8 local companies at NCE pavilion at Hotel Asia 2014 in Maldives

Saturday, 27 September 2014 01:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) participated at the Hotel Asia 2014 exhibition which was held in Male, Maldives from 8 to 10 September. This was the fourth successive time that NCE participated at the Hotel Asia event. The delegation was led by Director Trade promotion M. Shiham Marikar.

Hotel Asia Exhibition & Culinary Challenge is the biggest-ever gathering of hospitality industry professionals in Maldives and attracts all levels of decision makers from the industry. As in the previous years, Hotel Asia once again consisted of exhibitors from Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Pakistan this year as well. Visitors from food processing industries, catering and hospitality industries, restaurant owners, bakers, design firms, catering, specialty food services establishments and persons related to the industry were invited by the organisers to source their requirements. Chefs and personnel from the purchasing departments of almost all the Maldivian resorts visited the event and showed interest on the product ranges exhibited by the NCE delegates. The Chief Guest at the event was the Vice President of the Republic of Maldives Jameel Ahmed, accompanied by Guest of Honour Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development. Eight companies exhibited their products in the NCE pavilion. International Foodstuff Company, Agri Bio-Tech Ltd., Basilur Tea Exports Ltd., Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC, Samson International PLC, Fanam International Ltd., Ideal Foods & Beverages Ltd., 4Ever Skin Natural Ltd. and Cargills Quality Foods Ltd were the companies participating under the NCE banner. From the participants’ point of view, the event was a success.

The event also hosted the International Culinary Challenge, which is one of the highly-anticipated events at Hotel Asia. Chefs and service personnel from both the best of the Maldivian Resorts and from other participating nations vie for top honours at the competition. The Culinary Challenge itself adds a unique and diverse facet to the event, harnessing the best of talent in the region in one place. The awards and certificates given to the winners of the Culinary Challenge were sponsored by International Foodstuff Company Agri Bio-Tech Ltd. and Nidro Supply Ltd., both of which are NCE member companies. The awards and certificates that are given in recognition of the skill and quality of the chefs are regarded as world class endorsements for the participants internationally. The NCE provided a complete package to its delegates including stall reservations, air tickets, hotel and sample shipments, which were well appreciated by the delegates. The NCE also arranged meetings with buyers in some of the Maldivian resorts, based on the delegates’ profiles. The main objective of the NCE is to promote the products and services of members and non-members of the Chamber at various international trade shows, to support the vision of the Sri Lankan Government to increase exports to $ 15 billion by 2015. NCE plans to be present at other international trade shows in the future which are beneficial to Sri Lankan exporters.