Chicago Fancy Food Show Shuttered By NASFT

From Morningnewsbeat.com:

The board of directors of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade has announced that it will discontinue its Chicago Fancy Food Show, held in Chicago for the past nine years. The organization will, however, continue to hold its summer show in New York and winter show in San Francisco.

The organization blamed lack of exhibitor support for the decision.

The Chicago Fancy Food Show has been co-located with the annual Food Marketing Institute (FMI) show until this year, when FMI moved its event to Las Vegas and said that it will rotate the event to different venues, along with scheduling a traditional exhibit floor only on alternating years. The Fancy Food Show remained in Chicago along with All Things Organic and the US Food Export Showcase.



KC's View: Many trade associations may find that traditional exhibition/education models may be heading toward obsolescence. It is how they meet that challenge that will define how and if these organizations survive.

HI,

I'm glad I attended what may be the last Fancy Food Show (FFS) in Chicago. There were dramatic differences this year with the FMI not present. The bells and whistles theatrical stuff at the grand opening was missing. While there were a lot of people present walking the floors, the exhibitors were carping. Their attitude alone made it almost a self-fulfilling proficy. I am sure they really missed the synergy of the FMI, but why broadcast it to the visitors who did come?

However the Organic show, which seemed like the ugly duckling stepchild in the basement before, really went all out. Organics supported the cooking demo's and really was as large or larger than then FFS.

I guess next year I will focus on going to the restaurant show.

Regards,

That's too bad. There are a lot of smaller, local exhibitors who will be affected, I fear.

Plus, of course, I'll miss the event.

This really bums me out. I love going to these! I'm going to try to get to the NRA show as well, but this news is just depressing. It was nice being able to do the entire show this year in one day.

lack of exhibitor support? Didnt seem like that this year. Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me. Thats too bad..hope someone picks up the ball and does something with it as those shows are really helpful for those of us in the specialty food biz .

Head's Red BBQ wrote:lack of exhibitor support? Didnt seem like that this year. Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me. Thats too bad..hope someone picks up the ball and does something with it as those shows are really helpful for those of us in the specialty food biz .

I think this is absolutely true. Even before I reached McCormick Place, an exhibitor I met on the train advised it wasn't going to be worthy of my time. I took the shuttle bus from one of the hotels. Exhibitors were kabitzing between themselves that without FMI it wasn't as good a show. This was all before the exhibition opened.

Just by their group think, it was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:lack of exhibitor support? Didnt seem like that this year. Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me. Thats too bad..hope someone picks up the ball and does something with it as those shows are really helpful for those of us in the specialty food biz .

I think this is absolutely true. Even before I reached McCormick Place, an exhibitor I met on the train advised it wasn't going to be worthy of my time. I took the shuttle bus from one of the hotels. Exhibitors were kabitzing between themselves that without FMI it wasn't as good a show. This was all before the exhibition opened.

Just by their group think, it was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Regards,

when I was there it looked like they had a good number of exhibitors..did not see much kabitzing from my view but who knows

I've always enjoyed this show, even though I didn't attend it this year. But the show hasn't had much luster, IMO. And while bundling it with other trade shows may have provided some, I believe that McCormick Place was too big (and therefore, too expensive) for this show to be viable. What's likely driving the elimination of the Chicago show is that there isn't enough revenue coming from exhibitor fees to justify the expense of conducting it at McCormick. It might have been more successful all along being held on its own in Rosemont, at the Stevens Center.

3 shows a year is a lot for one organization to hold and asking exhibitors, many of whom are small businesses, to be at all 3 shows wasn't really a sustainable plan. It's too bad because not only will I miss this show personally, but it was fairly relevant in my professional life, as well.

=R=