Fruit and Veggie Lovers Freshen Up Their Shows

Two fresh fruit and vegetable groups have joined forces, combining their staffs and operations into one, more powerful industry association. Just one thing remains to be settled: what to do with their respective tradeshows.

By deciding to collocate in Las Vegas next May, the former United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Assn. and Intl. Fresh-Cut Produce Assn. have taken a big step in figuring out how - and whether - to combine their two shows, the former United Produce Expo & Conference and Intl. Fresh-Cut Produce Assn. Annual Conference & Exhibition.

The two groups merged in September 2006, forming the United Fresh Produce Assn. Vice President of Conventions John Toner, originally with the UFFVA, said they were able to retain the entire staff of both associations. Former UFFVA head Tom Stenzel is the CEO of the combined United Fresh Produce Assn., while his counterpart from Fresh-Cut, Jerry Welcome, is executive vice president of business development for the new group.

The two associations also combined boards of directors, meaning the single one now has 45 seats. Since its formation, Toner said, the UFPA has been preoccupied with deciding how best to grow while continuing to serve its existing constituency.

The shows have been a big part of that, he added. The 103-year-old United Produce show featured products, services and equipment for farming, packaging, processing, transporting and storing fruits and vegetables. It was part of the huge five-food-show collocation held each spring at McCormick Place in Chicago. That fell apart when the Food Marketing Institute announced its departure from the event in 2006.

Soon after FMI unveiled plans to hold its FMI Show Plus Marketechnics at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the UFFVA said it would tag along, adding United Produce to the mix.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old annual Fresh-Cut show, displaying equipment and services for fresh-cut produce, was rotating around the country, last taking place April 26-28 at the Palm Springs (Calif.) Convention Center.

Following the merger, the UFPA moved the Fresh-Cut show to Las Vegas as well. And that's not all. The UFPA took the opportunity to rename the shows, too.

As a result, booked at Mandalay Bay May 4-7, alongside FMI's event, will be United FreshTech (formerly Fresh-Cut) and United Fresh Marketplace (formerly United Produce). Toner said the rebranding was meant to expand both shows into new territory, from irrigation equipment to meat and poultry.

With 250 exhibitors already signed up, he's hoping for 80,000 net square feet of exhibits. At the same time last year, the shows had 166 exhibitors between them, “so, the collocation is working so far,” Toner said.

The expos will be side by side, but have one combined education program and registration, with badges that also get attendees into FMI. Although FMI has hired GES Exposition Services as its general services contractor, the UFPA has gone back to Champion, which it used before joining the Chicago collocation.

Toner said it remained to be seen whether the UFPA shows would stay with FMI at Mandalay Bay through 2010.

“We think Marketplace is going to stay with FMI. We may do it again in 2009,” he added. “We're just not sure the industry can support two shows long-term.”