Final Food Show Shoe Drops
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 3/12/2007
As expected by many, the Natl. Assn. of State Departments of Agriculture decided to keep its U.S. Food Export Showcase in Chicago, collocating with two other food-related shows, the Spring/Midwest Intl. Fancy Food & Confection Show and All Things Organic, starting in 2008.
Back in December, NASD Executive Vice President Richard Kirchoff told Tradeshow Week, "Chicago has been a good location for us and our exhibitors."
At that time, the Food Marketing Institute and the United Fresh Produce Assn. said they would move their shows to Chicago beginning in 2008. The Food Export Showcase currently collocates with the FMI Show plus Marketechnics and United Produce Expo & Conference, in addition to Fancy Foods and All Things Organic.
The five shows, which had all been staged together and become known as the Power of Five, will be together at Chicago's McCormick Place for the last time May 6–8. Just before last year's shows, FMI announced it was moving to a biennial format in 2008 and rotating from city to city. That eventually led to decisions within the last few months by four of the five shows about their own fates following this year's final collocation. NASD was the last to announce where it would be next year.
"Las Vegas presents a number of challenges for us," Kirchoff said.
In January, Kirchoff said that NASD had scheduled a Feb. 8 board meeting at which the issue would be discussed, and he saw no reason to not go ahead with that plan. However, he had already said that many of his exhibitors and attendees were probably going to be happier with staying in Chicago than joining FMI and United Produce at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
