Mother of F&B shows

Now on its sixth year, the organizers of the International Food and Beverage Exposition are more intent on outdoing last year’s show than in competing with other trade fairs.

"Last year, IFBE had 20,000 visitors which generated onsite and future sales of P500 million despite SARS," said Elaine Gatchalian, trade fairs manager and director of Fairs and More, Inc. FMI and Training Institute of Manila Engineers Foundation, Inc., an affiliate of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, have been jointly running the IFBE for the past six years.

This year’s IFBE, which will be held from June 30 to July 4, 2004 at the World Trade Center, will have twice as much as participants as last year’s 150, 98% of which also participated in last year’s show.

"This year, IFBE will be showcasing under one roof trade shows on food and food engineering, bakery equipment and materials and wines and spirits, as well as a culinary schools competition, and an international food feast bazaar, retailing local and foreign food products," said Gatchalian.

Big Business

Although a multibillion-peso industry, the Philippine packaged food industry is dominated by only a few companies, with the rest remaining marginal players. Annual growth of 10% or more has been registered by ice cream, fruit juices, and bottled water while growth in soft drinks and milk has been less than 10%.

Equally important, the National Statistics Office survey has highlighted two consumer trends in the country that adds 1.8 million every year to its population. One, is the Filipino consumers’ high acceptance of imported goods such as wine, confectionery, and meat products. Two, is the growing dependence on ready-to-cook and take-out products by two-income families in urban centers.

The NSO estimated household spending on food in 2000 at P786 billion, up by 26% from the P624 billion in 1997. Personal consumption on food and beverage in 2002 reached P448 billion, up from P401.7 billion in 1998, or an annual growth of 3%.

Attractions

Aside from the exhibits, IFBE is also offering technical and business seminars to help food and beverage entrepreneurs improve their efficiencies and productivity as well as a franchising seminar to help entrepreneurs come out with the best franchising system suitable to their companies.

"We will have live bands and nightly beer offering in the evenings. It’s going to be like having an Oktoberfest in June," said TIME president Cesar Luis Lim.