exhibitors

How to Exhibit at a Food Trade Show - Marketing Strategies and Tips for Food Brands and CPG Exhibitors

If you’re planning to exhibit at any of the major trade shows this is a blog post for you.

First, let me introduce myself. Hi 👋 I’m Nicole. A bit of background on me before I shell out the advice. I come from a background of over 10+ years of experience working in event management. From working in Special Events at the Guggenheim Museum, to planning conferences and networking events for tech startups, to managing over 150+ regional US courses, workshops, and shows plus 8 major trade shows (per year) for my current company, FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation. The obsession for events is real and I’m here to teach you some simple ways you can manage your ROI at your next food and beverage trade show. And why am I focusing on food? Because I simply love food and new CPG brands.


Let’s start with the basics - What Trade Shows Are Out There?

Specialty Food Association - (Winter Fancy Food around January in Las Vegas, NV // Summer Fancy Food - Around June in NYC. ) SFA is membership-based trade association in the United States representing 3,000+ member companies. Where they create, connect, support, and share the extraordinary experience of specialty food with the world.

Natural Product Expo (New Hope Network) - Is behind two trade shows: Expo East (Philadelphia, PA) & Expo West - (Anaheim, CA) - The world's largest natural, organic and healthy products event, brings together an inspired community of industry members and exhibiting companies.

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York: A once-a-year event that focuses on serving the foodservice industry in the Northeast.

Sweets and Snacks Expo - The Sweets & Snacks Expo is a can’t-miss event for thousands of confectionery and snack retailers, manufacturers and suppliers.

+There’s a ton more niche ones from grocer’s, suppliers, to coffee and pizza.


Let’s Dive In…

Tip #1: Don’t Sleep on a Press Release

Storytime - This year I attended Specialty Food Association (SFA) Summer Fancy Food in NYC on a press pass to cover the show. TONS of cool brand, check out the recap here.

Needless to say I was overwhelmed with press releases and requests to “come check out our booth!”. One positive I will note; compared to Expo East, SFA had a great press room.

Couple of tips on this topic... I honestly tried to visit every single booth that had reached out to me and had sent me a press release. One, because there were so many new and interesting products that I had never heard of and 2. It’s low hanging fruit. It’s free, and it’s an offer that is being provided to you from the organizers to reach out to their press list. It’s worth an extra quick “goggle” to find a template and create one. I’ll truly never forget a company named Boulder, who was the last press release I received before the show. When I went to visit the booth and spook with the founder, she admitted she googled it, created it the night before and sent it. Press releases are worth it and they work.

This leads me to… Tip #2… Offer Press, Buyers, Suppliers, or anyone you identify as “High Quality Leads” a Special Gift or Offer

What do I mean by this? Well, there’s a few ways to approach this…

  1. In your Press Release, offer some times to check out and stop by the booth. Once you get your responses, account for that X amount (if not a few extra) special gift bags or tchotchkes/swag items for when press comes by. This gift can include a printed brochure, flyer, copy of your press release and something nice, customizable, or even full size samples of your product.

    Here are some memorable Press gifts I’ve received:

    • Fancy Milk Frother

    • Limited Edition High Quality Bags (Customization and Limited Quantity is key here.)

      • Example: Lesser Evil had released two different high quality and different totes at ExpoEast, they only had limited quality. I got one the them and can’t tell you how many people stopped and asked me where I got it.

    • Scrunchies/bracelets/pins/branded shirts/socks - I personally love a shirt or pin of my favorite CPG brands.

    • OR think outside-the-box and have an experience at your booth. I’ve seen this done well with Eat Happy Grub where they hire a traveling pancake artist for their booth. Trust me, everyone loves a personalized experience.

2. *Even better, if possible, offer to ship products to press so they don’t have to “carry a bunch of stuff” around the exhibit hall. Trust me this small gesture is worth GOLD. No one likes shleeping stuff around all day plus you’ll likely get bonus social media content and shares out of it…Because who doesn’t love a PR box?


Tip #3: Understand how your are qualifying leads and what your expected goals and ROI post-show will be.

Knowing this and spending some extra time strategize is important here. I know because I manage my company’s trade show budget. Trade shows are a HUGE investment and can be extremely beneficial.

Some things to consider and ask yourself: Will you be investing in a lead scanner at a trade show? Old school business cards? Who are you targeting at a show? What’s your goals - brand awareness, new product, networking/sales, press?

BONUS Tip that I saw from Summer Fancy Food Show from Queen Majesty. If you’re bootstrapping and your goal is to simply get some email sign-ups for your newsletter, check out this example. Queen Majesty, a hot sauce company, simply set up a laptop/tablet on a table in their booth. I thought this was a brilliant, easy, and affordable way to collect new emails to feed their newsletter funnel. I still think a lead scanner and having a set of pre-defined criteria for MQL’s/leads is ideal, but this was a smart alternative. You can also easily set up a simple email landing page via your email CRM. Very smart.



Tip #4: Have a pre-show and more importantly a post-show plan for next steps and following up.

