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Food & Drink Expo 2010 goes off with a bang!

Exhibitors delighted at quality and quantity of visitors

Food & Drink Expo 2010 has been hailed an overwhelming success after thousands of food and drink industry executives crammed into Birmingham’s NEC to browse products and services from the more than 600 suppliers exhibiting at the show.

The show, which took place at Birmingham’s NEC from 21-24 March, attracted huge numbers of visitors from across the retail, wholesale, foodservice and manufacturing sectors, all keen to make the most of their trip to the UK’s premier food and drink show.

Many exhibitors expressed their delight with their experience at Food & Drink Expo. Comments included the following:

• “It’s our first time at Food & Drink Expo and the show has exceeded all our expectations. The quality and quantity of the buyers has been fantastic and we have been kept busy. We will definitely be back in 2012” – Claire Martinsen, director, Breckland Orchard
• “We got 151 good quality leads by the 3rd day. Great quality of visitors from across the board – retail, foodservice and own label. Really great event. It’s the best show we have ever done” – Susan Lemon , regional sales manager, Purity Soft Drinks
• “Food & Drink Expo is a fantastic place to launch a new product, lots of great visitors and contacts. We have already rebooked” – Pippa Witcher, chief yum, The Big Yum
• “We usually get three big leads at shows. At Food & Drink Expo we have had three big leads each day!” – Nick Burdock, MD, The Curry Sauce Company
• “Better than IFE, as we met distributors as well as good retail buyers” – Georgina Phillips, sales and marketing manager, The Condiment Company

Besides hundreds of companies exhibiting thousands of products and services – many of them new to the market – there were also a series of live events that drew large audiences. Chefs Live saw leading chefs demonstrate the tricks of the trade, with appearances from Andy MacKenzie, executive chef at The Avenue at Lainston House Hotel in Hampshire, and David Gale, who has worked globally in many award-winning restaurants, from Stannylands in Cheshire to Soho House in New York.

In the Business Briefing Theatre, meanwhile, visitors were treated to lively panel debates tackling the hottest issues in the food industry. There were appearances from leading industry figures, including Leon Restaurants founder and CEO Henry Dimbleby, Asda external affairs and corporate responsibility director Paul Kelly and Warburtons executive director Ross Warburton.

Jack Halliday, group sales manager for Food & Drink Expo, said: “A record number of visitors came to Food & Drink Expo and it’s co-located shows. The aisles were packed across all four days and exhibitors were understandably delighted with both the number and calibre of visitors. It’s not surprising, then, that we’ve already taken many bookings for the next show, which runs from 25-27 March 2012, once again at the NEC.”