The state of the F&B and Hospitality Sectors

Even before COVID 19, the F&B and related services sectors including all hospitality sectors was already on a transformation in terms of how business was being conducted. Terms such as Farm to Fork was already on the table. Huge food and beverage suppliers who only focused their business on supplying directly to Restaurants and Hotels amongst others have in the last few years shifted their businesses to now supply directly to the consumers. This is mostly done utilising ecommerce platforms and other online business models. Naturally when COVID 19 hit the world by storm, this business transformation process was not only accelerated but saw more and more businesses joining the band wagon.

Grey Lines Between A Trade Show and A Consumer Show

Gone are the days of a clear-cut F & B and Hospitality purely trade show! The need for trade and consumer to meet is now more apparent than ever. The key or prime objective is to bring all buyers and sellers under one roof to be given a good, few days to reconnect and simply do business. It does not matter if it is B2B and B2C or even G2B or G2C! The point in this volatile business of food, beverage, hospitality, travel and tourism is that everyone is a customer and there is a lot of business to be got.

Two Mega Events Join Forces

This is why the organisers of the WHOLE series of events decided to join hands with the Organisers of the long standing show ; Tastefully . It all became apparent during the WHOLE 2020 event held last September in Penang which was initially meant to be a B2B event but the sentiments of the exhibitors and participants was that they wanted to see both groups of potential business people. They wanted to have good sit down B2B meetings but they also wanted the aisles of the exhibition venue to be flooded with good ole consumers who just wanted to buy stuff to go home and cook for their families and friends!

So it was at the Closing Ceremony of WHOLE 2020 that both Organisers announced and pledge a long term synergistic partnership where both brands ; WHOLE and Tastefully will run their events together , whether alongside or as one big mega event serving the needs of the related sectors .