Less Food Left in Chicago Cupboard

The food show world has been topsy-turvy ever since the Chicago-based mainstay Power of Five held its final event at McCormick Place in 2007.

And, just when things seemed to be settling down, the cancellation of one of three shows that remained in Chicago has thrown things into a tailspin once again.

The Natl. Assn. for the Specialty Food Trade decided to discontinue its Spring/Midwest Intl. Fancy Food & Confection Showcase that was scheduled to be collocated with All Things Organic and the U.S. Food Export Showcase April 5-7 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Ann Daw, NASFT president, said, “We have come to the conclusion that the Spring Fancy Food show at McCormick Place is no longer providing the majority of our members with the most effective means by which to grow their businesses in the Midwest.”

Ron Tanner, NASFT's vice president of communications, added that the show had recently experienced declines in both exhibitors and attendees. “Research revealed that decline was likely to continue in 2009,” he said. “With two very successful shows on the East and West coasts, we felt that our focus would be stronger if we canceled the Chicago show.”

NASFT's Summer Fancy Food Show – New York ran June 29-July 1 at the Jacob K. Javits Center of New York, and the Winter Fancy Food Show - San Francisco will be held Jan. 18-20 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tanner said neither show will be affected by the Midwest edition's cancellation. “We expect these shows to continue to grow,” he added.

The Organic Trade Assn.'s All Things Organic and the Natl. Assn. of State Departments of Agriculture's U.S. Food Export Showcase, on the other hand, have been thrown into limbo.

Those two shows and Fancy Food stayed together in Chicago this year after the Food Marketing Institute decided to take its show, FMI SHOW plus Marketechnics, to Las Vegas. The United Fresh Produce Assn.'s show, United Produce Expo & Conference, went along with FMI.

Now that the OTA and NASDA are left on their own again in Chicago, NASDA's Director of Tradeshows DeWitt Ashby said, “We don't know what we're going to do for sure yet. We're disappointed in the NASFT decision. It could have been a great beginning.”

NASDA's board will meet July 24 to discuss the show's future, Ashby added. Any decision that's made, whether it's sticking with the OTA in Chicago or going elsewhere, he said, would be determined by what's best for NASDA's members.

Ashby said his organization also will consult with the U.S. Agriculture Dept.'s Foreign Agriculture Service, which provides it with funding, before deciding on its next move.

“I think the biggest challenge for us is to generate a strong international audience,” he added. “If you ask someone to come from China, it needs to be worthwhile.”

Holly Givens, the OTA's public affairs adviser, said it intended to keep its show in Chicago in 2009. The association's most recent show, held April 27-29 at McCormick Place, had 12,000 attendees and 600 exhibitors.

“We don't know what's going to happen with the U.S. Food Export Showcase (next year),” Givens said.

The demise of Fancy Food means Chicago has lost three food-related shows in the past two years.

“The NASFT has had to make a business decision based on exhibitor and buyer input,” said Tom Roby, president and CEO of the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau. “Its decision not to return to Chicago does not pose any negative effects on Chicago's hospitality community. We won't have any problems filling these dates.”