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November 2003
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Fine Food Australia: Best in Show
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Fine Food Australia, the international food, drink and equipment exhibition was staged in Sydney on 9-12 of September and was "the most successful ever by any measure," according to organisers Australian Exhibition Services. PMQ Australasia was there for those who couldn't be, scouring the floor for new ideas to report to the pizza industry.
It was great to meet and greet all of the people and companies who work with PMQ Australasia and witness the Best of the Best Pizza Challenge. Other competitions of interest to chefs, bakers and restaurateurs included the new Sydney Culinary Challenge staged by the Australian Culinary Federation, The Official Great Aussie Meat Pie competition, and Bakeskills.
The Caboolture Best of the Best National Pizza Challenge was decided on the first day of the show with demonstrations taking place for the next three days. Theo Kalogeracos of Mundaring Little Caesars in WA won the challenge (see article on page 52 to read about the winner).
Fine Food was staged alongside Hotel Australia and filled all five halls of the Sydney Exhibition Centre. It featured a record 750 exhibitors and attracted 26,317 trade visitors.
Exhibitors came from all States of Australia and represented all major industry sectors. There were virtual shows within the show for bakery, confectionary, dairy, drinks, catering equipment, meat, natural products and seafood. "The Fine Food show has increased in stature every year since first staged in 1983, but the 2003 event was truly exceptional," said Exhibition Director, Timothy Collett.
After searching the floors for the show, PMQ narrowed down some of the best ideas from the show. A few of those ideas begin on page 62. PMQ will be there again next year covering the show for those who are unable to attend, so keep watching the pages of PMQ Australasia.
Idea One
Still trying to fit a round peg into a square hole? They built a better pizza box. Gralex Inc. Hydraulic Thermoforming Process has developed a corrugated, two-piece take-away "box" in the same shape as the pizza - round. This distinctive box can be printed in litho or flexo print mediums and offers some unique advantages. Less free air inside the box delivers a hotter pizza to the customer. Pre-formed bases and lids stack in a nest and reduce the space required to store boxes. Other advantages are: a rigid lid 'shoulder' design feature that keeps the lid off the pizza topping during transportation, breather holes in the lid to stop condensation and these round boxes use 17 percent less material than the current square alternative. Try the logical alternative.
Amcor Cartons Australasia
Phone 61 2 9394 0555
Fax: 61 2 9666 5920
ron.hamblin@amcor.com.au
www.amcor.com.au
Idea Two
It is a proven strategy that customer loyalty programs are effective in creating repeat business. Here is a company we found at the show that makes starting a loyalty program hassle-free. eB_'s unique suite of electronic loyalty programs are designed to enable pizza shop operators to build strong, growing, profitable relationships with their individual customers. eB_'s programs operate in real time to meet a customer's immediate needs and can be customized by pizza shop operators to meet their individual marketing and competitive challenges. Their business solutions operate via the EFTPOS system, such that each 'swipe' of a customer's credit, debit or branded loyalty card gives the pizza shop operator the opportunity to reward their loyal customers while moving them up the value tree.
eB squared Pty Ltd
Tel: 61 2 8255 1237
Fax: 61 2 9266 0555
mshon@ebsquared.com.au
www.ebsquared.com.au
Idea Three
Your sign is usually the first thing customers see and begins your restaurant's impression. Make that first impression a good one. Danthonia Designs creates hand-carved & hand-painted 3D signs with 24KT gold gilding. They have a broad market including many food and hospitality businesses. Their hand-sculpted food platters attract attention and bring in traffic off the street. When Pete's Place was asked if Danthonia Designs could borrow or rent his sign back to display it at the Fine Foods Show he said, "No way! It brings in too much business."
Danthonia Designs
Joe McKernan
PH 02-6723-2100
Fax: 02-6723-2204
joemck@danthoniadesigns.com.au
www.danthoniadesigns.com.au
Idea Four
The product is the"Lugama Polistar KK 8000 VED" Cutlery Polishing, Drying and Sterilising Machine, or simply the cutlery polisher. The machine has a capacity to do up to 8,000 pieces per hour, which represents a HUGE labour saving. In one cost comparison, based on 3,600 pieces of cutlery per day, it was calculated that the machine produced a savings of around $23,000 in the first year. The operation itself is very simple. The clean, wet cutlery is dropped in, vibrates through warm granulate and a UVC lamp, and the result is dry, sterilised and polished cutlery!
GIBPAT Pty Ltd
1300 558 668 Australia wide
Brisbane Phone 07 3268 6668, Fax: 07 3268 6668
Sydney Phone 02 8338 0544, Fax: 02 8338 0644
info@gibpat.com
www.gibpat.com
Idea Five
As weary and hungry hotel guest check in to their rooms, how can you make your pizza shops' name pop into their head? Sponsorship on the back of hotel keycards is a great way. Your business details are printed on the back of the hotels keycard and guests can just relax and have a pizza delivered to their room. Any guests who keep their keycard when leaving will have your details for future reference. Encouraging guests to keep their card is a great way of promoting businesses and has been a well-proven marketing technique. Kaba Australia keycards will work any hotel locking system being distributed/sold in Australia.
Kaba Australia Pty Ltd
Phone 61 2 8787 4777
Fax 61 2 9609 6610
natalie_sruhan@kabaaustralia.com
sales@kabaaustralia.com
www.kabaaustralia.com.au
Kaba Australia Pty Ltd
Phone 61 2 8787 4777
Fax 61 2 9609 6610
natalie_sruhan@kabaaustralia.com
sales@kabaaustralia.com
www.kabaaustralia.com.au
FUTURE EVENTS
Fine Food Queensland 2004
Hospitality Queensland 2004
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Sunday 21 - Tuesday 23 March 2004
Fine Food Australia 2004
Hotel Australia 2004
Melbourne Exhibition & b Centre
Monday 6 - Thursday 9 September 2004
Fine Food Australia 2005
Hotel Australia 2005
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Monday 12 - Thursday 15 September 2005
Fine Food and Hotel Australia will be staged next year at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 6-9 September 2004. Organisers report that almost half of next year's show has already been booked.
PMQ
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