Hospitality industry’s ménage-a-cinq a must see

Press Release 7 August 2008

The hospitality industry’s ménage-a-cinq is a must see show

With exclusive workshops by international celebrity chef, Alain Devahive, from the famous Spanish restaurant elBulli, and exhibits of the leading hospitality products and services, a line up of business seminars from some of New Zealand’s leading hospitality experts, 150+ New Zealand wines on show, and a full seminar and awards programme in Wine New Zealand, as well as 69 competitions judging the best of the best in the industry – HospitalityNZ can’t be missed.

Running from August 31st until September 2nd HospitalityNZ is the combination of five shows all rolled into one: The Hospitality Show, Wine New Zealand, Coffee & Beverage, The Telecom Seminars and The Culinary Fare. This year’s show will feature the largest collection of industry exhibitors in the country, plus a gourmet food court and new demonstration areas where visitors can view and sample the latest foods, flavours, appliances, equipment, furniture and apparel.

One of the main drawcards at HospitalityNZ is the Alain Devahive workshops which will be showcasing elBulli’s well known techniques of ‘Techno-Emotional Cuisine’ – Spherification, Gelification, and Emulsification. A workshop experience with Alain is a once in a lifetime opportunity and over half the tickets have already sold.

The industry’s most prestigious awards will be fiercely contended at the Culinary Fare with no less than 69 competitions. From the illustrious Restaurant of the Year to the Global Chef’s Challenge, where eight regional chefs will compete for the right to represent New Zealand at the Pacific Region Final in Australia in 2009 and then for the chance to win the opportunity to go on to the World Final in Santiago, Chile in 2010.

The Culinary Fare has also established a reputation for identifying New Zealand’s best up-and-coming chefs of the future with the Torque D’Or competition, the premier student culinary and restaurant service competition.

Michele Harrod, the manager of HospitalityNZ, commented: “In a tightening economic environment it becomes increasingly important for those in the hospitality trade to test their skills, learn from the best and to keep up-to-date with international trends. HospitalityNZ combines all aspects of hospitality in one show making it easy for trade members to view everything relevant to them over the course of the three days.”

Mark Seymour, from Blanket Bay Vineyards in Nelson, also remarked; “HospitalityNZ is invaluable to our business. The South Island is a popular destination for tourists to New Zealand, so from our business perspective it is incredibly important that we are on the cutting edge of international trends. It is a necessity to make sure we are able to offer services to a standard visitor’s are accustomed to or better yet, exceed them! HospitalityNZ is firmly in our diary as it is a huge contributor to helping us to stay at the top of our industry.”

The Coffee & Beverage show promises two further must-see highlights. In what has been referred to as the Bledisloe Cup of coffee making, the Trans Tasman Barista Championships final will be a knuckle-biting race to see which four-man team can serve the maximum number of coffees while achieving great taste and artistry – go the kiwis.

The Flair Bartending Championships will also decide New Zealand’s ultimate bartender. With the top five qualifiers from the National Final pouring, mixing and flairing away in the Grand Final it promises to be a fast paced and visually stimulating contest.

The Hospitality NZ show will be held from the 31st August until the 2nd September at the ASB showgrounds. Please go to the website www.hospitalitynz.co.nz to find out how to gain entry to each of the events. There are now only 25 days left before HospitalityNZ, the hospitality industry’s event of the year, kicks off. Everyone who is anyone in the industry will be there to either exhibit their outstanding skills and wares or to glean an insight into the most up-to-date international trends.

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