Northstar

WORDS NAOMI NEOH Event Highlight 55 SEP-OCT 2018 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM In Brief Six thousand chefs part of a global network of chef associations were gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first time in WorldChef's 82-year history, making it the second occasion that a Southeast Asian city has hosted the congress. Into its 38th edition, the biennial event has previously travelled to over 20 cities, and will next be held in St Petersburg, Russia. The congress has grown since its first edition in 1928, which drew 65 delegates from 17 countries, representing 36 national and international associations. The four-day event convened industry leaders in food and beverage to exchange knowledge on food trends and emerging food culture, and included an exhibition component showcasing complete solutions for industrial kitchens. In all, the event drew a turnout of 6,000 delegates. Programme & Planning WorldChefs' congress committee appointed Artion Conferences & Events as its professional congress organiser, while UBM was appointed to oversee the WorldChefs Expo segment. Planning for the event began in 2017. The congress featured four components, which comprise the main presentation area for conference Impressing bigwigs from across the culinary world was a bold undertaking. sessions, a dedicated space for its youth chefs programme, a competition area for the global chef challenge and an exhibition component. East-meets-West culinary fusion It's no surprise that the food and beverage menu at an industry event for chefs took six weeks to research and develop. Executive Chef, Hisham Bin Jaafar at KLCC led a culinary team of 52 to pull off the gala dinner that featured the 'Malaysian experience on a plate'. Over 750 of the culinary world's leading professionals from more than 100 countries were present at the gala dinner, which was inspired by an 'east meets west' concept. Guests were treated to a fusion cuisine menu created with premium ingredients infused with traditional local flavours. Each course named was after traditional Malay dishes and ingredients. Hip and trendy To cater to attendees who were part of its young chefs programme, Nestle designed a trendy 'chill room', which hosted a dedicated programme for the young chefs aged 25 and below. Blowup furniture such as couches in metallic colours lent the space its futuristic vibes. The sustainability focus With an entire day focused on sustainability, WorldChefs partnered with home appliance company Electrolux to launch a sustainability initiative, Feed The Planet. As part of the initiative, delegates took home one-ingredient lunch packs comprising creations such as Carrot Focaccia, Thai Carrot Soup and Chocolate Carrot Muffin . WORDS MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS ASIA FAST FACTS Event: Worldchefs Congress & Expo 2018 Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia Date: July 11-14, 2018 Event size: 6,000 attendees Organiser: Artion Conferences & Events Contact: Valentini Amarantidou, director of development, management@artion. com.gr WorldChefs Congress & Expo 2018 The gala dinner for over 750 guests featured an 'east meets west' concept.

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