DOHA: Diyafa 2011, the 6th International Hotel, Restaurant and Food Exhibition for Qatar, will open tomorrow with exciting events featuring live cooking and carving competitions, food safety training, awards and a host of national pavilions from nine countries.
“With Qatar’s meteoric rise as a destination for both business and leisure travellers, Diyafa provides a platform for local and international suppliers and brands to showcase the innovations and products they are introducing in Qatar and the region,” said Sarah Mroueh, Project Manager, IFP, adding it is the only event in the country which provides the hospitality industry a chance to meet, connect, learn and compete.
Featuring over 300 brands across all hospitality sub-sectors, the three-day event opens its doors for all business and industry professionals from tomorrow till Thursday from 3pm to 9pm at the Doha Exhibition Center.
“What pushes us to continue with this event is the simple concept of providing the hospitality industry with a drive towards bettering its offerings in Qatar. By supporting the industry with competitions that require skill and expertise in Salon Culinaire, as well as quality training sessions in HACCP that add personal and professional benefit to those that participate, along with workshops on technique and dexterity with the Red Bull Bartenders Academy (RBBA), we hope to breed a new generation of hospitality industry professionals who are able to deliver quality services,” said Mroueh.
A major highlight of Diyafa 2011 is the much-anticipated Salon Culinaire competition, which will feature more than 131 chefs competing in over 150 categories. The competition has been a major crowd puller attracting hospitality industry professionals and casual visitors alike to daily live demonstrations of fruit carving, ice carving, signature dish and the black box live cooking showdown.
Carla Tarraf, Country Manager, Boecker International, noted that “Salon Culinaire re-enforces Diyafa’s aim to provide world-class standards and most importantly highlights the expertise and efficiency of all our chefs in Doha. We are there to monitor and judge the hygiene and safety aspects of the competition which qualify for 50 percent of the grading.”
For the first time, Diyafa has attracted international pavilions from Bavaria, France, Iran, Pakistan, Lithuania, The Czech Republic, UAE, Lebanon and Tunisia.
“Diyafa serves as a perfect platform to showcase best practices, undertake benchmarking activities and explore new growth opportunities and possibilities in the hospitality sector and related industries. There is no other event in the country that provides the care and attention to this industry like Diyafa does so we are here to back it up all the way,” said Hossein Vetry, General Manager, Ritz-Carlton Doha, the official hotel of Diyafa 2011.
An exciting new addition to the lineup of events taking place at this year’s edition is the announcement of Qatar Happening and Iloveqatar.net’s 2011 Lifestyle Awards which has been conducted in an online poll in various locations where all winners have been selected by the general public. A total of 15 awards will be handed out tomorrow night.
“This is the first time we host this awards ceremony in partnership with Iloveqatar.net and Diyafa and we look forward to developing the concept over the coming year and really make this a staple feature at Diyafa. All online users can see the results so it’s completely transparent,” said Moona Masri Whitice, Executive Director, The Art of Business and Printcom.
Also present at the press briefing were Imad Askar, Director of Operations, Askar Industrial Co and Dikran Vartan, Business Development Manager, Gulf Crafts. To register to visit the exhibition or for queries, visit www.DiyafaQatar.com.
The Peninsula
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