Best UK Tradeshow

The UK Food & Drink Shows has been declared one of the country’s top trade shows at the Association of Event Organisers Excellence Awards.

Organised by William Reed, publisher of The Grocer, the UK Food & Drink Shows is an annual exhibition for the grocery, hospitality, specialist retail and manufacturing sectors that brings together a number of exhibitions under a single banner.

The 2023 event has this month been crowned ‘Best UK Tradeshow more than 8,000 sq m’, in the face of stiff competition from the likes of Informa Markets’ Brand Licensing Europe, Messe Frankfurt’s Automechanika Birmingham, and Nineteen Group’s The Emergency Services Show.

Judges for the AEO Excellence Awards, which recognise best practice, creativity and outstanding achievements across the events sector, praised the UK Food & Drink Shows for its use of data and for leveraging the strength and history of its brand while continuing to innovate.

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“The UK Food & Drink Shows are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team,” said William Reed Wine & Exhibitions managing director Andrew Reed. “We achieved record attendance and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees and participants alike.”

Among those who have praised the event are Britvic commercial director Ben Parker, who said: “We’ve had so many different people walk up to us asking about the brands, the future, the performance of our total portfolio. I’ve been delighted and I think it’s a fantastic event.”

And Peter Batt, managing director of Nisa Retail, stated: “‘I’ve always been taught that you learn from the best, and the best of the best are here. There’s new innovation, new products, new ways of doing stuff digitally.”

The next UK Food & Drink Shows will take place at the NEC Birmingham from 7-9 April 2025, and will comprise five exhibitions: Food & Drink Expo, Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show, Foodex Manufacturing Solutions and The Restaurant Show. To find out more about the event visit the UK Food & Drink Shows website.