Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum annual convention held

KOCHI: The ninth edition of the annual convention of Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF) and the seventh edition of Procurement Excellence Awards 2019 concluded in Kochi. More than 250 delegates from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and UAE attended the convention.

The convention witnessed discussions and presentations from industry experts on the latest trends in hospitality procurement, buyer preferences and path-breaking innovations from market leader. Leading corporate speakers also addressed the gathering. There were also B2B meets with over 40 vendors in attendance. The annual Procurement Excellence Awards, the first-of-its kind, conceived and rolled out in 2012 and now in its seventh year, was the main attraction. In addition sports personalities including Abhilasha Mhatre, Akansha Singh, Akash Anand, Ameya Waingankar, Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, Dilip Tirkey, Girish Sharma, Jaya Sharma and  Suyash Jadhav, were also honoured at the event on Friday.
On the final day, a grand boat race in Kochi backwaters was organised. Snakeboats were rowed by not just Kerala’s traditional oarsmen but by many of the delegates as well. HPMF is a non-profit consortium of purchasing managers from the hospitality industry representing star hotels, catering companies, stand-alone restaurant chains, retail chains and airlines, set up to provide a platform for buyers from the hospitality industry.

Training and development of procurement professionals, consolidated procurement, industry product standardization, volume discounts, improved professionalism in the purchasing process, development of potential vendors, green initiatives, corporate social responsibilities are some of the key elements of HPMF. Established in 2010, HPMF is headquartered in Mumbai, with chapters in Pune, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra and Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala and Gujarat.

Internationally, HPMF has chapters in Sri Lanka, Maldives, and West Asia, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the UK.