Raise a glass to anniversary
Ten years after its launch, food and drink expo is poised for a record crowd at celebration
If there ever was an ideal city for a restaurant and bar expo, Hong Kong could stake a good claim for being one. With more than 11,000 bars and restaurants packed into the city, it is arguably Asia's gourmet capital.
This month sees the 10th anniversary edition of Restaurant and Bar Hong Kong, the annual get-together for suppliers and restaurateurs in Hong Kong's food and drink trade. More than 80 per cent of the expo's attendees are from Hong Kong, says Stuart Bailey, general manager of Diversified Events Hong Kong, the masterminds behind the event. Given the city's extraordinary concentration of food and drink outlets, he says there are more than ample interested parties in Hong Kong alone.
"In 2002, we began a journey, armed with the belief that Hong Kong and Macau needed an event at which to come together on an annual basis to meet, share ideas, source new products and be inspired to produce an even better restaurant experience for their diners."
The next edition, he recalls, was threatened by the Sars epidemic, but he and his fellow organisers "were amazed by the support that the industry in Hong Kong gave us. Since then [the event has] grown and grown."
Last year's event attracted a record 12,107 attendees, and Bailey expects at least that many again this year. "When we started Restaurant and Bar Hong Kong, we had around 4,000 visitors," he says.
The event is unique in that it caters to the high-end of the industry, a sector that is not undersubscribed in Hong Kong. As a result, suppliers and delegates represent quality establishments and there is a real emphasis on sourcing the finest quality products.
