Informa Markets, the organiser of FHA-HoReCa, today announced that it will postpone the event to 13-16 July 2020 at Singapore Expo due to the evolving 2019 novel coronavirus situation. The decision was made following extensive consultations with exhibitors & industry partners and considering the knock-on effects on the wider HoReCa industry as a direct consequence of the significant impact to international travel during this period. FHA-HoReCa was scheduled to be held at Singapore Expo from 3-6 March 2020.

The event is an expansion from the comprehensive international food and hospitality biennial trade event in the region, Food&HotelAsia (FHA). FHA is returning to Singapore this year as two dedicated shows – FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage. The former seeks to bring together an extensive line-up of leading hospitality suppliers in the region while the latter is Asia’s largest international event for the food and beverage industry.

FHA-Food & Beverage will take place as planned from 31 March – 3 April 2020 at Singapore Expo. Serving a wide range of industry segments including retail, wholesale, e-commerce and foodservice, the FHA-Food & Beverage event remains robust in the current climate and visitor pre-registrations continue to pour in.

Mr Martyn Cox, Event Director for FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage at Informa Markets, said, “Postponing FHA-HoReCa was a difficult decision but a necessary one, considering the effects on the wider HoReCa industry in Asia. We are now focused on working closely with our exhibitors, event partners and registered visitors to ensure that we offer them the necessary support required as a result of this decision.”

“Moving forward, we will continue to work with the local authorities and take all measures in accordance with the latest advisories published by the Singapore Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore Tourism Board. Our sole focus remains, that is to deliver high quality experiences for our participants attending FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage,” Mr Cox added.

“We are working closely with Informa Markets, industry stakeholders and the relevant government agencies, and are committed to supporting the continued success of both FHA-HoReCa and FHA-Food & Beverage. There is as yet no evidence of widespread community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Singapore and most of our events are still proceeding as planned with added precautions, which is in line with the latest advisory from MOH. Our MICE industry continues to operate and remains open for business. Nonetheless, we will continue to stay vigilant, strengthen our defences, and prepare for all scenarios. The health and safety of locals, visitors and industry partners remain a priority and we are monitoring the situation closely,” said Mr Andrew Phua, Director of Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board.

Precautionary measures for the staging of FHA-Food & Beverage 2020

For the later FHA-Food & Beverage event, the organiser will continue to work closely with government authorities and agencies to put in place necessary measures, both pre-event and onsite, to help ensure the safety and confidence of the event’s participants.

“In order to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the industry to conduct business, we will be implementing some precautionary measures at FHA-Food & Beverage,” concluded Mr Cox.

Mr Alvin Lim, Executive Director for Brand and Customer Experience at SingEx Holdings, said, “The global meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry is a tight-knit community that has always shown strong support for each other. Considering all aspects and that our primary concern is to ensure the safety and well-being of event participants, we at Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria fully respect the decisions made for both FHA shows. We will continue to work closely with Informa Markets and other event partners to explore the best possible solutions to support the postponement of FHA-HoReCa.

“Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria is BCM-certified with sound and robust business protocols in place. With FHA-Food & Beverage going ahead as planned, the necessary precautionary measures, in line with the Singapore Ministry of Health’s advisories, will be activated on-site and around the venue to ensure that any health and safety risks are mitigated.”