THE 11th Vodafone/Westpac HOTEC Tradeshow to be held at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau from November 25-27 will set a new benchmark for tourism trade expos in the South Pacific.
Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association president Dixon Seeto made the comment at the launch of the event and sponsorship announcement yesterday.
Vodafone and Westpac Bank announced their $20,000 sponsorship for the trade show.
Mr Seeto said they have had overwhelming support from local and international industry for the Vodafone/Westpac HOTEC Tradeshow.
He said the event would provide a platform for exhibitors to showcase their products.
“The Vodafone/Westpac HOTEC is Fiji’s leading annual hospitality trade show which blends the best of local and international food and beverages, equipment, supplies, communication, services and hospitality technology businesses to enhance the international relevance of Fiji’s hospitality and tourism operations. HOTEC is the premier event for the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association and is well known with local and international exhibitors in the past 10 years,” he said.
The trade show this year will also feature a range of competitions to highlight skill sets in the industry.
“These competitions include the cocktailer of the year competition, wine ambassadors competition, barister of the year competition and the salon culinare, which is organised by the Fiji Chefs Association. Wine ambassador is our new and exciting competition that highlights a growing sector within our market,” he said.
Vodafone Fiji Ltd chief commercial officer Ronald Prasad said the event was fast becoming a popular ground for local and international exhibitors to showcase, network and to share learning experiences, all with the common goal of boosting tourism and tourism related business opportunities.
“HOTEC is a great channel for brand building and launch of new products and packages for tourism in the South Pacific. Vodafone Fiji provides an important auxiliary service through its communication network keeping businesses, suppliers, tourists and the various stakeholders connected to give a complete and unique Fiji experience,” he said.
Mr Prasad said their sponsorship of the event was testament to Vodafone’s commitment to further strengthen Fiji’s tourism industry. Westpac has come on board as a sponsor for the first time this year.
Westpac Fiji head of marketing Nirmala Nambiar said the bank had a common goal which was to provide the best service to its customers and to put customers at the centre of everything they did.
“Westpac’s commitment to the tourism industry is to continuously support them with innovative banking products and services designed to make banking easier and convenient for our customers and visitors and to save time and money,” she said.
