In 2004, the event drew 212 exhibitors from 28 countries and more than 7,000 trade visitors.
The event is jointly organised by VCCI Exhibition Service and Singapore Exhibition Services (SES). The latter is the organiser of the biennial Food & Hotel Asia, which drew 2,718 exhibiting companies and more than 37,000 international visitors in 2004.
The Vietnam exhibition is being marketed as a platform for Vietnam's hoteliers and restaurateurs to access an international variety of quality products and equipment to meet Vietnam's growing food and hospitality market.
SES spokesperson Pamela Phua said: "The two events serve different markets. Food & Hotel Vietnam primarily serves Vietnam's food and hospitality market, while Food & Hotel Asia serves the greater Asian market.
"Food & Hotel Vietnam 2004 differentiated itself from other exhibitions in Vietnam as many of the existing exhibitions there do not have an international profile," added Phua.
US Meat Export Federation ASEAN director Eric Choon said: "We were pleased with the 2004 exhibition as the quality of visitors was very high. There is a large untapped market for our products in Vietnam."
SES seeks Vietnam show growth
Organisers of the Food & Hotel Vietnam 2005 to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from December 1-3 are targeting a 30 per cent increase in participation on last year's inaugural event.
