This year’s International Food & Drink has been stripped down and built again in order to make it relevant to all the latest trends and issues.
Sean McAllister reports
The International Food & Drink Event IFE at London’s ExCel may not be the biggest food and drink show - in fact it’s dwarfed by the Paris Sial exhibition and Cologne’s Anuga - but with Andrew Evans at the helm, it could prove to be one of the best.
Evans, MD of Fresh RM, which owns and organises IFE, admits to being almost evangelical about this year’s event, which runs from March 13-16. “This year’s show has been re-engineered. It’s been stripped down and built again with a heightened relevance that should make it more compelling.”
Evans has much to shout about. This year, the organisers have invested an extra £500,000 in the show. Much of this has gone into research to find out how to make the exhibition more relevant, explains Evans. “We’re missing a trick if we don’t investigate what the audience wants.”
A lot of money has also been spent on adding a number of new attractions for 2005.
They include Future@IFE - a forum in association with Mintel - that will examine the latest trends within the food and drink industry and provide information, speakers, products and opinions on how the future landscape may look. It’s what Evans believes is the most exciting development at IFE.
However, for razzmatazz and consumer interest, Evans suggests heading to the two new chef areas.
At Chef@IFE Inspiration, experienced development chefs will conjure up meals using the latest ideas and techniques to meet existing and future consumer trends. For example, chefs will be seen producing healthy meals for kids and cooking with no salt. Meanwhile, chefs on the Chef@IFE Innovation stand will focus on innovative products and techniques with which to create unusual dishes and flavour combinations.
If you’re feeling peckish, head to Taste@IFE, where you’ll be able to taste and compare similar products from different companies in an impartial environment.
The international pavilions have also been revamped and rebranded as Walk the World. There will be 60 countries represented, including more than 30 official national pavilions. Each pavilion will be located by geographical region (Europe, the Americas and Asia/Africa) with regional entertainment, including national dance and music, to add “zest and fun” to the exhibition.
Within Walk the World there will be two new initiatives - Discover@IFE and Dine@IFE.
The former will provide buyers with a snapshot of some of the most innovative new products on the international pavilions as every country is given the opportunity to showcase one new product.
Meanwhile, the concept behind Dine@IFE is to bring products to
life in a restaurant environment. There will be three Dine@IFE restaurants representing Greece, Italy and Malaysia.
And if that all leaves you thirsty then your next stop should be The Drinks Academy@IFE, to learn about the latest trends in booze, see mixology demonstrations and enjoy the obligatory tastings.
The aim of the new attractions, says Evans, is to add more theatre and buzz to the show.
But the main reason for attending is to see the exhibitors, all 1,350 of them. Covering an area of 44,000 sq ft, these exhibitors will be split into 10 colour-coded product-specific sections: wellbeing & organic, general food, speciality & regional food from Britain, the national groups, the international pavilions Walk the World, meat & poultry, frozen food, cheese & dairy, bakery & confectionery, and alcohol & soft drinks. There is also Packaged IFE for packaging exhibitors and Foodex@IFE - which features equipment for the food processing, foodservice and retail sectors.
For controversy, get your hands on a ticket for one of the exclusive VIP briefings. IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch will discuss what consumers think of British regional food and revealing the results of exclusive research, and director general of the British Retail Consortium Kevin Hawkins asking the question ‘are the multiples originators or ogres?’
Likely to cause the biggest stir is Hugh Grant, president and CEO of Monsanto, discussing whether bio-technology is delivering on its promise, and asking: have GM foods got a future?
And then, of course, there will be the opening address from food and farming minister Lord Whitty and Sir Don Curry, when they officially open the exhibition on Monday March 14 at 11am.
So what’s the point in attending huge food and drink exhibitions such as IFE? Evans says there are two main reasons.
“Firstly, visitors come to an exhibition such as IFE because they want to see what is new. Secondly, they want inspiration.
“The rarest commodity people have is time. At least one day at this year’s IFE will provide a return that has not been seen before in the UK. All visitors will get critical information to help improve their business, the type of information you cannot obtain by just sitting in your office.”
So should you attend IFE if you’re planning to attend Anuga in October or went to Sial at the end of last year? Evans predictably says yes. “The food and drink industry is so fast-moving that you can’t catch it all in one annual show.”
