Quality vs. Quantity: Separating Wheat From Chaff

By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 11/8/2004

These days, food shows are hot. It's the latest next thing, and everybody wants a piece. That's why exhibitors from all walks of life are knocking on the doors of food show managers. Banks want in, automakers try to squeeze by and wireless companies deem themselves essential.

Show managers are thus faced with a conundrum: Quality or quantity? Keep the exhibitor list so short and selective that attendees are begging for more? Or allow everybody with something to sell — food-related or not — to set up a booth?

Opting for quality, some managers say, leaves them with a more focused show that will maintain strong floor traffic and demonstrate value to their attendees.

Others say the more, the merrier.

Amy Philpott, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Assn. vice president of marketing and industry relations, said the United Produce Expo & Conference aims for a higher-quality exhibitor, one that fits within her showfloor's strict mold.

"It is really about quality attendees, and attracting quality executives to spend time in the booths," she said.

The annual show will take place April 30–May 3 at Chicago's McCormick Place and will partner for the second year with The FMI Show (Food Marketing Institute), the U.S. Food Export Showcase, All Things Organic and the Intl. Fancy Food & Confection Show.

In an attempt to maintain the intimacy of its near-200,000 net square foot show during the collocation, John Toner, the show's exhibitions director, said the association plans to limit the show's growth to only allow about 15 percent more exhibitors each year and, to be even more specific than that, "smaller exhibitors seeking break-through opportunities."

Hispanic food and beverage show Expo Comida Latina, held Oct. 3–5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, drew a few exhibitors whose products or services didn't exactly fit the definition of Latino food. Non-food exhibitor Dick Warden of ALCO Designs compared them unfavorably to "spam e-mail."

One such exhibitor, Health Plus, whose primary product is Colon Cleanse, "served to distract us from the task at hand," Warden said.

But the Hispanic demographic represents one of their biggest blocks of customers, Health Plus' Susan Cronje said. "I definitely think there's a niche for us." The company, which exhibited at the show for the first time in October, was well received, Cronje said, and plans to be back for the 2005 expo.

Diversified Business Communications' H. Stephen Phillips, group show director for Expo Comida Latina, said, "I can't imagine anyone would find one booth distracting with so much other activity and exciting booths at our shows."

Phillips said that his show's attendees, supermarket buyers and bodega owners, are looking for point-of-purchase items to place near their cash registers.

Likewise, growing their number of exhibitors is essential to the managers of Kosher World and the Fancy Food shows.

Still, Natl. Assn. for the Specialty Food Trade Operations Director Chris Nemchek said he has an advantage, since the group's detailed admissions process helps filter out exhibitors with products or services very far from the core mission of the Fancy Food shows.

Shows Intl. CEO Neil Ticktin said he will try to "bring in as many people as possible" for his 2005 Kosher World shows in Miami and Los Angeles. "We're not actually controlling growth," he said.

Ticktin's inaugural January show in L.A. proved that his exhibitors want ancillary products. "There are some interesting tie-ins that people don't see off the bat," he said.

Tom Baugh, vice president of consumer food shows for dmg world media, doesn't agree.

In preparation for the launch of the two November editions of dmg's consumer event, Food Network's Great Big Food Show, Baugh said, he hated the idea of saying no to potential customers, but he turned down numerous companies.

"It's a painful thing when you're doing a launch to say no," Baugh said. "We'd love to have the cash but, in our opinion, that wouldn't be a good thing for our attendees."