Jun 21, 2008 7:42 am US/Central
Specialty Food Group Drops Chicago Trade Show
Group Says After 9 Years, 'Spring Fancy Food Show' Never Caught On
A specialty foods association is discontinuing its annual Chicago trade show, saying after nine years, it failed to catch on with exhibitors.
The board of directors for National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Inc. voted to cut its annual Spring Fancy Food Show in Chicago, the New York-based group said Friday.
The organization has staged the show at McCormick Place since 1999. Last year, about 250 vendors exhibited for about 9,000 buyers.
The association will continue to produce older and bigger shows in New York and San Francisco. The 54-year-old Summer New York show draws about 2,300 exhibitors and 24,000 attendees. The Winter San Francisco show, around for 33 years, pulls about 1,400 exhibitors and about 16,000 attendees.
"Our members are choosing to go to those shows," Roy Tanner, the specialty food association's vice president of communication, said. "We're looking at alternatives to help our members in the Midwest and the buyers in the Midwest."
The exit from Chicago follows the Food Marketing Institute's decision to move its 40,000-attendee show from McCormick Place. The 2008 food marketing show took place last month in Las Vegas and will change locations for its bienneial program.
Up until 2007, those two organizations partnered with the Organic Trade Association and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for a mega spring show at convention center.
The Organic Trade Association, headquartered in Greenfield, Mass., said it will bring its All Things Organic Show, which had 12,000 registrants at the 2008 joint show in April, back to McCormick Place, but likely on a different date, spokeswoman Mary Larkin said. About 13,000 folks attended the 2007 show.
"This change presents us with an opportunity to look at some other dates," said spokeswoman Mary Larkin. "We're trying to find the best time."
She said the group is considering a late Spring show for 2009.
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