Food & Hospitality Asia (FHA) is one of the most important F&B trade shows in the region for food and beverage brands looking at market entry into Asia Pacific export markets. Brands arrive with high expectations, particularly around finding distributors, and can on some occasions leave frustrated when those expectations aren’t met.
The opportunity at FHA is real. But what happens on the floor at FHA is only a small part of the equation. If you approach FHA with the right mindset, it can be a valuable step in your Asia Pacific market entry strategy.
If you don’t, it can be an expensive exercise with limited return.
1) Deep distributor conversations are challenging on the floor at FHA
FHA is a large-scale event. Thousands of exhibitors. Ten halls. Eighty thousand plus attendees moving through the venue over the four days. Trying to have meaningful commercial conversations in that environment is difficult. Time is limited. Attention is fragmented. Conversations are short.
Many brands attend expecting to identify and be on the way to appointing a distributor during the show. That is rarely how it plays out. Most of the major ASEAN food distributors are there, but, not all are there to walk the floor looking for new brands. Many are there to meet their existing principals, support their current portfolio, and manage ongoing relationships.
Many of them are busy on their own stands. Others are moving between scheduled meetings. Very few have time to engage in long, exploratory conversations with new brands. This is where expectations need to be realistic. FHA is not where distribution deals are done. It is where introductions are made.
2) Getting attention at FHA is difficult both before and after the show
Many brands try to schedule meetings in advance of FHA. While this is the right approach, in practice it can be challenging. Schedules during the show are fluid. Meetings shift. Priorities change. People get pulled in different directions. Even when meetings are booked, they are often shorter than expected or rescheduled on the day.
This is not a reflection of interest. It is simply the reality of the environment. The same applies after the show. Like the brands themselves, distributors return to their offices following FHA and immediately go into catch-up mode. They are dealing with backlog, existing customers, urgent fires that need putting out and internal priorities.
At the same time, they are being contacted by a huge number of brands they met during the show. This is where many brands lose momentum. They follow up once or twice, do not receive an immediate response, and assume the opportunity is gone.
In reality, this is where understanding distributor psychology becomes important. Distributors prioritise what is clear, financially viable, and makes the most commercial sense to action. If your follow-up does not stand out or requires too much effort to assess, it will be delayed or ignored.
3) Success at FHA comes from structured follow-up
The brands that get the most out of FHA are not the ones trying to close deals during the show.
They are the ones who:
- Make targeted introductions
- Connect with the most relevant senior representatives
- Keep conversations simple and focused
- Follow up with clarity after the event
Your objective at FHA should be straightforward: Get remembered.
You are not there to close a sale. You are there to create enough interest that your follow-up is recognised. Your pitch must be clear, concise, commercially grounded and cover positioning, pricing, channel focus, and the support you can offer to establish and grow the brand in the new export market.
If your follow-up is generic, unclear, or overly long, it will get buried in the inbox. Consider timing as well. Often, the most effective approach is to follow up after the initial post-show period or to schedule a market visit to Singapore or your target ASEAN markets a month or more later. Face-to-face meetings in a normal working environment are far more productive than conversations on a busy trade show floor.
Read this blog article on how to get the attention of APAC distributors.
If attending FHA is part of your Asia Pacific market entry strategy, the key is not how much you do during the show but how well you prepare and follow up. Incite works with food and beverage brands to identify the right APAC distributors for them, and manage the process from introduction through to appointment and growth. Reach out to us if you’d like to discuss how we can support you achieve your objectives.
