HOFEX 2007 finishes to resounding accolades!
HONG KONG – Asia’s premier food and hotel tradeshow, HOFEX 2007 – The 12th Asian International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services ended to all round acclaim from exhibitors, visitors and supporting organisations on 16th May 2007.
HOFEX 2007 opened to a rousing live band and Scottish pipers as well as over 200 industry VIPs. The magnificent Opening Ceremony was officiated by Mr Stephen Ip, GBS, JP, Secretary for Economic Development and Labour of the HKSAR Government, Mr James Tien, GBS, JP, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr Mark Lettenbichler, Chairman of the Hong Kong Hotels Association and Mr Daniel Cheung, General Manager of Hong Kong Exhibition Services Limited – Organiser of HOFEX 2007. The two main themes of “Foodservice Equipment & Hospitality Supplies” and “Food & Drink” were continued throughout the four halls of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, occupying an exhibition area of over 35,000 sqm.
In the exhibition’s 20 year history, 2007 was the largest ever – in terms of venue size and the number of visitors. The international coverage of both the exhibitor profiles and buyer delegations – played a major part in contributing to the overall success of the 2007 show. It was observed by many exhibitors that as well as the expansion of the overall size of the show, the international presence had also grown significantly. One exhibitor, Mr Zhang Shu Feng (China National Sales Manager / Foodservice Marketing Manager, Libbey Glassware (China) Co Ltd) commented “We have been exhibiting with HOFEX for years. I’m very satisfied with the quantity and quality of the trade buyers this year, who were much higher than my expectations. It was also great to have met so many international hotel buyers.”
With the show serving primarily as a trading platform, Mr Michael Lu, HATCO noted that HOFEX provides an excellent opportunity “to meet international guests who come to Hong Kong particularly for HOFEX and to find new products,” he continued “overall, it is a great place to meet friends and distributors.”
In fact, HOFEX 2007 recorded an overwhelming participation with 1,800 exhibiting companies from 42 countries and regions. On top of that, an unprecedented record of 29,193 trade visitors was accounted for with 29.5% of them arriving from overseas.
“HOFEX is a very good show. The companies in our pavilion are very satisfied with the results. Visitor quality is very good, plus it’s not just regional but very international too. We had visitors from Australia, New Zealand, and even Chile. Organisation of the show is very good too – we liked the promotion and signage for Bavaria. We will be back in 2009 with a bigger pavilion.” concluded Mr Bernhard Kiel, Manager Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Engineering Industries, Bayern International – Germany.
The Group Managing Director of Sino Group of Hotels – HK, Mr Nicholas Yim agreed and said “I love the show layout, the National Pavilions and specific areas such as the Wine & Spirits Square save me the hassle of searching around too much.”
“In general, it’s (HOFEX) been a good opportunity to meet our distributing partners throughout Asia,” observed Mr David Marom, San Jamar “which also broadens the representation of our distribution channels to show good products.”
This impressive turnout affirmed the calibre and prominence of HOFEX as simply the best sourcing and networking platform for professionals of the food and hospitality industries in the region.
Concurrent events including the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic (HKICC), Regional Hotel General Managers Forum, Asian F&B Forum as well as the Asian Open Cup – Creative Classic & Bartending Flair at the show also received pronounced recognition and commendations from all participants including speakers, judges, delegates, competitors and more. A repeat of these events was encouraged by leading players of the industry for the next instalment of HOFEX as they helped to establish a conducive networking environment and a great platform for experience sharing.
The finale of HOFEX 2007 kicked off preparations for HOFEX 2009 which will be held on 6 – 9 May 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. For further information or space reservation, please contact the office nearest to you:-
ORGANISER
HONG KONG EXHIBITION SERVICES LTD
Unit 2010, 20/F
China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2804 1500
Fax: +852 2528 3103
Email: exhibit@hkesallworld.com
INTERNATIONAL
OVERSEAS EXHIBITION SERVICES LTD
12th Floor, Westminster Tower
3 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7SP, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7840 2100
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7840 2111
Email: hofex@oesallworld.com
SOUTH EAST ASIA
IEM PTE LTD
47 Scotts Road
Goldbell Towers
#05-02
Singapore 228233
Tel: +65 6736 1221
Fax: +65 6736 1771
Email: cassandra@iemallworld.com
www.hofex.com
