Summer Fancy Food Show 2011

Same old show, new venue. Much ado was made about the move from New York to Washington DC for this year's Fancy Food Show. In the end, the show went on.

There were dire traffic predictions and I personally spoke with several exhibitors who either pulled out or were very apprehensive about turnout. According to sources with the NASFT, traffic in DC was expected to be about 18,000--about 1/3 fewer visitors than the 24,000 that typically come to the Javitz Center in NY.




But a funny thing happened, at least with our 100% Tunisian Olive Oil pavilion. The traffic numbers were indeed down, but the quality of those we spoke with seemed higher. We had the sense that there were fewer grazers and sample-grabbers, and more people with genuine product interest. We ended up with leads worth following, and that we believe will result in sales.

I'll be interested in hearing more from other exhibitors about their experiences at the Fancy Food Show in DC and projections and plans for the 2012 show. But I'm on board for another year, and if other exhibitors decide to stay home, that just means better odds for my clients.