Food&HotelAsia Receives 'Special Recognition' at Singapore Tourism Awards 2019

SINGAPORE, May 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Food&HotelAsia (FHA), a focused and comprehensive business platform for Asia's food & hospitality industry, received the highly esteemed 'Special Recognition' award at the Singapore Tourism Awards (STA) Gala Dinner held last night at The Ritz-Carlton.

The ceremony presented 29 awards in four categories. The Special Recognition award honours the efforts of organisations or individuals who have made key contributions to Singapore's tourism landscape through their creativity, innovative ideas, best practices and by the sheer significance of their contribution to the tourism sector.

This is the third award FHA is recognised for at the Singapore Tourism Awards. Previously FHA took number one spot for Best Exhibition Organiser for its editions in 2008 and 2016.

With 40 years of experience, FHA has amassed recognition worldwide for being the leading authority and trendsetter for the food and hospitality markets in Asia. First started in a car park in 1978, FHA grew in depth and breadth, fully occupying all 10 halls of Singapore Expo by 2014. In an Economic Impact Assessment study of FHA, the event's 2016 edition generated an overall revenue of $244 million, of which 74 per cent was foreign revenue, to the Singapore economy.  

In 2018, FHA marked its Ruby Jubilee with a record breaking attendance of more than 80,000 industry professionals from 105 countries and regions. 

"Since its inception FHA has continually reinvented itself to bring a platform that plays an intrinsic role in the transformation of businesses and, sets the stage for opportunities that propel the careers of future top chefs and baristas. We are very proud of this achievement as it delivers proof of our strong commitment to the industry, and that our formula to connect the food and hospitality community has been a winning one," said Paul Wan, Managing Director, UBM Singapore, organiser of FHA.

"Receiving the prestigious Special Recognition Award is not possible without the shared vision of government bodies, trade associations, the F&B community, and above all, to employees who laboured behind the scenes edition after edition. This award is for everyone who played a role in creating FHA into what it is today - a highly trusted platform that delivers unforgettable experiences for global attendees," he added.

"The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) seeks to create, anchor and grow business events that deliver rich content, draw visitors, and establish Singapore as a premier MICE hub with compelling, industry-leading content. FHA's international reputation as Asia's marketplace for innovation in the food and hospitality industries has contributed to Singapore's standing as a global hub in these areas. We look forward to more of such large-scale events as we work in partnership with our industry stakeholders, and to welcoming future editions of FHA," said Andrew Phua, Director, Exhibitions & Conferences, STB.

"Since its inception, FHA has been the stage where chefs in Singapore and around the world can showcase their culinary skills and art, and the event has, edition after edition, helped raise the profile of young, up and coming chefs on the international front. The Singapore Chefs Association is pleased that FHA has received this award and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the event for many more years to come," shared Eric Neo, President, Singapore Chefs Association.

Margaret Heng, Executive Director, Singapore Hotel Association added, "It has been rewarding to see how FHA has grown from strength to strength over the years. It has become a truly global platform where industry peers gather to exchange knowledge, share ideas and network. The Singapore Hotel Association is proud to support FHA as it stands out as an event that brings benefits to all stakeholders in the tourism industry, with hotels being one of them. We are indeed confident that FHA will continue to scale greater heights."

Elevating event experience with Two Mega Events, Same Trusted Brand
More than four decades on, it is pertinent for the event to evolve to stay relevant to the industry especially to answer the call for fresh and innovative offerings. A bold move was made to expand and rebrand FHA in 2020 from one wall-bound event into two dedicated shows -- FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage, forming the bedrock of "Two Mega Events, Same Trusted Brand."

The Stage for Hospitality Excellence
FHA-HoReCa is a highly focused platform which gathers global stakeholders from the food service industry to showcase new to market innovations hotel, hospitality technology and style, and share best practices. 

Discover the Taste for Tomorrow
To address the more discerning and health-conscious consumer, FHA-Food & Beverage will bring together the best of food ingredients, drinks and fresh produces among others in a focused way to encourage connections and facilitate trade in Asia and beyond.

While FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage will have two distinct identities and differentiated offerings, they will share a unified goal of enabling businesses. The move to two dedicated shows will also offer both exhibitors and visitors more opportunities to engage as well as access to tools and knowledge for innovation.

Beyond the show floor, participants can also embark on activities such as business matching and workshops, and catch high-octane competitions to round up their overall event experience.  

FHA-HoReCa will be staged from 3 to 6 March 2020 and FHA-Food & Beverage three weeks later from 31 March to 3 April 2020, at the Singapore Expo. ProWine Asia (Singapore) 2020 will be co-located with FHA-Food & Beverage.

Events At A Glance

SOURCE Food&HotelAsia