As the global exhibition community celebrates Global Exhibitions Day, we are thrilled to introduce Indiana Forrest-Bisley as the Event Director of FHA at Informa Markets, Singapore.
Having commenced his events journey with Informa Australia in 2011, he has since continued to serve the growth of large-scale events within the finance, construction, technology, and now food industries within APAC and ASEAN. Working in exhibitions has been extremely rewarding, and he considers himself very fortunate to have received the opportunities in the space that he has over the last decade.
With a vision geared towards an exciting future, Indiana will be leading the charge FHA 2026, integrating FHA-Food & Beverage and FHA-HoReCa into a single mega-event. Here are some of his key outlooks and strategic directions for FHA 2026.
Q: World Exhibition Day highlights how exhibitions foster collaboration. What exciting opportunities do you see FHA 2026 to further encourage partnerships and drive innovation within these sectors?
The F&B and hospitality sectors are intrinsically linked, which is what makes this collaboration so exciting. When we think about food our minds wander across international borders, cultures, and landscapes. Food allows the imagination to run wild with flavours that shift with each varying ingredient, what takes the imagination one step further is the service experience. An exceptional hospitality experience can transform an ordinary engagement into the most memorable of occasions.
Bringing back the mega-event of FHA–Food & Beverage and FHA-HoReCa and (let’s not forget) ProWine, ensures visitors can cater to each one of these unique experiences for their customers and offer them a variety of global product and brands not typically accessible to them.
Q: Beyond established businesses, how can our exhibitions actively support the growth of startups and emerging entrepreneurs within the food and hospitality landscape?
FHA offers support programs for startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses and has done so for 47 years. Together with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and Enterprise Singapore, FHA has been working in tandem with Government to ensure businesses of all sizes and structures can benefit from our international audience. Whether this is done through a grant process, special business matching opportunities or our buyers program – we’re constantly developing new means of supporting our less established brands.
Q: FHA has a long-standing reputation as a crucial sourcing platform for trade profession in the food & hospitality sectors. How do you plan to build upon this legacy and further solidify FHA’s role as a key driver of global economic development by facilitating international sourcing and partnerships?
We thrive on making connections between world food & hospitality decision makers, it’s what makes this event so special. As you may suspect, the job of enticing the worlds biggest procurers of F&B and hospitality supplies is not a simple one.
FHA has been an industry leader establishing a hosted buyers programme that attracts, accommodates and entertains the most senior buyers from the region. Buyers from hotel groups, restaurants, supermarkets, airlines, cruise ships, military, governments gather in their hundreds and enjoy a 4-day program full of networking and entertainment unparallel to any other program in this region. We have our amazing Hosted Buyer leader Andy Chua to thank for our amazing success in this area.
Q: The power of face-to-face engagement is central to exhibitions. In today’s digital age, how do you see FHA leveraging this unique advantage to amplify reach, build strong brands, and foster meaningful connections within the food and hospitality industries
The world of F&B and hospitality is all about what you see, what you touch, what you smell and, most especially, what you taste. Digital content has been great for us to engage our audience and unveil our internationalisation and breadth, but only by being at the event can you taste cheese from France, beef from Australia, Truffle from Italy, Curry from Thailand, Udon noodles from Japan and so, so much more.
Q: As we look towards FHA 2026, what is your overarching vision for this upcoming event, and what key strategies will you implement to ensure it achieves new levels of success and impact?
The vision of the FHA 2026 team is ‘creating relationships that last. Long has FHA held the mantle as the best international food show in ASEAN – we’re now even more focussed ensuring each and every visitor leaves with contacts they will work with now, and long into the future. We do this by strengthening our digital business networking activities well before the show, developing and delivering content from around the world so people know what product they will expect at FHA2026 and lastly, making our buyers programme more accessible to more of the show.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates and insights as we journey towards FHA 2026! Be the first to know about key announcements and registration details by joining our mailing list!
