Philippine Restaurant, Café & Bar Expo

L-R May Juan and Amy Ball with the representatives of PHILRESCA exhibitors

The Philippines is set to have its first sourcing platform dedicated to the restaurant, café, and bar industry next year. Scheduled on March 2 to 4, 2017 at Hall A, World Trade Center, Metro Manila, the Philippine Restaurant, Café, and Bar Expo (Philresca) 2017 will run as a trade-exclusive event for the industry’s established and emerging buyers and sellers and feature a series of educational and competitive events sanctioned by World Coffee Events.

“Today’s fast consumer lifestyle is very much geared towards dining out and enjoying the food experience, with Filipinos spending an extra 11% on restaurants and hotels in 2015 than they did the previous year. While Filipinos spend at least 42% of household expenditure on food and beverage*, customers today are also more informed and discerning in their choices. It’s not enough to open a restaurant. Supplier partners are key. The winners in the business are those who can source the right ingredients that will cater to today’s taste,” says May Juan, President of Phil. Asia Conferences and Exhibitions Inc., the company behind Philresca.

• Restaurant and hotel spending grew by 11% in 2015
• World Coffee Events will co-organize industry symposium on March 1
• On top of the expo, Philresca will host this year’s most anticipated Philippine coffee championships

The three-day B2B exhibition will match buyers with suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, and service providers of commercial kitchen equipment, café, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, baking and pastries, specialty food, delicatessen, and other allied services. Professionals from the F&B and hospitality industry, HRM, culinary, and tourism schools, and international buyers will be able to source their requirements and learn new tricks of the trade during the exhibition.

As the first of its kind in the Philippines, the show stands to carve out its own niche in the world of food and beverage where about 50% of trade visitors in food trade exhibitions come from the restaurant, café, and bar industry**.

Among Philresca’s aims is to put the spotlight on the beverage industry, which has grown immensely over the years thanks to new technology, emergence of specialty outlets like speakeasies and third-wave cafes, and a more open market who embrace community and craft creations.

As an appetizer to the exhibition proper, Phil. Asia Conferences and Exhibitions Inc. and World Coffee Events will co-organize Re: Verb Manila on March 1. The one-day symposium will focus on connecting stories to introduce and expound upon the world of specialty coffee by combining live speakers and media and create conversations among participants. The sessions will be led by industry leaders who will impart valuable professional knowledge to practitioners and students.

Philresca will also feature this year’s Philippine National Barista Champion and Philippine National Latte Art Championship, the winners of which are sent to the world championships and compete among the best in the coffee industry.

“Beyond business, we envision Philresca as an educational venue to discover new talent and sharpen the craft of future service leaders. We are glad to host the Philippine National Barista Championship and the Philippine National Latte Art Championship and help bolster the position of Filipinos in the global coffee industry,” says Juan. The restaurant, café, and bar industry is predicted to employ 795,000 people by 2017, according to government data.

Philresca is supported by UCC Ueshima Coffee Phils., Inc., MK Kitchen Equipment & Supplies, Barista Depot, Allegro Beverage Corporation, Fly Ace Corporation, Blu Coffee Distributors Corporation, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, Goldbell Philippines Impex Corporation, Ricmas Commercial Eqpt., Ltd., HORESCA, Concept Specialist Inc., Café Amadeo, California Milk Advisory Board, Bote Cental Inc., Manila Bambi Foods Corp., Culinary Generals & Razor Chef Philippines, and El Kapitan Food Enterprise.

To register as a buyer, book a space as a seller, or inquire about sponsorship opportunities, send an email at info@phil-ace.com or call 02-5097767. For more information, visit www.philresca.com.