Substance and sustainability at HospitalityWorld 2007

The fifth edition of HospitalityWorld 2007 was organised with an aim to facilitate the emerging hospitality business in India. Rajesh Rodrigues reports from Hyderabad.

The fifth edition of HospitalityWorld 2007, organised at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Andhra Pradesh from June 28 to 30, 2007, materialised to be a purely business and networking forum for the industry's stakeholders. The event featured the latest in foodservice and hospitality.

The three-day trade show was inaugurated by Rajesh Mishra, president of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), and witnessed 3,475 visitors and 139 exhibitors. He said, "From what I see so far, it is a quality exhibition under one roof with an extremely well designed layout. Just as I was walking in, I met entrepreneurs, CEOs and owners of various hospitality industries. It's heartening to see various buyers participating in such an exhibition. It's an excellent platform for them to meet the suppliers and interact with them to see and understand the new products launched."

(L to R): Ratan Marothia, executive committee member, FHRAI; Rajesh Mishra, president FHRAI and Philip Logan, general manager, HICC at the inauguration of HospitalityWorld 2007

With the support of leading associations like the FHRAI, The Andhra Pradesh Hotels Association, Hotels & Restaurant Associations of Andhra Pradesh, Munnar Hotels & Resorts Association, Kerala Hotels & Restaurants Association, Karnataka Pradesh Hotel & Restaurant Association, Hospitality Educators & Recruiters Association, Bangalore Hotel Association, Chennai Bakery Owners Association and Tamil Nadu Baker's Federation India, the event was a grand success. The exhibition was partnered by State Bank of India that provides financial solutions to the industry.

Sandeep Khosla, head of the Business Publication Division of Indian Express, said "Southern India is now facing a phenomenal boom in the hospitality industry and this exhibition is a natural outfall of that. HospitalityWorld has been growing in leaps and bounds over the years and this year too I see an increase in the number of exhibitors and in the quality of visitors who are walking in to see the show."

Hosted buyers

HospitalityWorld hosted potential buyers for the first time this year. After undertaking in-depth research, 100 director procurements, general managers, CEOs and purchase managers were flown in primarily from South India.

Most of the hosted buyers that were invited had immediate or long term plans either in expansion or setting up new properties. Alexander Joshi, director operations, Berggruen Hotels, said, "It was indeed professionally organised, providing the right business platform for an organisation like ours to meet the best Indian hospitality suppliers under one roof. We have indeed been successful in identifying key suppliers for our upcoming chain." The exhibition also catered to the needs of hoteliers renovating their properties.

Vinay Albuquerque, general manager (corporate sales & marketing), Alcon-Victor Group, said, "We are in the process of upgrading our rooms and were looking for new products that would enhance our property as well as be competitive in the market. This forum was indeed helpful as all that I was looking for was exhibited."

The visitors

The exhibition was indeed a boon for potential buyers. Due to its location and enough security for exclusive entry, only serious buyers participated. Rohit Wangnoo, assistant manager (sales) at Wang Professionals, said, "Throughout the event I have not witnessed brochure collectors. Most enquiries were genuine and almost all visitors were present for a purpose. It was indeed well planned and well executed."

Though the event was spread across three days some buyers felt that they could not meet all the exhibitors. According to Kamlesh Barot, director of Encore hotels, "The moment I walked into the convention centre I was awestruck. I had already planned my three days so that I could meet and see all that I would need for my future expansion." Some of the visitors who had planned just a day of visit had to extend their stay. Digambar Phadte, assistant manager (purchase) at Cidade De Goa, said, "We had a long list of products to look for. On the first day we just moved around looking and locating the stalls of our interest and on the second day we started some serious negotiations."

Cocktail party and awards

The cocktail party was hosted at the ITC Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton & Towers where singer Mika Singh with his troupe belted out recent and famous numbers to the excitement of the audience. The party was attended by most exhibitors and buyers and turned out to be an excellent networking forum.

The hosted buyers also judged exhibitor stalls for the best stall design. Each category was evaluated and given points. The winners included - Bakery: AB Mauri India, Design & Architecture: Hafele India, Engineering & Technology: Schneider Electric India, F&B Services: Feather Touch Ceramics. F&B: Morde Foods, Housekeeping: Maspar, Kitchen Equipment: Blue Star, Best Overall Design: RAK Mulder Porcelain.

Product categories & exhibitors

The product categories at the event included table and glassware accessories, bar and coffee equipment, foodservice equipment, processed food and beverages, specialty food importers, commercial catering equipment, industrial bakery and confectionery equipment, refrigeration equipment, banquet furniture, vending and dispending equipment, lighting accessories, in-room technologies, laundry equipment, cleaning equipment and supplies, contract furnishing, guest room amenities, housekeeping supplies and services, hospitality information systems, safety and security systems, waste and water management and energy management and control systems.