Just as important as it is to set up all your social media content for the pre, during, and post show, press releases, email marketing, etc. Spend time creating a few email templates based on your target “customer profiles”. Example: One post-event email for attendees, one for press, one for buyers/wholesale, etc. Have them ready to go after the expo ends.

Next, post-show, you have about a couple days to “rest”, then you need to be sorting through your business cards or combing through your Excel full of leads (if you purchased a lead scanner), and adding them to your CRM or email list for follow ups.



Tip #5: Don’t forget the Awards, Accolades, and Tapping into your Membership Benefits/NetWork

I learned this a few year’s ago from an exceptional Brunch & Learn podcast guest of mine, Kim Kaupe, on raising your hand. No one is going to knock on your door for an opportunity, you need to vote for yourself and raise your hand. Highly suggest taking a listen to the podcast episode here.

Here’s a few ideas to get your started:

Sofi Awards - At the Specialty Food Association, their sofiAwards have been honoring the best in specialty food. You get a cool trophy, a whole display section at the trade show, an awards dinner, and all the bragging rights. Plus SFA has a great membership community. I love how much they promote their members.

ExpoEast/West has fantastic content for members, attendees, and press leading up to the show. From trends, what to expect, and even best practices on how t make the most out of the show. Use and tap into everything. Attend webinars, reach out to the conference organizers, pitch them on new products, tap into any member benefits or networking events.

Overall, don’t sleep on opportunities.


Finally, I know we’re tired of hearing about the pandemic, but honestly live in-person events are back in full swing. It’s a point I’ve said for YEARS… I won’t remember a Instagram post or Tweet from a week ago but I will always remember some aspect of a live event. Whether it’s the food, decor, learning something new, or meeting someone new. That’s what makes events and trade shows a special piece to your marketing strategy.


Bonus - 2024 Show Calendar

Specialty Food Association - Winter Fancy Food Show - Jan 21st -23th - Las Vegas, NV

Specialty Food Association - Summer Fancy Food Show - June 23rd-25th - New York City

Sweets and Snacks Expo - May 14 -16th - Indianapolis, IN

Good Food Awards Ceremony - April 28th - Portland OR

Cherry Bombe Jubilee 2024 - April 20th - New York, NY

Natural Products Expo West - March 12th -16th - Anaheim, California

Natural Products Newtopia Now - August 6th -8th - Savannah, GA

NACS (Convenience Stores)- October 7-10th - Las Vegas, NV

BevNet Live (Beverage) - June 12 - 13th - New York, NY

Stay in Touch

I want you to succeed and if you want to hear more tips on exhibiting or planning an event. Feel free to shoot me an email and reach out to me @ info@womenwhobrunch.com

Speciality Food Association - Summer Fancy Food 2022 Recap

Speciality Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food at the Javitiz Center in NYC of June 2022 was nothing short of spectacular. The show itself was epic with two floors of exhibitors. One floor entirely international food focused, another floor more America and start up focused. A whole section highlighting sofi Award winners, pitch slams, and not to mention that City Harvest NYC picked up hundred of donated pounds of food post-show. Incredible.

Highlighting my top favorite companies and products in the categories of:

  • Brunch Products

  • NY Local Businesses

  • Women-Owned Businesses

Brunch Brands & Products:

Happy Grub:

The first ever instant pancake mix to come in a fun squeezable bottle. Flavors include: Buttermilk, Banana, Apple Cinnamon, Whole Wheat. Woman-owned company, Founded by Ashley Davies.

What I loved most about this booth was they had a pancake artist and were able to recreate our Women Who Brunch logo from their pancake mixes… plus the facts that the pancakes were actually delicious. Really enjoyed the buttermilk flavor and great idea for families and cooking with kiddos.


RISE Brewing Co.

RISE Brewing Co. makes all organic nitro cold brew coffee, lattes, tea, cold brew, and oat milk. At the show they showcased their cold brew coffee nitro shots (available in 2023), and full lineup of oat milk canned cold brews. Personal favorite was the London Fog Canned Tea.


Tillen Farms by Stonewall Kitchen

Bloody Mary Medley & Condiment Collection:

When building your next Bloody Mary, switch out your standard swizzle sticks in favor of these pickled veggies from Tillen Farms. Their Bloody Mary Medley & Condiment Collection includes tangy carrot sticks, petite cornichons, garlicky asparagus and spicy dilly beans all pair perfectly with this savory cocktail for edible garnishes that put celery stalks to shame.

Not to mention they have a Bloody Mary tea towel as a perfect edition to your kitchen or as a gift.

Stonewall Kitchen also has a great lineup of brunch flavor jams like bellini and mimosa as well as pancake mixes.


Runamok

Runamok is a family-owned, Vermont based company that started with a foundation of premium, organic maple syrup and has expanded to an array of maple and honey-based products. 

Highlighting some of their new (and personal favorite) products: Sparkle Syrups, Maple Ginger Mule Cocktail Syrup, and Florida Orange Bloom Honey

Honestly what is brunch without great maple syrup?


