Gift Basket Business Blog

Prep for Gourmet Food Trade Shows

April 12th, 2006 at 03:05pm Lorie Obernauer

How do you find new products that will continually entice your customers? At Apex Gift Foods, we are constantly looking for new items that we can add to our line. One of the best ways that we’ve found to do this is to attend industry trade shows as often as possible.

In May, there will be several gourmet food shows taking place in Chicago that can provide a great opportunity for you to see what’s happening in our industry. Two of the shows that might be of special interest for those of you in the gift basket industry are the NASFT Spring Fancy Food Show and the All Things Organic Show. You can read more about these shows in the April issues of Fancy Food & Culinary Products and Specialty Food Magazine.

So how can you make the most of these experiences? These shows are quite big: there are 100’s of exhibitors and you can walk miles and miles every day and still not see everything. There are so many new products, and you are constantly enticed to stop and taste. How can you get anything done?

This is the first part of a two part post. Below I’ll share some of the things I do to get ready to attend an industry trade show. In my next post, I’ll share some ideas about what I do once I’m there.

Prior to the show, I read everything I can about the upcoming event. Many of the industry trade magazines do features on upcoming shows a month before the show.

• Take time to read these articles and make notes about new products that you want to see.
• Look at our list of Industry Resources on this blog for a list of the trade magazines.

Before the show, I try to identify the specific types of products we’re looking for. For example, if we know that one of our cookie manufacturers has gone out of business, we have to replace those cookies. Likewise, if we know that many customers had been requesting organic coffees and teas, we add that to our “need to find” list.

• Look critically at what sold and what didn’t sell for you during the prior season.
• Talk to your staff about what customers requested but you didn’t have.
• Ask your best customers about products they hope you’ll have in the future.

During this planning phase, I also visit the industry web sites where I can register in advance for the shows. There is lots of information about the show as well as educational events that might be of interest.

• If you don’t receive it when you pre-register, call and get a list of the exhibitors who will be at the show. I check off those vendors whom I’m especially interested in seeing. I mark the booths of each vendor that I want to visit so that I’m sure not to miss anyone.

Once you’ve done this work, make a list of all products that you want to find and all vendors you want to see. If you want to attend any educational events, make sure you are registered and know the date and time of the event.

This may be the most important tip I can share with you: pack several pairs of comfortable shoes. Walking up and down the aisles is hard on your feet and back. Don’t underestimate how hard you will work.

By planning ahead, and talking with your staff and customers, you can get the most from attending these important industry events.

Look for my next posting that will offer some suggestions about how to organize your time and efforts while you’re at the show.

Entry Filed under: Business Tips, Industry News