The second edition of this food and beverage mega show will bring together all the stake holders under one roof to display, discuss, and explore, new possibilities.
Enthused by the success in its first year, TASTE, the B2B food and beverage trade show, will be held on January 28-30, 2010 in a bigger way, with four co-related shows.
The second edition which already has confirmation from France as the partner country, will concurrently host four shows – India International Wine Fair, India International Spirits Fair, India International Food Fair, and India International Hospitality Fair.
Each fair has a host of conferences, workshops ,and interactive buyer sessions accompanying it. TASTE will take place at Bombay Exhibition Centre with the National TASTE Week events happening at The Hyatt Regency, Mumbai.
“TASTE provides every global and national company a business platform to showcase their products in the ever growing Indian market, to an audience of relevant buyers.
It presents a fast and effective medium to meet with many buyers in one place and also to learn innovations and keep up-to-date with competitors,” said Cheryl Koshy, head of marketing, Informa India, the organiser of the show.
She said the show has grown fourfold from the last edition, and they are aiming at about 2000 square metres of booked space with country pavilions from around the world.
“We are targetting visitors from each sector of the show and expect to see at least 3000 relevant visitors across the exhibition show dates,” Koshy added.
TASTE has also lined up several food and wine tasting events in the week preceding the show. Key buyers from across the subcontinent will take part in live cooking demonstrations on the lines of ‘TASTE of France’ and ‘TASTE of Spain’.
Country pavilions at TASTE will showcase new wine and spirit labels and trend innovations for the food and hospitality sectors. Supermarket buyer for UK stores, Angela Mount, will conduct a workshop on Retailing in India, for F&B retailers, producers, and importers. UBIFRANCE will be showcasing an exclusive pavilion for hotel equipment at TASTE.
The high-level TASTE summit will have speakers including Sanjay Menon, Sonarys; Vijayan Gangadharan, director F&B, The Hyatt; Vishal Kadakia, Wine Park; Harshal Shah, Australian Sommeliers Association, and Dharti Desai and Craig Wedge from FWM, among others.
The 3rd edition of the India Wine Challenge (IWC) will now be held with TASTE. Anchored by the world renowned wine expert, Robert Joseph, the Challenge will be the largest entry-based wine competition in India. The winners of IWC will be unveiled to a VIP panel of buyers in an exclusive closed-room session.
The show looks to bring under one roof, producers, exporters and marketers from airlines, hotels, restaurants, and bars, on the hunt for new products to add to their range.
Koshy said the first edition was scheduled for December 2008, but, due to the terrorist attacks it had to be rescheduled to March this year. However, the 2009 show, she said, did not see any drop in exhibitors’ numbers despite the lull in the industry.
“We not only had 100% of exhibitor re-bookings but had to make space for new bookings as well, so I would say that the Indian market for these sectors is still booming – perhaps cautiously, but booming nonetheless,” she added.
Confirming the taste:
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
UBIFrance
SopexaAustrian Wine Marketing Board
Chile India Chambers of Commerce
Ministry of Agriculture, Bulgaria
Wines of South Africa
Regional Government Body – UK
Dubai Export Development Corporation
Association pour la Promotion des Vins et Spiriteux Amerique du nord (APVSA)
National associations:
All India Food Processors’ Association
Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA)