Butternut Mountain Farm:

Local farmers have been selling their maple syrup to the Marvin family of Butternut Mountain Farm for forty years. Based in Morrisville, Vermont, Butternot Mountain Farm is one of the largest maple processors and distributors in the United States.

New products: Squeeze Bottle Maple Syrups and Maple Sugar


New York Brands:

Sfoglini

About the makers: Sfoglini was founded in Brooklyn in 2012. Since its founding, Sfoglini has been operated by Steve Gonzalez and Scott Ketchum: a chef and a creative director, respectively, each with a serious passion for pasta.

In 2018, Gonzalez and Ketchum sailed Sfoglini operations up the river to Coxsackie, New York, a Hudson Valley town of just over 8,000 people, where 100% of Sfoglini pasta is now dreamt up, made, and boxed.

Newest and most popular type of pasta is the Cascatelli pasta by Sporkful.

From the mind of James Beard Award winner Dan Pashman, creator and host of The Sporkful food podcast, comes CASCATELLI (Italian for “waterfalls”). Three years in the making, this brand new shape was created in collaboration with the artisans at Sfoglini. Cascatelli is designed to maximize the three qualities by which Dan believes all pasta shapes should be judged:

• Sauceability: How readily sauce adheres to the shape

• Forkability: How easy it is to get the shape on your fork and keep it there

• Toothsinkability: How satisfying it is to sink your teeth into it

I tried a sample of the Cascatelli pasta with Carbone sauce and it was truly toothsinkable!

The Matzo Project:

Artisanal matzo company founded in Brooklyn NY, The Matzo Project introduces carefully made, artfully packaged, legitimately scrumptious matzo.

A great story of Summer Camp friends Ashley Albert and Kevin Rodriguez setting out to bake a new take on the culturally beloved, but traditionally flavorless box of matzo.

I’m officially here to say Ashley and Kevin were the nicest people to talk to and not to mention the cinnamon sugar matzo chips are my new favorite.


Quality ingredients, along with plenty of creativity, love and passion, remain at the heart of these amazing chocolate cups. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Jessie roasts fresh Virginia peanuts in-house, transform them into creamy peanut butter, add Belgian chocolate and voilá, we’ve created the perfectly nutty, two-bite treat just for you!

I absolutely loved how smooth the almond butter cup I tried was, and so rich and decadent.


Little Red Kitchen Bakeshop:

The Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop was created by Susan Palmer in 2014, a native New Yorker who always had a passion for baking. Since she was a small child, you could find her side by side with her mom in the kitchen baking cookies.

Susan has even won Brooklyn Cookie Takedown in 2011 and 2012. With cookie pies, gift boxes, DIY Cookie kits, and cookie of the month club; there’s plenty of delicious options to choose from for any cookie lover. Now I’m hungry.


Woman-Owned Companies

Sunday Night Foods:

From growing up on an Iowa farm to spending decades in corporate America, Eileen Gannon has always had a passion for baking, winning over 600 culinary awards. Now, she’s putting all her best-kept secrets into Sunday Night to share her delectable sauces and recipes.

Using a classic French technique, we make each small batch with legendary Guittard chocolate and cocoa, cane sugar, fresh cream and butter, pure Nielsen-Massey vanilla and sea salt to create chocolate euphoria.

Sunday Night also works with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and donates 1% of sales to NAMI.

Heat up a spoonful for 10 seconds in the microwave, put on ice cream or cookies and you will NOT be disappointed my friends.


Ossa Spices:

A story of Lisa Carson and Connie Wang, two co-workers-turned-friends-turned-co-founders who were so obsessed with the idea of getting just enough that they designed a spice pod and set up a factory.

In the same way a pinch of spice can transform a meal, their hope is that tiny portions can help transform the food industry.

Very interesting info from their website: (which by the way, is such a creative site. I love the visuals and copy on it. Bravo to good creative marketing!)

  • Occo spice pods are made from aluminum, the most recycled and most recyclable material on the planet.

  • Gound spices actually lose flavor within 3-6 months. Oxygen, light, heat, and humidity (common occurrences in a kitchen) cause the essential oils in spice to oxidize and decay. Without these aptly-named oils, spices lose their color, aroma, and flavor.

  • Occo spices are portioned into half-teaspoon pods and sealed for airtight freshness using a modified atmosphere packaging technique.

My favorite part of the booth was that you could customize a packet of spice pods. Loved this display and concept!


Rule Breaker:

Deliciously soft-baked vegan brownies and blondies. First ingredient? Chickpeas! Deliciously soft-baked, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, non-GMO, and allergen-free! Allergy Friendly Snacking. Woman-owned by Nancy Kalish!


Overall, I could have easily spent the full three days at the show talking to and checking out many other great exhibitors. I spent one day on mostly one floor alone! Next year if you’re in town, I highly suggest you check it out, especially if you’re a foodie like me.

Best of all, check out my epic snack and sample haul below... I don’t mess around.