NZ success at trade fair

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 30

NZ success at trade fair

NZPA staff correspondent, in Singapore

The largest-ever group of New Zealand companies to take part in an international food fair made up a stand at Food and Hotel Asia, the biggest such trade exhibition in South-East Asia, which ended in Singapore on Friday. The Trade Commissioner, Mr Warwick Hawker, said that he had been delighted that 33 companies had agreed to participate in the trade office-sponsored New Zealand stand. '

Company representatives interviewd by the NZPA on Friday were enthusiastic about the reactions of trade buyers from throughout Asia to their products during the three-day fair. The reported responses ranged from on-the-spot sales to keen interest from local agents and distributors in handling the wide range of New Zealand foods and food-related items on display. Most said they would be kept busy for some time following up leads from the fair.

The assistant Trade Commissioner designate, Mr Anthony Briscoe, who acted as stand manager, said he had been very pleased with the way the fair had gone. He said, after his own informal survey on Friday,

that the New Zealand companies had all seemed very pleased with the results of their participation. “Everyone was participating for different reasons,” he said.

Some companies, such as Waitaki NZR, which set up a Singapore office in January, were testing market reaction to a range of new processed meat products to find out how to specifically cater to Asian tastes.

Others were seeking agents of distributors for their products, hoping to make direct sales or — as is the Meat Board — carrying out “flag-waving exercises” to broaden buyer awareness of New Zealand products. The Meat Board’s trade promotion manager, Mr Barry Leydon, who attended the last Food and Hotel Asia two years ago, said the fair was about 60 per cent bigger this time.

Trade officials said the fair had been very successful from New Zealand’s point of view. Companies reported very satisfactory responses from buyers and distributors as far afield as India and Pakistan to New Zealand products at the fair, regarded by trade officials as the most important of its type in South-East Asia.