Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday 26th July

 

 

According to leading Market Research Group, AC Nielsen, less than two per cent of the Malaysian population earn personal incomes of more than RM5,000 a month. And it is this small percentage that is being targeted by the dazzling number of dining establishments offering fine dining in the country. The only way to prosper, therefore, is to be in the forefront of the diners’ minds when they think of fine dining.

 

That was the thrust of the message delivered by Dato’ Steve Day, Organising Chairman of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF), in the Festival’s first marketing meeting at the Ballroom of Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur.

 

Speaking to representatives of the top restaurants that have come in for the 11th edition of MIGF, Dato’ Steve said the Festival was the best way to keep the spotlight on fine-dining establishments, not just during the event in October but also throughout the year.

 

 

“Working together, you have a louder voice than if you tried to do it on your own,” he said of the multi-million ringgit Festival platform, which includes food promotions, TV and print advertising, web presence, publications and awards, plus the media attention garnered through Festival events, namely the Media Launch, Gala Launch and Grand Finale.

 

Focusing the attention on the “bigger picture”, Dato’ Steve told the gathered restaurateurs that diners go to restaurants that they have heard of and respond to such things as credit card promotions only if the dining establishment is well known – “with MIGF you are in the frame as being among the very best restaurants in the country”.

 

Touching on the strengths of MIGF, Dato’ Steve said the Festival helped restaurants work together to increase the overall base of local diners for mutual benefit. Local diners do not stick to one restaurant and the bigger the population, the bigger the revenue stream to be shared among the participating restaurants. Only if restaurants are doing well can they then attract foreign tourists, and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) organisers and participants. Only if there is local demand can they offer foreign visitors an eclectic mix of international cuisines.

 

As an introduction to fine dining, the set-price Festival menus created by the Festival restaurants also allowed first-time diners a foray into the world of gourmet food, without getting out of their depth with the multitude of à la carte options or price concerns, Dato’ Steve said, calling it “great food at a great price”.

 

During the Festival the work of locally resident chefs – defined as Malaysians as well as expats residing in the country – is highlighted. This emphasises the restaurants’ year-round capabilities much better than if a foreign chef was flown in from overseas for a short-term food promotion.

 

The continuous attention on MIGF’s participating restaurants is ensured through TV commercials on Astro, the Asian Food Channel and Vision Four, through 70,000 copies of the Festival Magazine, write-ups in VisionKL magazine, a dedicated MIGF website and extensive media coverage, all of which create publicity for the restaurants, Dato’ Steve said.

 

 

And judging from the feedback from the restaurant representatives, they are all on board and ready for action. Chef Anthony Edington of Chalet, Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur, said he was happy to again be part of MIGF this year. “I’m very happy with the Festival, because last year I met more people in one month than I would have ordinarily met in a whole year.”

 

Al Amar’s Ralph Zeiden said he was also looking forward to being a part of the whole MIGF process, since he was thrown into the deep end last year, joining the Gala Launch on his very first day in Malaysia. “I’m excited to be part of the whole experience. We have a new chef and we have very interesting surprises (for MIGF 2011),” he promised.