HospitalityWorld‘s Here

Express Hotelier & Caterer gives a brief overview of what HospitalityWorld 2005 has in store for you...

Even as you hold this issue in your hand, the biggest event to hit Indian hospitality will be opening its doors at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. From February 24 to 27, all of hospitality and travel in India will be tuned into HospitalityWorld and TravelWorld, the biggest business to business events witnessed by South Asia's hospitality and travel industry.

HospitalityWorld 2005 -The India International Hospitality Forum has a dazzling array on its menu spread over 2,000 square metres. And that's besides the core offering of over 200 domestic and international exhibitors bringing together the finest gathering of the industry's most prestigious companies, institutions and leading professionals. A look at the visitor profile is evidence that no sector of the industry has been left untouched. Among corporates there will be representatives from hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, family entertainment centres, flight kitchens, speciality centres, bakeries and even hospitals. Among professionals, HospitalityWorld will cater to individual entrepreneurs, general managers, purchase executives, housekeepers, chefs, food and beverage personnel, engineering and security personnel, industrial canteens, architects and interior designers, project consultants, speciality caterers, hospitality administrators, etc.

And to ensure that these visitors won't be disappointed comprehensive integrated theme pavilions will feature chef and bartending competitions, corporate presentations, seminars, product launches and the finest deals from the industry's biggest names.

All the major associations of Indian hospitality are supporting the event. These include Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India, Hotel Association of India, Association - Hotel & Restaurant, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations, South India Culinary Association, Western India Culinary Association, National Association of Bakery Industry, Hotels & Restaurants Association of Western India.

Pradeep Gopalan, chief manager - hospitality and travel group, Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd, asserts, "HospitalityWorld 2005 is going to be the biggest event till date held in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives). There are over 200 companies, the largest number so far in a hospitality B2B event, segregated into three comprehensive integrated theme pavilions namely 'Design Scape', 'Food & Beverage' and 'Energy Zone'."

Energy Zone

One of the key highlights of HospitalityWorld is undoubtedly Energy Zone, a first of its kind exclusive business platform on 'Energy Efficiency and Conservation and its Impact' in the hospitality, healthcare, pharmaceutical and textile industries. It is being held from February 24-27 2005.

Energy Zone will be a platform that will facilitate organisations offering energy efficient equipment and technologies to showcase, network and transact business with key institutional purchasers/consumers across industries.

Says Gautam Dandekar of Aqua Engineering who is consultant to the Energy Zone Pavilion at Hospitality World 2005, “With spiralling energy costs, and ever-increasing demands to optimise revenues, energy efficiency and conservation emerge as the best suited model for shoring up bottomlines. Also, with the Energy Conservation Act 2001 to be soon implemented and the appointment of Bureau of Energy Efficiency with special mandate, targets and goals, we are confident that this platform will go a long way to benefit all participants."

Besides showcasing the best of products and services for the engineering and maintenance department, there are a variety of business sessions, seminars and case studies discussing the nitty gritties of energy management and related aspects. 'Energy Efficiency for Senior Management' and 'Engineers Conclave on Energy Efficiency', are some of the key programmes to be conducted at the Energy Zone.

The exhibitor and seminar programme is expected to attract qualified professionals including project engineers, consultants, energy managers, environment officers, chief engineers, production managers, technical heads, project management companies catering to hotels, hospitals, airlines, pharmaceutical and textile industries. "The response has been so motivating that we have decided to make Energy Zone a Calendar Event," said Gopalan.

He added, "To provide finance for all types of energy efficiency projects we have active participation from leading nodal institutions like IREDA Ltd, Bureau of Energy Efficiency and leading financial institutions/banks at the Energy Zone."

STIR 2005

After providing bartenders in Chennai with the opportunity to showcase their skills during the bartending competition held there in June 2004, bartenders from across India can look forward to flaunting their skills and proving their mettle at STIR 2005 - The Official Meet For Bartenders. Organised by Creative Consultants and 'Hospitality World - The India International Hospitality Forum' in association with Monin Bar Syrups, Real Nature Fresh fruit juice from Dabur and Bacardi, the two-day official meet for bartenders will be held on February 24 and 25 during Hospitality World.

STIR 2005 will include competitions, professional and amateur workshops on various aspects of bartending besides wine and whiskey tasting sessions, and sessions on understanding what differentiates various whiskeys.

Five bartending competitions,

'The STIR PRObartender 2005 Trophy', 'The Monin Challenge Trophy', 'The Real Cranberry Challenge Trophy', 'The Express Hotelier & Caterer Intelligence Challenge Trophy' and 'The STIR Extreme Bartending Challenge Trophy'.

Speaking about the workshops, Shatbhi Basu of Creative Consultants and promoter of STIR Academy of Bartending, said, "We will be holding three professional workshops and three amateur workshops for those in the bartending business besides the bartending aspirants"

HCIMA Seminar

Hospitality World 2005 will also feature India's first ever Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) seminar on February 26. The HCIMA India and Sri Lanka Chapters have pledged support for the seminar and a large number of HCIMA members (top hospitality professionals) from both countries are expected to attend.

'Management in a Globalised Market' is the key focus of the HCIMA seminar which is further categorised into three sessions with topics on franchising, management contracts and building a superior brand in global arena. In the first session, Philippe Rossiter, FHCIMA, worldwide chief executive, HCIMA London will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers at the sessions will be Peter Aust, FHCIMA, ambassador Indian subcontinent and vice-chairman, RMS Resorts and Hotels; Param Kannampilly, FHCIMA, chairman, HCIMA India Chapter and director, Concept Hospitality; Charles Bonificio, vice-chairman, HCIMA Goa International Group and president, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.