Sean McAllister reports
The International Food & Drink Event IFE at London’s ExCel may not be the biggest food and drink show - in fact it’s dwarfed by the Paris Sial exhibition and Cologne’s Anuga - but with Andrew Evans at the helm, it could prove to be one of the best.
Evans, MD of Fresh RM, which owns and organises IFE, admits to being almost evangelical about this year’s event, which runs from March 13-16. “This year’s show has been re-engineered. It’s been stripped down and built again with a heightened relevance that should make it more compelling.”
Evans has much to shout about. This year, the organisers have invested an extra £500,000 in the show. Much of this has gone into research to find out how to make the exhibition more relevant, explains Evans. “We’re missing a trick if we don’t investigate what the audience wants.”
A lot of money has also been spent on adding a number of new attractions for 2005.
They include Future@IFE - a forum in association with Mintel - that will examine the latest trends within the food and drink industry and provide information, speakers, products and opinions on how the future landscape may look. It’s what Evans believes is the most exciting development at IFE.
However, for razzmatazz and consumer interest, Evans suggests heading to the two new chef areas.
At Chef@IFE Inspiration, experienced development chefs will conjure up meals using the latest ideas and techniques to meet existing and future consumer trends. For example, chefs will be seen producing healthy meals for kids and cooking with no salt. Meanwhile, chefs on the Chef@IFE Innovation stand will focus on innovative products and techniques with which to create unusual dishes and flavour combinations.
If you’re feeling peckish, head to Taste@IFE, where you’ll be able to taste and compare similar products from different companies in an impartial environment.
The international pavilions have also been revamped and rebranded as Walk the World. There will be 60 countries represented, including more than 30 official national pavilions. Each pavilion will be located by geographical region (Europe, the Americas and Asia/Africa) with regional entertainment, including national dance and music, to add “zest and fun” to the exhibition.
Within Walk the World there will be two new initiatives - Discover@IFE and Dine@IFE.
The former will provide buyers with a snapshot of some of the most innovative new products on the international pavilions as every country is given the opportunity to showcase one new product.
Meanwhile, the concept behind Dine@IFE is to bring products to
life in a restaurant environment. There will be three Dine@IFE restaurants representing Greece, Italy and Malaysia.
And if that all leaves you thirsty then your next stop should be The Drinks Academy@IFE, to learn about the latest trends in booze, see mixology demonstrations and enjoy the obligatory tastings.
The aim of the new attractions, says Evans, is to add more theatre and buzz to the show.
But the main reason for attending is to see the exhibitors, all 1,350 of them. Covering an area of 44,000 sq ft, these exhibitors will be split into 10 colour-coded product-specific sections: wellbeing & organic, general food, speciality & regional food from Britain, the national groups, the international pavilions Walk the World, meat & poultry, frozen food, cheese & dairy, bakery & confectionery, and alcohol & soft drinks. There is also Packaged IFE for packaging exhibitors and Foodex@IFE - which features equipment for the food processing, foodservice and retail sectors.
For controversy, get your hands on a ticket for one of the exclusive VIP briefings. IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch will discuss what consumers think of British regional food and revealing the results of exclusive research, and director general of the British Retail Consortium Kevin Hawkins asking the question ‘are the multiples originators or ogres?’
Likely to cause the biggest stir is Hugh Grant, president and CEO of Monsanto, discussing whether bio-technology is delivering on its promise, and asking: have GM foods got a future?
And then, of course, there will be the opening address from food and farming minister Lord Whitty and Sir Don Curry, when they officially open the exhibition on Monday March 14 at 11am.
So what’s the point in attending huge food and drink exhibitions such as IFE? Evans says there are two main reasons.
“Firstly, visitors come to an exhibition such as IFE because they want to see what is new. Secondly, they want inspiration.
“The rarest commodity people have is time. At least one day at this year’s IFE will provide a return that has not been seen before in the UK. All visitors will get critical information to help improve their business, the type of information you cannot obtain by just sitting in your office.”
So should you attend IFE if you’re planning to attend Anuga in October or went to Sial at the end of last year? Evans predictably says yes. “The food and drink industry is so fast-moving that you can’t catch it all in one annual show.”
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