, chief cost controller, Whispering Palms Beach Resort. On the second day, the Hospitality Think Tank themed ‘Evolution of Goa as a MICE Destination’ witnessed one of the key general managers of Goa, Pooja Patti, general manager, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Goa Candolim speaking about how MICE is the way forward for all the hotels in Goa.
She opined, “Five years down the line, considering the room inventory coming up in Goa, surviving on FITs won’t be enough, we would have to depend on MICE as well. The government has also shown an inclination towards developing this segment.”
The highlight of the concluding day of the exhibition was the Hospitality Knowledge Exchange panel discussion on ‘Goa as a Resort Destination: The Business of Hoteliering’. The panel members included Rajendran Menon, GM, The Zuri White Sands, Goa Resort & Casino; Piyush Tyagi, GM, Royal Orchid Beach Resort & Spa; Siddharth Savkur, GM, Alila Diwa Goa; Satish Dodani, co-founder, The Weekend Plan; Zoheb Sayed, sales manager, Chances Resort & Casino Vainguinim Valley; and Sushant Kudav, GM, The Goan Village (Toshali). Speaking at the panel discussion, Tyagi informed the audience that the current state government is being aggressive in developing the market and new concepts like hot air ballooning, nautical tourism, etc, are also being introduced.
Menon spoke about the growth of the wedding segment in Goa and the need to focus on the domestic market with the dip in charters. He stated, “Last year we did around 50 residential weddings contributing majorly to the top line. Presently, the Goan market is delicate with the Russian market going down, and other factors. Hence we need to focus on the domestic market and especially the wedding segment since it is recession proof.” Other panelists spoke on the different aspects of the business of hospitality in Goa.
Apart from these panel discussions, the exhibition also witnessed the Culinary Challenge of Goa held across all the three days in association with the Goan Chef Challenge and supported by the Culinary Forum of Goa. In this one-of-its-kind professional food contest, leading chefs from across Goa came together under one roof to compete in groups and as individuals to bring the essence of the Goan and international food culture into the forefront. This challenge provided these chefs the opportunity to showcase their talent and innovations by creating delectable dishes.
Quality participants
The exhibition also witnessed quality participation from Goan suppliers along with other hospitality industry vendors from across the country. Some of the Goan participants included Bathwell Hotel Products, Blue Ocean Beverages, GRB Corporation, Horeca Enterprise, Kamaxi Foods, Manohar Trading Co, Russell Airflow Systems, Sameer Hotel Supplies, SPARC, Tito’s, Waves Combine, K Glow, Hindustan Industries – Pavers & Blocks, among others.
The FHW trade show has exhibitors from different segments of the food and hospitality industry like F&B, interiors, kitchen equipment, housekeeping, bakery and others and it aims at providing solutions to various industry-related problems. Some of the exhibitors include: Nestle India, Pelican Farm and Dairy LLP, Dhanvantri Agro Foods, Blue Ocean Beverages, Beepee Enterprise, Charnock Equipments, Global Access Hospitality, Apex India and many more.
FHW Goa was co-organised by Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Goa. The FHW trade show is organised by Global Fairs & Media – a joint venture between Hannover Milano Fairs India and The Indian Express.