Hospitality Show's Sweet Success

 
Media release                                                                         
11 September 2007

Hospitality Show's Sweet Success

With unprecedented sales of exhibition space, a change of date and some great new attractions, the hospitality industry's premier event HospitalityNZ Show will go on record as one of the most successful shows yet.

HospitalityNZ is the most comprehensive gathering of hospitality industry suppliers and customers in New Zealand. Now in its 16th year, the 2007 show featured the largest collection of hospitality-related exhibitors and culinary entertainment and attracted more than 7,500 attendees to the three day event.

"We attribute the great attendance to the quality and volume of exhibitors on hand and the new attractions which were positively received," said Michele Harrod, dmg Group Manager HospitalityNZ.

Attendance was up by more than 19% for Hospitality and 20% for Wine New Zealand , demonstrating an active interest from industry members to develop their businesses by securing new products, networking and keeping abreast of the latest industry trends.

Event organisers dmg world media report a record 97% of exhibition space was sold out for the September show and 93% of space sold for the hugely popular Wine New Zealand event within the show. Wine New Zealand celebrated its 10th anniversary with more than 170 wine exhibitors showcasing in excess of 1,500 wines across approximately 15 varietals. The largest collection of New Zealand wines ever in one place, it was truly a celebration of a remarkable decade for the New Zealand wine industry at this year's show.

"We were overwhelmed with the response of exhibitors and visitors wanting to attend the 2007 HospitalityNZ show and are pleased to report that more than 97% of exhibitor space for the show was sold prior to the event. We brought the date forward for the 2007 show which proved popular for all parties and we've had extremely positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees who found mutual benefit in being at HospitalityNZ," says Michele Harrod.

One such exhibitor who was extremely pleased with having a presence at the Show was first time exhibitor Javier Casteltort of TequilaDor.

"HospitalityNZ has been a very worthwhile event for us and we have been really pleased with the exposure it has given our brand," said Javier Casteltort who was introducing a new premium premixed tequila bottled beverage to visitors at the show. 

"The HospitalityNZ show is very good in that it gives you the chance to meet other business operators such as restaurant and café owners as well as bars", said Javier.  

First time exhibitors, Plug-In Pest Free also report that the response to their new product was overwhelming. "We are certainly convinced that the opportunity to talk to potential customers outweighs any other means of launching a new product and that the customer's willingness to learn and embrace new technology was just fantastic - the visitor mix at the show was perfect for our product", said exhibitor Chrissy Groat.  "I will definitely be looking at participating in a range of exhibitions in future, as it was the best form of marketing I have experienced".

A main attraction at this year's show was 'The Great New Zealand Coffee Experience' profiling both national and internationally acclaimed coffees within a specially designated area at the show for the first time.

Craig Macfarlane of Ozone Coffee was pleased with the exposure the show afforded his brand. "We've been really thrilled with the amount of coverage our brand has received with media during the show and the amount of visitors that came to sample our espresso coffee," said Craig.

In addition to the extremely popular Culinary Fare competitions there were also the national beer pouring competitions, bartending flair championships and an extensive array of hospitality equipment and supplies showcased by more than 309 exhibitors at this year's show.

"Without question this is the largest forum in which exhibitors and visitors make contact and conduct business. An astounding amount of business is written over the three days of the show, and the knock-on effects continue for many months after," says event manager Michele Harrod.

Long time exhibitor Southern Hospitality considered the 2007 HospitalityNZ show to be good business. The capital equipment supplier has attended every HospitalityNZ Show since its inception 16 years ago and has been exhibiting at the show for the last five years.

"Overall we classed the 2007 HospitalityNZ show as a successful show for us," said Roger Fewtrell of Southern Hospitality. "It's always good to have a presence at the show  as it's all part of the hospitality industry however we think it may be better to showcase capital equipment perhaps every two years. This year's show was good though in that everyone seemed really happy with the new venue. It's far more light and airy and the new halls made a huge difference which I think attracted more people to the show".

A new initiative at this year's show also thought to have enticed visitors was the Pick Six Prize Package. Each day a winning visitor was drawn and given the chance to go shopping for more than $12,000 worth of product from any of the participating sponsors; Altura Coffee, WizBang Technologies, Burns and Ferrall, Stark Vodka, Perfect Pieces and North Shore International Academy.

Visitors from Zanelli's of Rotorua, Jacks Coffee Lounge of Hamilton and Valentines Glenfield were delighted to walk away with $12,000 worth of prizes.

"The Pick Six prize package was a great incentive for people to attend the show this year and we had some very happy winners. It's definitely something we will

And perhaps the most visually spectacular stand at this year's show was Chevalier's Italian themed grocer's store. Featuring bright vibrant colours and an array of fruits and vegetables as well as deli produce the stand caught the eye of many a passer-by and effectively drew people in to talk with the Chevalier team.

"We wanted to create a real wow factor at this year's show," said Graham Janssen, General Manager of Chevalier who commented that Chevalier's stand last year was too commercial. "It's been a real team effort and we're really pleased with the outcome. It was important for us to get visitors thinking 'wow - this is who we're dealing with' rather than just going through the motions with the green grocer who they've always dealt with. And we've had some amazing feedback, people have been really complimentary so it was definitely worthwhile".

HospitalityNZ, which includes the Hospitality Show, Wine New Zealand, Telecom Seminars, the Culinary Fare and the NZ Bar Show, was held from 2 - 4 September 2007 at the ASB Showgrounds from 10am - 5pm.

Next year the show is to be held at the same location from 31 August - 2 September 2008

ENDS

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