3 minute read
Event
International Hospitality Expo (IHE)
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One of the country’s leading food service and hospitality industry B2B show, India International Hospitality Expo (IHE), will feature its fifth edition on August 3-6, 2022, at the India Expo Mart & Centre, Greater Noida, in Delhi-NCR.
At the last edition of IHE, which was the first ‘physical show’ for the food service and hospitality sectors post-Covid, held from September 24-27, 2021, 160 exhibitors representing the major industry-relevant verticals, from food ingredients and newgeneration beverages to kitchen equipment, furniture and furnishings, and tableware, were present in strength.
The north-eastern states were wellrepresented at the show, giving them an opportunity to showcase a variety of products, from bamboo furniture to organic ginger and turmeric, to fruit wines from Arunachal Pradesh. The inaugural session was graced by Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME on 03 August, 2021.
The 8000-plus visitors who thronged IHE2021 included members of the Purchasing Professionals Forum-India (PPFI) and Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF), the leading ladies of WICCI, chef-members of the Indian Culinary Forum (ICF), founders of the Professional Housekeepers Association (PHA), and other hospitality industry decision-makers. The presence of these industry professionals greatly enhanced the value proposition to the exhibitors, who got to interact directly with their existing and potential clients.
Commenting on the response to IHE2021, when the country was just recovering from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Rakesh Kumar, Chairman, IEML, and Director-General, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) said, “The response to IHE2021 has far exceeded our expectations. With it, we were able to prove beyond any doubt that the IEML, which is a leader in the country’s exhibitions and conferences sector, is ready and equipped to present physical shows. Our calendar is filling up fast for 2022 and 2023. And yes, we are returning with a much bigger and better edition of IHE during August 3-6, 2022.”
Since its inception in 2018, IHE has been known for its concurrent programme. IHE2021 was no exception. The highlight of the programme was the Conclave, which saw animated conversations involving industry leaders such as Rajeev Menon, President (Asia Pacific excluding Greater China), Marriott International, Rattan Keswani (Lemon Tree Hotels), Samir MC (Fortune Park Hotels) and Anurag Katriar (Past President, National Restaurant Association of India).
Who’s who roster of speakers included top educators and recruiters such as Kamal Kant Pant (IHM-Pusa) and Dr. Swarup Sinha (ITC Hotel Management Institute); renowned chefs, notably Chef Manjit Gill (Indian Federation of Culinary Associations) and Chef Devinder Kumar (President, Indian Culinary Forum, and Vice-President, F&B, Le Meridien New Delhi); and housekeeping decision-makers such as Dr. Madhu Chandhok and Ms. Meenu Tongatta.
Also seen speaking at the Conclave were the HPMF Founder, Dr. Nitin Nagrale, noted mixologists Yangdup Lama and Vaibhav Singh, top caterers Sanjay Khullar (Seasons Catering) and Varun Tuli (Food Inc. and Noshi), young restaurateur Amit Bagga of Daryaganj, and DLF’s F&B Head, Udit Kukreja.
For IHE2022, the organisers have set their sights higher. As Dr. Sharma puts it, “IHE has established itself as a three-inone event – showcase of new products and services; networking platform; and festival of ideas. We will build on this tradition to achieve our objective to make IHE2022 not-to-miss event on the calendar of every decision maker in the food service and hospitality sectors.”
Special Attractions
During the show its highlight event will be a one-day conference dedicated to the Bakery and Confectionary and Mithai and Namkeen sectors.
This year an important new attraction at this conference will be a Franchise Forum, where businesses exploring franchising options for further growth can network with their potential partners. This activity will be a part of the special event planned for the fifth anniversary year of the show, which was first held in 2018 at the India Expo Mart & Centre (IHE), Greater Noida, in Delhi-NCR.
Other activities planned for the fifth anniversary edition include a focused activity with hotel and restaurant purchase managers around the food and hospitality products being developed by the MSME sector in the North-East. The North-East Mart will be accompanied by a forum to highlight the work being done by our exhibition partners in that region.
Another new addition to the eclectic mix of the show’s offerings will be a Startup Pavilion, which will host startups that are either active or starting out in the food and food tech verticals. Their products will be of great interest to our key audience segments, namely, decision-makers in the hotel and restaurant sectors.
