What is the scale of HOTELEX?
The 2017 HOTELEX Shanghai will be at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre again. Online pre-registration (official website pre-registration or official WeChat pre-registration) will provide each visitor with a free VIP pass. It is estimated that the 2017 HOTELEX Shanghai will cover a total area of 250,000 sq m. Approximately 2,500 excellent exhibitors from around the world and 100,000 professional buyers from star rated hotels will be able to gain a truly global view on the entire hospitality industry.
Why does HOTELEX remain an important event?
HOTELEX will continue to promote its influence through ‘competition, exhibition and forum’. The competitions and forums will attract both international and local attendees. The specialised sectors of HOTELEX Shanghai provide hospitality and catering industry professionals with one-stop sourcing solutions, covering catering equipment, tableware, uniforms, appliance amenities, fitness and leisure, ingredients, coffee and tea, bakery and ice cream, food and beverage, high-end bottled water, wine and spirits, and so on.
How will the show be different this year? What has changed?
HOTELEX 2017 will epitomise the food and hospitality industry. The catering equipment hall has been enlarged to include a catering premium hall and central kitchen premium hall in W1 and E1 separately, which covers 62,000 sq m and includes a four-day show with specialised equipment and a concurrent central kitchen forum. HOTELEX will be gathering strong business partnerships with many famous brands (many of which are FCSI members), such as Ali Group, Manitowoc Foodservice, Williams, Meiko, Hoshizaki, Winterhalter, DKSH, ITW, Cambro and Angelo Po; the ‘central kitchen’ concept; and a new trend hot topic, will be presented to the public at the show.
Describe FCSI’s presence at the show.
We will have a booth. Our Hong Kong office has a branch in Shanghai that will give us local support. As a co-organising partner for the Education Forum, FCSI will also provide guidance on drafting programmes, including selecting topics and speakers. FCSI APD will provide three speakers for the forum. The FCSI logo will be displayed on the public forum backdrop, other related promotional materials and on the HOTELEX website.
What will the consultants address?
Consultants will be speaking at the forum and their theme will be ‘the future trend of foodservice in China’, coming from all angles in terms of facility design, equipment selection criteria, operation and food safety management and waste management.
What are you hoping to achieve there?
By promoting the FCSI brand and our international network, we will try to reach and recruit new members.
Why is the new FCSI Chinese supplement an important tool for you?
Because it is the only FCSI Chinese publication that can showcase our expertise and talents, a very important tool to help us market the brand in China.
What’s your favourite thing to do in Shanghai away from the show?
Try out new restaurants around the city, especially the ones with organic and sustainable menus. Visit friends and family to find out if and how their daily food choices have changed due to recent changes in the China food industry where more emphasis has been placed on safety sustainability.
Michael Jones
