NEW YORK — The Specialty Food Association has won two Gold 100 Grand Awards for its Fancy Food Shows in Trade Show Executive Magazine’s annual competition.
The Association won first place in the category of Show with the Most Commendable Green Initiatives, and tied for first place in the Show with the Highest Global Participation category. The Specialty Food Association was also nominated in the Best Co-Location or Partnership category. The awards were presented on September 19 in Dana Point, Calif., as part of Trade Show Executive’s annual Gold 100 Awards & Summit.
"Sustainability is one of the pillars of the Specialty Food Association, and this honor motivates us to continue with the great strides we’ve made to green our Shows with the help of our partner, Greenview Sustainability,” says Ann Daw, Specialty Food Association president. “We’re equally proud of the impressive global participation in each Fancy Food Show. The Summer Show alone attracted exhibitors from more than 70 countries and regions, offering specialty foods and beverages from Albania to Vietnam."
The Fancy Food Show made its debut in 1955 in New York City and is now held in New York and San Francisco. Together, the shows attract more than 3,800 exhibitors and 43,000 buyers from top names in retailing and foodservice from across the U.S. and around the world.
The show’s sustainability initiatives focus on waste reduction and diversion coupled with audits of waste by all show stakeholders. Initiatives include the reuse of event signage to cut back on printing and waste, and the use of compostable food sampling supplies. Each show has an extensive food donation program which together provide upwards of 300,000 pounds of specialty produce, meats, confections and more to hundreds of area residents in need.
International exhibitors consider the Fancy Food Show a must-attend event to reach the crucial U.S. market and meet influential buyers from top names in retailing and foodservice such as Whole Foods, Dean & DeLuca and Starbucks. Buyers from more than 100 countries attend to connect with leading-edge food artisans and entrepreneurs. To improve the show experience for international participants the Specialty Food Association has a seamlessly run international sales organization including a network of in-country sales agents.
The Fancy Food Show team attends international competitive shows in Europe, Asia and Latin America to stay on top of global food and show trends. In 2012, the Association engineered an education program to help international exhibitors better prepare to tackle the U.S. market.
About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a not-for-profit trade association for food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs established in 1952 in New York to foster commerce and interest in the specialty food industry. Today there are more than 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad. The Specialty Food Association operates the Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. For more information on the association, go to specialtyfood.com.
Source: Specialty Food Association
