Industry gearing up for Hostex 2015
Hostex 2015, being held at Sandton Convention Centre 15-18 March 2015, has a tough act to follow as Hostex 2013 in Gauteng was dubbed as the biggest and best in the culinary exhibition's 27 year history.
"We added new elements to Hostex 2013 - the last Hostex to be held in Gauteng - and upgraded existing ones - and the result was an unprecedented success for exhibitors and visitors alike," comments Gary Corin, MD of Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery, organisers of Hostex Gauteng and Hostex Cape, which take place in alternate years.
"This trend is continuing in 2015, with fresh new ideas to keep our loyal exhibitors, visitors and competitors in our various culinary competitions as impressed as ever with this leading show."
To add impetus to the success of the exhibition, a well-experienced professional has joined the Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery team and will be contributing significantly to Hostex 2015. Nicholas Sarnadas is now Event Director for Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery, having previously been at SA Chefs Association as Events Manager and National Culinary Team SA Logistics Manager. He has wide culinary experience in the industry and has worked closely with many major multinational and local food and beverage companies.
"Bringing him onto the Hostex 2015 team will make a difference and bring new perspectives to a show that we strive to keep as up to date with developing trends in the culinary and exhibition arena as possible," adds Corin.
"Exhibitions accomplish a lot. They engage the five senses and get entire markets into one venue for a few days of the year - or some specific period. There is no other media option that can compete with this rich value proposition. Worldwide, experience is showing that business-to-business exhibitions and trade fairs are the preferred platform for engagement, hosting and promotion by some of the world's biggest brands - promoting face-to-face marketing while building a company's brand and service offering in a live environment. The market continues to evolve to maintain its position as a successful platform that delivers high levels of return on marketing investment, when used properly," Corin explains.
Hostex will again be featuring the popular visitor attractions of the Global Pizza Challenge, the Barista Championship hosted by the Speciality Coffee Association of Southern Africa, and the SA Chefs' Village by the South African Chefs Association, as well as the highly successful Host-ED free-to-attend conference, which will again offer a powerful line-up of hot topics by leading industry experts.
"We anticipate that Hostex 2015 will have more than 200 exhibitors making the most of this excellent opportunity to brand build in a relevant environment, host and engage with existing clients, and sell directly to serious buyers - from among the over 8 500 visitors who will be at the show," concludes Corin.
"Hostex is founded on delivering what the industry has asked for - and we're confident that we can continue this trend of more than meeting the high expectations of the catering and hospitality industry," adds Sarnadas.
