@Halal Sept/Oct 2019 | Page 20

20 @Halal | september-october. 2019 Highlight The expo features various local and international products. Some are proud to announce that their products are certified Halal. An exhibitor performing a demonstration for his bread making machine. Elevating A The Food & Hotel Malaysia expo 2019 breaks its own records through splendid showcase of food and food production materials treat for the senses, with tantalising aromas and visual delights, was once again in store when Food & Hotel Malaysia (FHM) 2019 opened at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The opening ceremony was officiated by Datuk Isham Ishak, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. Also, in attendance was Tan Sri Asmat Kamaluddin, Chairman of UBM MES and Mr Kamaruddin Baharin, President of Malaysia Association of Hotels. The 15th Malaysian International Exhi- bition of Food, Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies, Services and Related Technology, attracted 28,000 trade visitors related to the food and hospital- ity industries worldwide, for four days until Sept 27. Touted to cement Malaysia’s position as a food and beverage hub of international repute, FHM 2019 aims to catalyse the development of the local food and hospitality industries and covers 22,000 square metres of space with 1,500 participating brands/companies from 50 countries and 10 National Pavilions. New highlights Among the new features of FHM 2019 are the Agriculture Pavilion and the highly anticipated Robotic Food Zone, alluding to the adoption of new technologies with dem- onstrated ability of increasing productivity and efficiency levels in the industry. “Every edition, we promise a bigger and better showcase than the one before and FHM 2019 is certainly gearing up to be quite unlikely any other instalment in the series which resulted in a considerable take-up of additional hall space compared to previous shows,” said Tan Sri Asmat. “An ideal avenue for companies target- ting the Malaysian market, this is the only platform that offers participants direct access to crucial buyers from the hotel, restaurant and foodservice industries, bringing them the tools to sustain and expand their businesses. "Our track record certainly speaks for itself and I am pleased to say that FHM 2019 is expected to see transactions taking place over the four days estimated to be between RM 1.8 billion to RM 2.2 billion – more than any other instalment in the series.” Diverse programmes Packed with conference programmes, tech- nical seminars, educational talks, cooking demonstrations and displays of various types and ranges of products and services, FHM 2019 promises to be bigger and better, compared to preceding instalments of the show. The trade event leveraged on key tech-driven strate- gies, with a keen realisation that strategic acquisitions were essential to ensure that this competitive marketplace remained current. Participants had a look at a myriad of opportunities for growing food and hospi- tality businesses while enabling industry players to stay on top of changing customer needs such as keeping in touch with the next generation of food production and under- standing the ever demanding preferences of millennial consumers. The test for culinary excellence As in previous shows, FHM 2019 will once again be held alongside Culinaire Malaysia,