NCE on show at Hotel Asia Exhibition 2013 in the Maldives

Wednesday, 10 July 2013 00:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) participated at the Hotel Asia Exhibition which was held in Male, Maldives from 3 to 5 July 2013. This was the third successive time that the NCE participated at the Hotel Asia event. The delegation was led by Director of Trade Promotion M. Shiham Marikar. The Hotel Asia Exhibition and Culinary Challenge is the biggest ever gathering of hospitality industry professionals in the Maldives and attracts all levels of decision makers from the industry. As in the previous years, Hotel Asia 2013 once again consisted of exhibitors from Sri Lanka, India, USA and Pakistan.

Visitors from food processing industries, catering and hospitality industries, restaurants owners, bakers, design firms, catering and specialty food services, and establishments and persons related to the industry were invited by the organisers to source their requirements. Eight companies exhibited their products in the NCE pavilion. International Foodstuff Company Agri Bio-Tech Ltd., Basilur Tea Export Ltd., Dankotuwa Porcelain, Kandygs Handlooms (Exports) Ltd., M/s Samson International PLC, Felicitas Trading and HDDES Extracts Ltd. were the companies which participated under the banner of the NCE. From the participants point of view the event was a success. The event also hosted the Culinary Challenge which is one of the highly anticipated events at Hotel Asia. Chefs and service personnel from among the best of the Maldivian resorts and from other participating nations vied 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 common place. The awards and certificates given to the winners of the Culinary Challenge were sponsored by International Foodstuff Company Agri Bio-Tech and Nidro Supply, both of which are NCE member companies. The awards and certificates that are given away in recognition of the skills and quality of the chefs are regarded as world class endorsements of 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 for 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 efforts of the Sri Lankan Government to increase exports to Rs. 15 billion by 2015. NCE plans to be present at other international trade shows as well which are beneficial to Sri Lankan exporters.