AWMA’s new Foodservice Pavilion being launched at the 2011 Show in February is currently sold out, but more space is being added.
The Foodservice Pavilion is part of a larger initiative to support this growing and profitable category during AWMA’s show to be held Feb. 8–10, 2011 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.
Foodservice in convenience stores represents more than 15% of in‐store sales—more than $28B in annual c‐store sales in 2009, according to NACS’ State of the Industry report. AWMA’s foodservice initiative aims to help distributors of all sizes develop a foodservice offer or fine‐tune their existing offer. Two in‐depth educational programs focused specifically on building distributor knowledge of this complex category combined with the opportunity to meet with leading foodservice companies on the show floor will provide new insights and ideas regardless of level of experience and expertise with this category.
“I would like to encourage all distributors and retailers who are attending to be sure to spend time in the pavilion. The Show is a perfect opportunity to meet one‐on‐one with foodservice companies to discuss new menu ideas, effective merchandising techniques and execution solutions”, said Keith Canning, managing partner, Pine State Trading Co., and AWMA’s 2011 chairman. “Our goal is to provide wholesale distributors with access to key foodservice suppliers that they can partner with to either help develop a program or improve existing programs,” he added.
The Foodservice Pavilion covers nearly 3,500 square feet of space in a dedicated area in the exhibit hall. Exhibitors as of Jan. 6, 2011 included:
ATC Group
Boyd Coffee Co.
Brakebush Brothers Inc.
BriteVision Media
Caribbean Crème
Chester’s International
Chiquita
Dole Packaged Foods
Fast Food Systems
F.A.B. Inc. (Frosty Acres)
FSI Beverage Systems
Gehl Foods Inc.
GoodWest
Great American Deli
Hot Stuff Express/Lettieri’s
I.C.E. Inc
Leramo Coffee Corp.
Hudson Tea Company
Majestic Fresh Brewed Iced Tea
LandMark Products
Michaels Foods Inc.
OMNI Food Concepts, Inc. “Next Generation Foodservice”
Prairie City
Red River Tea Co.
S&D Coffee
Selection Unlimited
Steve’s Frozen Chillers
The scope of products, programs and services featured in the pavilion include food solutions for every part of the day—fresh and prepared items, hot and cold dispensed beverages, menu sign systems and equipment. AWMA has allocated more than 10% of Expo to the Foodservice Pavilion—which also includes a lounge area for product tasting and business discussions—with a plan to expand this area each year to accommodate the anticipated growing demand among food companies that want to meet with key decision‐makers from national, regional and local wholesale distribution companies.
“I would like to personally thank each foodservice company that is exhibiting with us in the first of what will now become an annual feature area in our Expo,” said Scott Ramminger, AWMA president & CEO. “Our members have historically relied on several key categories for the majority of their business, and while those categories continue to play a critical role, as the convenience industry evolves, distributors need to be at the forefront with new products, programs and merchandising ideas.”
Beyond this new feature area, more than 200 leading manufacturers are set to exhibit in the Expo. Additionally, the agenda includes more than 18 hours of educational sessions with three Super Sessions, concurrent sessions on foodservice, strategic leadership issues and key categories as well as a new track of programs geared specifically for smaller distributors
More information about the AWMA Show can be found at: www.AWMASHOW.com.