Magazines Archives - 2009 September

FHM 2009 bucks challenging times to register good growth
Story 2 - Review

Despite the economic challenges and Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, Food & Hotel Malaysia (FHM) 2009 took place without a hitch from August 11-14 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). About 800 exhibitors, a mix of direct companies and large distributors with some 10-12 principals in joint participation, took to the floor with a variety of products and services for all in the food-service and hospitality business.

The organiser’s initial concerns that the show could contract as a reflection of current weak market conditions proved to be baseless. Alun Jones, general manager of Malaysian Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd, was pleased to note that this year’s show has not only “bucked the trend” but also grown, “speaking volumes for the hospitality sector in Malaysia”.

While physical constraints denied the 10th edition of the trade event the luxury of space to expand, FHM 2009 still managed to grow by 8% over the previous show, regardless of the recession, Jones said.

However, difficult times saw visitor traffic dip this year. “Even though this show is recession-proof in terms of the number of exhibitors, we’ve found ... that organisations look more at who really needs to attend,” Jones observed. This could be what led to the drop in visitor numbers by 3% from 2007’s figure, two days into the show, he said.

Jones recalled that some 14,000 had attended FHM 2005, and “over 18,000” were at the 2007 show.

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