The 160 exhibitors represented all industry-relevant verticals, from food ingredients and new-generation beverages to kitchen equipment, furniture and furnishings, and tableware.
Vision Live/Greater Noida
The first ‘physical’ show for the
food and hospitality sectors, IHE2021, concluded on Monday, September 27, at
the India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) with an impressive
number of exhibitors and visitors, all testifying to the fact that India is no
longer in the mood for virtual events.
The 160 exhibitors represented all
industry-relevant verticals, from food ingredients and new-generation beverages
to kitchen equipment, furniture and furnishings, and tableware. The
north-eastern states were well-represented in the B2B show, giving them an
opportunity to showcase a variety of products, from bamboo furniture to organic
ginger and turmeric, to kiwi wine from Arunachal Pradesh.
The visitors 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.
Reflecting on the four-day show, Mr
Rakesh Kumar, Chairman, India Exposition Mart Limited (IEML), said: “The
response to IHE2021 has surpassed our expectations. With it, we were able to demonstrate
to the world that the leaders of the country’s exhibitions and conferences
sector, such as IEML,are ready to present physical shows. This was just the
beginning. Our calendar is already filling up for 2022 and 2023.”
Raghav Sachdeva, Managing Director,
HAKS, a leading manufacturer of kitchen equipment, thanked Mr Kumar for taking
the initiative to organise a physical show – the first one of this scale in two
years. “We are really pleased with the quality of the show and the visitors
with whom we got to interact. I give it a thumbs up,” he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Dimple
Grover, Interior Designer, HSAA Design Studio, “It has been a very nice
experience for us, enabling us to get in touch with new clients and
understanding their needs. It was a great exposure for us and our brand.” Akash
Chowhan, Vice-President, Xsoni Systems, added: “It is the first time that we
are participating in IHE and I must say that the response has been quite good,
despite the pandemic.”
Offering a perspective from the
hospitality industry, PPFI Founder and Director (Procurement), Le Meridien New
Delhi, Amarjit Singh expressed his happiness at the response he got for the
PPFI B2B meet on Saturday, September 25. “We wanted to add value to the show by
enabling the exhibitors to interact with the procurement heads of leading
hotels and restaurant chains,” Mr Ahuja said. “It was also an opportunity for
our members to learn more about the new products entering the market. It was a
win-win experience for both the exhibitors and the PPFI members.”
Since its inception in 2018, IHE has
been known for its concurrent programme. IHE2021 was no exception. The highlight
of the programmewas the Conclave, which saw animated conversations involving industry
leaders such as Mr Rajeev Menon of Marriott Hotels, Mr Rattan Keswani(Lemon
Tree Hotel Company), Mr Samir MC (Fortune Park Hotels) and Mr Anurag Katriar
(Past President, National Restaurant Association of India); top educators and
recruiters such as Mr Kamal Kant Pant (IHM-Pusa) and Dr Swarup Sinha (ITC Hotel
Management Institute); the renowned chefs, Mr Manjit Gill (Indian Federation of
Culinary Associations), and Mr Davinder Kumar (President, Indian Culinary Forum,
and Vice-President, F&B, Le Meridien New Delhi); and housekeeping decision-makers
such as Dr Madhu Chandhok and MsMeenuTongatta.
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.
The other major components of the Concurrent
Programmeincluded:
· IHE2021
Excellence Awards, which went to 72 highly talented hospitality
professionals from places as diverse as Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir to
Amritsar, to Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Coimbatore.
· IHE2021
Masterclass Series, which saw nine top chefs and one acclaimed mixologist
sharing their wisdom with students of five hotel management schools that had
partnered with the show. The chefs were Davinder Kumar (Indian Culinary Forum),
Manisha Bhasin (ITC Hotels), Manish Mehrotra (Indian Accent Restaurants), Avijit
Ghosh (Callebaut and Smoor), Sanjay Thakur (World Chefs), Sabyasachi Gorai
(Young Chefs Association of India), NeerajTyagi (Pullman and Novotel Hotels),
Nishant Choubey(Seinan Group) and Nand Lal (Himachal Pradesh Tourism). Ankur
Chawla (ScopeBev) was the mixologist.
· ICF Young
Chefs Culinary Challenge, a vibrant event that saw more than 170 students
from hotel management colleges participate in five categories of competitions.