Great Indian Culinary Challenge

HospitalityWorld will also see the launch of the country's first ever professional national level culinary competition, 'The Great Indian Culinary Challenge (GICC)' from February 24 - 27, 2005.

About 100 to 150 culinary professionals from across India are expected to participate in the culinary competition.

GICC will be a platform where culinary professionals across India can display their individual and combined skills, creative talent, learn and share experiences, partner and network in a businesslike and competitive environment. The competition is designed based on an internationally modeled platform.

The event is fully endorsed and technically partnered by the apex body of the Indian chef community, viz The Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) and regional associations which include Western India Culinary Association (WICA), South India Culinary Association (SICA) and Indian Culinary Forum (ICF). In fact, the various competition categories have been identified in consultation with renowned and leading culinary professionals from the Indian hospitality industry.

Some of the competition categories include: Three-tier Wedding Cake, Confectionery Buffet Composition, Desserts, Five-Course Set Dinner Menu, Buffet Meal Composition, Fruit and Vegetable Carving and sponsored categories.

Going hand in hand with HospitalityWorld is India's first-ever international travel trade show TravelWorld at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai from February 24-27, 2005. The event is the brainchild of Experss Hotelier & Caterer's sister publication Express Travel & Tourism, India's leading travel business magazine for the travel trade industry. TravelWorld will front India's only B2B travel trade show alongside Hospitality World, Healthcare World and Medical Tourism Expo some of India's most relevant verticals.

By integrating technology, wellness and the film industry into its ambit, TravelWorld has sought to integrate travel into its separate pavilions dedicated to each segment of tourism, the niche focus is magnified further by the presence of concurrent exhibitions and seminars for other industry verticals.

TravelWorld 2005 has also put together comprehensive integrated theme pavilions.

A number of the state and international tourism boards will feature tailor-made products both at their stalls and through interactive presentation sessions and buyer/seller meets on a one-to-one basis, wherein, the target audience would be corporate travel managers, MICE specialists, business travellers, tour operators and travel agents, who specialise in MICE planning. A Bollywood Destination Guide would be launched simultaneously at TravelWorld that would facilitate attending Bollywood film producers, directors, serial directors, advertising filmmakers, and potential investors. The Medical Tourism Pavilion is testament to the sheer number of international visitors coming in for medical treatment to states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala. The pavilion will feature hotels, hospitals, resorts and spas, rejuvenation and therapy centres, tourism boards, travel agents, tour operators and organisations that specialise in the concept. And the target audience will be international and domestic travel service providers specialising in medical tourism packages, medical tourists, medical professionals, health organisations and the entire range of accommodation providers.

Beyond Conventions

Conventions have been largely perceived as significant value add to a trade show that extends its profile beyond the set piece of a buyer seller platform. There is a danger of a convention petering out into futile lip service if it is considered an also ran. For TravelWorld, though, the concurrent business sessions are the centerpiece with utmost detail awarded to the agenda for discussion and the scope and sagacity of the speakers and panels. The CEO's Conclave will witness the coming together of a pantheon of industry captains that shall discuss and debate issues that currently confront the industry and find a way forward. Participants will witness high profile keynote speakers of international repute, who will elucidate insights that will form the crux of a white paper on the future of the tourism industry. The insights will form the crux of a white paper on the future of the tourism industry. TravelWorld will also showcase back to back business sessions on relevant topics within the industry. These sessions will be moderated panel discussions at each forum, featuring stalwarts from the industry as well as speakers of national and international repute.

Hosted Buyers Programme

TravelWorld will source hosted buyers from the international and domestic realm. These hosted buyers would be able to transact quality business with their Indian counterparts. To enhance this even further, post-roadshows of respective international / state tourism board could be organised to recap and close transactions conducted at TravelWorld. Pre and post-Indian tours would be conducted in the most exotic states of the country. To name a few - Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and a lot more.

Conference Programme

India Shining is the perfect way to describe the country's travel and tourism potential that is maturing by the day. To further enhance this market, TravelWorld will showcase back to back business sessions on relevant topics within the industry. These sessions will be moderated panel discussions at each forum, featuring stalwarts from the industry as well as speakers of national and international repute.

CEO's Conclave

The event will bring together leading decision makers in the travel and hospitality industry. It would be an international forum of business heads, who would discuss and debate on burning issues within the industry to chart a way forward. Participants would witness high profile keynote speakers of international repute, who would elucidate insights that will form the crux of a white paper on the future of the tourism industry.

Medical Tourism Pavilion

India is becoming a haven for medical tourism. This fact could be substantiated by the sheer number of international visitors coming for medical treatment to states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala.

The pavilion will have participants that would include hotels, hospitals, resorts and spas, rejuvenation and therapy centres, tourism boards, travel agents, tour operators and organisations that specialisein the concept. The exhibitors would showcase the various benefits they can offer to facilitate any medical issues in India. And the target audience here would be international and domestic travel service providers specialising in medical tourism packages, medical tourists, medical professionals, health organisations and the entire range of accommodation providers.

Participants from top hospitals, medical insurance companies, resorts and spa properties, tour operators, travel agents, medical supplier companies, specialised health care institutes, international and state tourism boards.

The participants will showcase the state-of-the-art medical facilities, equipment, services and innovative therapies in health and stress management to the participating international audience.

Target Audience: International and domestic travel service providers specialising in medical tourism packages, medical tourists, medical professionals, health organisations and the entire range of Accommodation providers.