Food for thought

Hotels in Bahrain will be one of the main features on display at the second annual Food & Hospitality Expo 2010 to be held on January 12-14, 2010 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC). This will be Bahrain’s largest gathering of food, beverage, and hospitality industry professionals, following last year’s inaugural successful event. His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain has, once again, offered his gracious support for this expo as its patron.

Hassan Jaffer Mohammed, CEO of Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority (BECA), and James P. McDonald, president of the Bahrain Five Star Hotels’ Executive Committee, recently signed the agreement confirming participation of the hoteliers at the Food & Hospitality Expo 2010, highlighting the important role that excellent hotel accommodation plays in attracting visitors.

The committee will be organizing and managing the presence of the seven five-star hotels that will be represented with an 84-square-meter pavilion at the Food & Hospitality Expo 2010. These include The InterContinental Regency Bahrain, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa, The Diplomat Radisson BLU, Crowne Plaza Bahrain, The Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Sheraton Bahrain Hotel, and Moevenpick Hotel Bahrain. These hotels collectively represent more than 1,400 rooms of five-star standard in Bahrain.

The committee’s president Mr. McDonald, who is also general manager of The InterContinental Regency Bahrain, said, “The committee is grateful for this opportunity to show what Bahrain has to offer and will be working with BECA to show a united front at [the] Food & Hospitality Expo 2010 – an excellent an opportunity to promote our key objectives and to network within the industry.”

In addition, he said, “The InterContinental Regency Bahrain will sponsor the opening ceremony of the show, which will be open to business visitors and the general public.”

“Food and Hospitality Expo 2010 was conceived in order to optimize dialogue between exhibitors and retailers, participants, and visitors in this industry and is an ideal opportunity for those in the ever-growing hospitality business wishing to access a market of more than 274 million people alone in the northern Gulf,” said Hassan Jaffer Mohammed, CEO – BECA.

Many local and regional companies have already confirmed their participation in this event, which will feature everything related to food and beverage, catering equipment, food processing technology, and packaging products. Bahrain Five Star Hotels’ Executive Committee joins Babasons, Bahrain Modern Mills, Noor Al Bahrain, Chinese Centre for Kitchen Equipment WLL, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and TUV (Middle East) in showcasing the latest innovations in the industry. It receives extensive support from sponsors Bahrain Airport Services, Coca-Cola, and Tamkeen (Labor Fund), with Gulf Air as the Official Carrier. Food & Hospitality Expo 2010’s media partners include Space Voice FM, Woman This Month, and Bahrain This Month.

In addition, BECA and Tamkeen are co-financing a showcase within the event for Bahraini food industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with Tamkeen’s pavilion being organized in cooperation with the Bahrain Business Women’s Society. For further details about the Food and Hospitality Expo 2010, visit www.foodexpbh.com .