Fresno, California – The 2017 Fresno Food Expo, the nation’s largest exclusively regional food show, will take place on Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27. At this year’s Expo, 142 of Central California’s premier food and beverage companies will have the opportunity to connect with an expected 650 top level local, regional, national and international retail and foodservice buyers. Additionally, an estimated 1,000 members of the public will join for an evening celebration of food, along with 12 local restaurants that will prepare delicious bites onsite, incorporating products found on the Expo show floor to bring the flavors of the Central California region to life.
Now in its seventh year, the Expo has helped elevate public perception of the award-winning Central California food region and put a spotlight on these local companies who have been recognized by their peers and the industry on state, national and international levels. As a platform, the Expo enables Central California food producers to network, share industry relationships, create new business contacts and increase exposure to broaden their markets, all of which has led to increased sales opportunities for Central California food industry companies. In the last six years, the Expo has introduced 305 different food and beverage companies to new customers and hosted 2,680 different qualified buyers, including over 100 strategically recruited international buyers – all numbers that will increase after this year’s event.
New this year, the Expo has added a mobile app component. Exhibitors, sponsors, buyers, and the public can search “Fresno Food Expo” in the app store and download this new tool to conveniently view all details about the Fresno Food Expo such as exhibitor listings, schedule of events, map of show floor, social media feeds and more.
TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES:
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2017
10:00 A.M. CONVENTION CENTER SET-UP
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, New Exhibit Hall, 848 M Street
Footage of event set-up will be available on July 26 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Please call ahead if you’d like to arrange interviews with exhibitors and/or an Expo representative.
12:00 P.M. BUYER CHECK-IN OPEN
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Lobby, 848 M Street
Pre-Registered buyers will have the opportunity to print out their badge and pick up all tradeshow materials. Any interested buyer who is not yet registered can do so onsite at this time as well. All non-registered buyers must have proof of business and photo ID to register for the Expo from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
4:30 P.M. KEYNOTE SPEAKER – THE SUPERMARKET GURU, PHIL LEMPERT
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Halls II & I
For more than 25 years, Phil Lempert, an expert on consumer behavior and retail trends, has been at the forefront of the rapidly-changing environments in retail and foodservice, identifying and explaining upcoming trends to the food industry’s most influential business leaders. Buyers, sponsors and exhibitors will have the exclusive opportunity to learn about consumer trends, the new retail environment and the role of Millennials and technology in our changing marketplace. If you plan on attending the Keynote address as media, please let the Communications Team know.
6:00 P.M. PAIRINGS, OPENING RECEPTION
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Halls II & III
VIPs and Registered Buyers will delight in unique and innovative offerings featuring the foods from Central California prepared by regional and celebrity chefs.
6:30 P.M. AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Entertainment Stage, Halls II & III
The 2017 winners of the Buyer’s Choice, People’s Choice and Fred Ruiz Entrepreneurial Awards will be announced during Pairings. Media is invited to Pairings from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. to capture the award announcements. Please let the Communications Team know if you plan on attending.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2017
7:30 A.M. BUYER’S BREAKFAST
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Halls II & III
Qualified buyers and sponsors will enjoy refreshing local bites, coffee and refreshments before tradeshow activities begin.
9:00 A.M. BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS TRADESHOW
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Hall I
The Fresno Food Expo trade show will open its doors to pre-registered local, regional, national and international buyers to see, taste and discover the diverse food and beverage products grown and manufactured in the Central California region. The closed business-to-business portion will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
10:00 A.M. LIVE COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Demonstration Stage, Hall I
Stop by the Demonstration Stage from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to see what fun recipes local chefs/caterers, The Painted Table, will be serving up this year. All recipes will be made with Exhibitor products from the show floor.
1:30 P.M. ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Upstairs Meeting Rooms 2015 – 2018
In partnership the California Center for International Trade Development (CITD) and the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), the Fresno Food Expo will host international buyers from Mexico, Central America and Southeast Asia who will meet one-on-one with qualified fresh produce companies from the western U.S. from 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. All fresh produce companies participating were required to register with WUSATA by Wednesday, July 19, 2017.
5:00 P.M. EXPOLICIOUS, PUBLIC EVENT
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Halls I, II & III
The public can see, taste and discover the wide range of locally-produced food, wine, spirits and craft beer from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Find items you like? The public can also purchase local products from their favorite exhibitors onsite! Tickets for Expolicious are $50 and available for purchase at www.FresnoFoodExpo.com until 3:00 p.m. on the day of the event. If not sold out, tickets will be available at the Convention Center will-call window located on M Street.
6:30 P.M. RESTAURATEUR AWARDS
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center, Halls II & III – Entertainment Stage
Returning in 2017, 12 local restaurateurs will be cooking up hand crafted hors d’oeuvres and beverages, using ingredients from 2017 Fresno Food Expo exhibitors! Restaurateurs will be judged on their creations by food writer, cook and Food Network TV Personality Simon Majumdar who will award the top creations. This year’s participating restaurants include: Bella Luna Bistro, Limón Peruvian Cuisine, Piazza Del Pane, Press Box Sports Grill, Quesadilla Gorilla, REV’s Californian Cuisine, Riley’s Brew Pup, Sam’s Italian Deli, Tazzaria, The Painted Table, Vino Grille & Spirits and Ampersand Ice Cream. Awards will be given for the following categories:
· Most Creative
· Best Use of Exhibitor Products
· Best Food & Beverage Pairing
8:00 P.M. FLAMBÉ
Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company Beer Garden, 745 Fulton Street
Join us as we celebrate the close of a great 2017 Fresno Food Expo Event!
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About Fresno Food Expo
Originally developed as an economic development initiative by the City of Fresno in 2011, the Expo has since emerged as the nation’s only exclusively regional food show bringing together growers, processors, manufacturers and industry service providers with buyers from around the world. Since its debut, the Expo has brought heightened awareness to the region’s food production industry as new, innovative businesses emerge and industry collaborations form as a direct result of the show. The Expo has introduced 305 different food and beverage companies to new customers and hosted 2,680 different qualified buyers, including over 100 strategically recruited international buyers. The Fresno Food Expo is a 501c6 nonprofit organization led by a 14-member Board of Directors, with current daily management services provided by Nalchajian Management Group, Inc.
Source: Fresno Food Expo
