What shows are left?

What shows are left?
Tags: Associations, Industry Services, Operations Management, Self Service, Trends / Statistics
July 10, 2006

With more than half the year gone, there's still time to attend a quality foodservice trade show. Whether you're a supplier looking for quality exhibit space or an operator searching for ideas, here's a list of shows that you should consider attending.

Mid-Atlantic

If you live on the East Coast, the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging Expo is the show to go to.

The Mid-Atlantic is the largest foodservice show between New York and Florida, drawing some 10,000 foodservice operators.

Even more impressive is the return on investment for exhibitors. According to show officials, a booth costs $13.50 per square foot, about one-fourth the cost of square-footage at regional shows.

MICROS vice president Louise Casamento said the Mid-Atlantic show is the most-important one in the region. As an exhibitor searching for sales leads, Casamento said the Mid-Atlantic Show helps MICROS target serious operators in East Coast.

"We won't land many major accounts at the Mid-Atlantic, but we will pull in a lot of regional operators and franchisees who won't travel to Chicago for the NRA Show," Casamento said. "It's definitely the most important show for us in that region because most restaurant operators don't necessarily want to travel across the country, so they rely on these regional shows."

Licia Spinelli, director of marketing for the Mid-Atlantic Show, said companies who target operators in the Mid-Atlantic region should exhibit at the show, scheduled for Sept. 20-21 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

"This show attracts the decision makers and operators from every segment in the business," Spinelli said.

In fact, 81 percent of show attendees are involved the purchasing process of the companies they represent. Paul Saval, president of Saval Foodservice, has been an exhibitor for 25 years.

We continually gain new customers and new ideas to help us grow our business

-- Paul Saval, president of Saval Foodservice and Mid-Atlantic exhibitor

"We continually gain new customers and new ideas to help us grow our business," Saval said.

Because of customers in the region have more per-capita disposable income, the National Restaurant Association projected the Mid Atlantic to be the fastest-growing area in the country for restaurant sales.

In addition to being in front of thousands of potential customers, exhibitors will be listed on the show Web site, MidAtlanticExpo.com and will be included in the Restaurant Association of Maryland's magazine. Despite the low exhibiter costs, booth amenities include: carpet, pipe and drape and a 7-inch by 44-inch sign with company name. Spinelli said 50 percent of the exhibitor's dryage costs are picked up by show management.

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In addition, there are pre-show and post show marketing opportunities to include:

Marketing seminars;
Access to pre-registered attendees;
New product and show deal promotion on event Web site.

"For the amount of services we provide, this show really is a good business investment," Spinelli said.

There are already 200 exhibitors signed up for the show, including U.S. Foodservice, T-Mobile and Global Payment Systems.

Bill Smith of True Foodservice Equipment, said he reaches his target audience at the expo.

"We constantly receive quality leads from the Mid-Atlantic Region as a result of being a proud exhibitor," Smith said.

For free registration to the Mid-Atlantic click here.

Western Foodservice Expo

The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is offering an early bird registration for the show, which will be held in Los Angeles Aug. 26-28.

Event director Ron Mathews said the show will include new products that have never been seen or tasted, including new international foods to be introduced into the U.S. market. There also will be new demonstration cooking theaters and a pizza pavilion.

Competitions at the show include the Ultimate Barista Challenge.

The show will also coincide with the launch of the inaugural Los Angeles Wine and Food Festival to be co-located with the Expo.

The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is produced and managed by Reed Exhibitions, and sponsored by the California Restaurant Association. For more information call 800-840-5612 or visit the official Show Web site at WesternFoodExpo.com.

FS/TEC

From outstanding speakers to on-target breakout sessions and visionary panels, FS/TEC delivers the information and perspective that restaurateurs need to stay on the cutting-edge of technology. Whether you're a large chain, emerging growth concept, independent or a contract firm or hospitality venue, FS/TEC is a must-attend for you.

In addition to hundreds of hospitality technology exhibitors, FS/TEC draws a large number of executives. According to its Web site, 26 percent of FS/TEC attendees are executives and 30 percent are independent operators. The Web site says its booth space is $27 per square foot.

The show will be held in Orlando from Nov. 5 to Nov. 8.

MUFSO

This year's Multiunit Foodservice Operators Conference will feature CNN's Anderson Cooper, leadership expert Stephen R. Covey, and restaurant executive Lee Cockerell will deliver keynote speeches at MUFSO.

Cooper anchors CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° program. Covey, a noted author, organizational consultant and leadership guru, will speak on "The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness" in a session sponsored by the Elliot Leadership Institute. Cockerell, executive vice president, operations, for Walt Disney World Resorts, will focus on successful training methods in a presentation sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company.

At the Self-Service and Kiosk Show, operators can learn about technology that will increase check averages.

The show will be in Dallas Oct. 15-18. The show is only open to operators. Self Service and Kiosk show

T. Scott Gross, author of When Customers Talk, is the keynote speaker at the 2006 Self-Service and Kiosk Show. According to show officials, Gross will discuss how to attract and retain profitable customers and effectively beat the competition.

In addition to showcasing a slew of award-winning speakers, show director Terry Thompson said several restaurant-related technologies will display the latest in self-service technology.

"It's the place to learn about ways they can deploy self-service applications to improve business," Thompson said.

She said self-order kiosks, self-pay devices and credit card equipment will be available at the show. The show will be in San Antonio Sept. 28-29. Attendance fees range from $49 to $500. Call 877-441-7545 or visit SelfServiceKiosk.com for more information.

Photo credit: A prominent booth at the 2006 NAPICs show. (Photo by Fred Minnick)

To learn about other shows for the QSR segment, visit the QSRweb.com Events Calendar.