Members who attended the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce joint Food & Drink and Tourism network meeting last week enjoyed the result of positive collaboration between local producers.
The meeting, held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), highlighted the importance of collaboration between these industries in attracting visitors to the North-east.
Speakers included Matthew Quinn from VisitScotland who touched on tourism trends for 2016, and Elaine Booth of the Area Tourism Partnership who updated Chamber members on the implementation of a single Destination Marketing Organisation in the North-east. Peter Medley of VisitAberdeen then gave an overview of the success of FoodFest 15 and outlined how businesses could get involved with the initiative in 2016.
The theme of collaboration continued into the networking lunch that followed, showcasing a variety of locally sourced produce and talent.
Among the suppliers were Amity Fish Co. Ltd, Gourmet's Choice, CFINE, Mackie's of Scotland and Dean’s of Huntly, whose produce was beautifully prepared and presented by kitchen staff at the AECC.
Brian MacDonald, executive head chef at the AECC commented on the success of the cooperation between the producers.
“It was a pleasure to be asked to celebrate the ‘Year of Food and Drink’ by hosting the joint Food & Drink and Tourism meeting. The collaboration between the food supplier Chamber members, who supported the event and our own enthusiastic team of in-house chefs worked extremely well, showcasing fantastic, locally sourced produce.
‘’At AECC we have a strong focus on sustainability and as part of this we work hard to source as much of our produce as locally as we can, as it’s very important for us to support the fantastic local businesses that we are fortunate enough to have on our doorstep.’’