Singapore, 25 May 2023 Major players and key business figures representing the F&B industry from Singapore and internationally, convened this morning at the official opening of Restaurant Asia 2023 (RA 2023) and International Coffee & Tea Asia 2023 (ICTA 2023) which incorporates the 10th edition of Café Asia and the 9th edition of Sweets & Bakes Asia 2023. The three-day co-located shows, held at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore Expo and Convention Centre, are organised for companies in the F&B eco-system who are looking to venture into new business opportunities and new markets especially in the areas of food ingredients, supply chain, operations, tech, manpower, and innovation.
At the event, Guest-of-Honour Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, launched the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the Food Services sector. Also present at the launch were the Food Services trade associations and chambers (TACs) – Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), the co-organiser of Restaurant Asia, Association of Catering Professionals Singapore (ACAPS), and Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA).
A key highlight of the morning’s proceedings was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the formation of the ASEAN Restaurant Associations Alliance to further bolster relationships and opportunities in ASEAN. This Alliance unites the restaurant associations in ASEAN, presenting an important marketplace for the industry, serving as a gateway to new markets and supply chains in the region through the RA and ICTA platforms, the only platforms that have been able to gather the industry across borders in the fast-growing ASEAN region. Through this Alliance, the parties hope to create reciprocal benefits across the ASEAN F&B sectors.
According to the recent Economic Survey of Singapore (13 February 2023)1, retail and F&B spending has rebounded strongly, post-pandemic. The prospects for Singapore’s retail and F&B sectors also remain positive given the continued recovery of tourism demand.
In light of the above, the F&B industry endeavours to continuously seek business opportunities in Singapore and embark on internationalisation – focusing on areas such as food ingredients, supply chain, automation, operations, human capital and sustainability. RA 2023 and ICTA 2023 are specially designed to respond to the challenges faced by the F&B industry in Singapore and around the region. The marketplace has been quick to respond to these challenges with solutions that contribute to optimisation of human resource, internationalisation, automation & digitalisation and sustainability.
Together, RA 2023 and ICTA 2023, has grown more than two folds compared to the 2022 edition. It will host more than 240 international and local exhibitors from 26 countries covering a gross exhibition area of 7,000 sqm. The three-day show is expected to welcome 10,500 international and local trade and public visitors, business leaders from the F&B, tea, and coffee industries, as well as symposium delegates. Apart from exhibitors showcasing equipment, cocoa, specialty coffee beans, exotic teas, bakery suppliers, ingredients and packaging, trade visitors will find pavilions and zones dedicated to halal, green products and services, and liquor. The show also focuses on plant-based food and sustainable products. New to the show is the co-located JIU Asia 2023 Pavilion.
This year, the 4th edition of Restaurant Asia (RA 2023), the international restaurant, kitchen & culinary equipment & supplies exhibition, is presented by co-organisers, the Restaurant Association of Singapore, and Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) Asia and Singapore-based Conference Exhibition Management Services (CEMS).
Co-located with RA 2023 is International Coffee & Tea Asia 2023 (ICTA 2023) which incorporates the 10th edition of Café Asia and the 9th edition of Sweets & Bakes Asia 2023. Moving forward, the three coffee, tea and bakery events will come under the umbrella of newly-minted, SIGEP Asia, tapping on the rich expertise of the flagship event, SIGEP in Rimini, Italy. This move will offer new markets beyond the region and provide opportunities for engagement with a wider audience, under the auspices of SIGEP which has been the point of reference for innovations in the dessert-and-coffee food service sector. SIGEP also provides a complete overview of all new market developments – raw materials and ingredients, machinery and equipment, as well as furnishings, packaging and services.
Knowledge Hub
RA 2023 and ICTA 2023 are also organised to host the hub of learning and technical know-how to all visitors and conference delegates that includes invaluable insights on productivity, capability development and leveraging on relevant technologies to future-proof the F&B business, fronted by prominent business leaders in the F&B, coffee, and tea industries.
At the show, the RAS Leadership Symposium 2023 is presented as the leading food service event for top executives, tabling the latest and important topics from some of the most inspiring minds in Singapore’s F&B sector. Delegates at the Symposium gather to discover the latest
industry trends, network with like-minded business owners and explore new business opportunities. The Symposium, fronted by panel members from leading local F&B brands, discussed the topics of Transformation and Sustainability.
Inaugural JIU Asia 2023
Held in conjunction with RA 2023, visitors are invited to immerse in the inaugural JIU Asia 2023, a 100 sqm pavilion featuring the rarest whiskies, baijius, and spirits from a host of independent and local brands with white-label selections and rare casks, and attend curated masterclasses. https://jiuasia.com/
