Steven Leong's Blog

This should be my final post about FHA2008 in Singapore Expo and as usual, I leave the best to the last. Displays and showpieces; items that are meant to impress us visually. The competition for the best displays and showcases were basically seperated into 2 major categories : Individual Challenge Displays and Individual Challenge Artistic Displays and in turn these were seperated in 2 locations in Singapore Expo.

The Individual Challenge Displays range from pastry showpieces to wedding cakes, petite fours or pralines, desserts to a myriad of plated dishes; the Individual Challenge Artistic Displays run from the live cake dressing, pumpkin carving and ice carving.

This year, FHA2008 saw participation for the individual challenges from Sri Lanka, USA, Philippines, Korea , Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. [Read more →]

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About 2 weeks ago, was at a briefing at KL Tower regarding this bridal fair and I was really amazed at the beauty of the place. I guess a more accurate way to describe it is the beauty of it’s vantage point; being on top of Bukit Nanas and extending another couple hundred of meters into the sky, it offers a view rivalled by no other building except perhaps the Petronas Twin Towers.

This year, KL Tower chose 11th May 2008 for the bridal fair and that is exactly on mother’s day and I was really honored to be invited to be part of the show… what am I going to offer? Well… one can only find out if he/she comes and visit my booth.

More info on the show can be found HERE

And guys and girls, remember to bring your mums along; there are special gifts prepared for couples who do.

Hope to see you guys there~!

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What is a Food and Hotels show without food tastings, right? I guess that is the other part of FHA that I look forward. Food producers from around the world, be it processed or fresh gather at Singapore Expo every two years to showcase their best and latest products. There is no shortage of amazing food from the exotically expensive Alaskan King Crabs right up to the mundane milk and even rice.

Every exhibitor worked hard to dazzle the potential buyers from around Asia with the best that they offer and some even go as far as employing the best chefs even if it’s just to try to sell certain cooking sauces like Singapore’s Kwong Cheong Thye or just to promote their ethnic food like the Korean and Japanese pavilions. [Read more →]

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Days after my escape from the Drunken Monkeys™ at Raffles Design Institutes’s Graduation Show : Bold… I was hit right in the face by the said monkeys. This was the opening event to this year’s MIFW (Malaysia International Fashion Week) at Gardens, Mid-Valley City.

Was on assignment to help out a long-time friend of mine and hence, I was not the main official photographer… so I did not made it a point to exorcise the Drunken Monkeys™ before the shoot. When the show started, the monkeys were still very much awake and lucid but as soon as there is more than one person on the runway… the drunkenness started to set-in and then nearing the end of the 50 or so designer show… both drunkenness and sleepiness appeared.

All in all… a very difficult show to shot due to the Drunken Monkey™ manning the so-called “follow-spot”.

I do not know how hard I need to scream or shout about the bad follow-spot operators in KL… which I have to admit is sometimes not their fault. The crazy runway patterns that some organizers or designers come up with is nearly impossible to cover with just one follow-spot and when the occasion needs 2 follow-spots, the operators just aren’t well-trained enough nor disciplined enough to control their spots correctly without missing a beat. [Read more →]

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2 years ago, I attended the largest Food and Hospitality show that I have ever seen in Singapore Expo. 2 years on, I was there again this year… armed with my trusty camera and a determination to do a better coverage of the event compared to the last time.

FHA2008 (or Food and Hotels Asia 2008 in full) as the event is known affectionately is in it’s 16th edition this year; with over 2,600 exhibiting companies from 70 countries, it is definitely bigger than ever, this time it occupied the remote Hall 7 of Singapore Expo whilst the previous it only occupied 6.

FHA2008 has lined up a wide showcase of the industry’s must-haves, offering international buyers direct access to a wide range of products, services and technological solutions that meet their needs, while simultaneously providing an excellent platform for them to engage in trade opportunities and network with business peers and industry experts.

FHA2008 incorporates several specialised events - FoodAsia, Wines&SpiritsAsia, Bakery&Pastry, HotelAsia, HospitalityStyleAsia and HospitalityTechnology. Each event has its own distinct profile tailored forthe increasingly sophisticated needs of the region’s food and hospitality industries.

The show is predominantly a tradeshow that is geared to welcome over 50 buyer delegations, including SATS Catering Pte Ltd, the Hotel and RestaurantAssociation of the Philippines, National Bakery Association of India, Batam View Beach Resort and the Hong Kong Bakery and Confectionery Association Limited. [Read more →]

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