To increase food trade show sales, your business needs to market its appearance at the event and make its booth a choice destination for potential clients. Whether your business is established or new to the food industry, you can use food trade show promotions to increase the customer's awareness of your brand.

Food tradeshow promotions and marketing opportunities are available directly through the trade show, industry journals, associations and marketing consultants. To what degree you focus on each of these options will depend on the market position and condition of your company. However, before you start to formulate a food trade show marketing strategy, there are few items to consider, such as:

1. Use direct food trade shows advertising to bolster the traffic at your event.

2. Utilize industry publications and associations to help your Food tradeshow marketing effort.

3. Seek the assistance of professionals to maximize food trade shows advertising.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contact event organizers for food tradeshows advertising opportunities

In order to market to potential customers that were likely to attend the food tradeshow, you need to contact the event officials for advertising and sponsorship opportunities. Direct marketing at the trade show notifies those attending to be sure and stop by your exhibit.

I recommend: Register for the Food Marketing Summit and talk to officials about ways to market your company and its products. Talk to a representative from the All Things Organic™ Conference & Trade Show if your company specializes in natural food offerings. Understand that to participate in this trade show, your company needs to be registered as an organic retailer.

Utilize food industry associations and journals to increase food trade show traffic

Advertising in journals and through food industry associations not only improves the reach of your trade show marketing, but it also allows you to, once again, build brand equity. Given the competitive nature of the food industry, your company needs to take advantage of every opportunity.

I recommend: Talk to the media sales department at the Journal of Food Science about advertising your trade show appearance in their publication. To reach a larger audience, you may want to become a member of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. This association sponsors a trade show, offers discounted advertising in their magazine and has a readymade network to help your food tradeshow marketing.

Simplify your food tradeshow follow-up and marketing with consultants

A marketing consultant can help you navigate through all phases of the trade show process with the goal of increased sales before, during, and after the show. If your company has the budget to hire, it can make trade show marketing much less time consuming and help you concentrate on the overall marketing of the company at the trade show.

I recommend: Speak to representative from Gourmet Business Solutions to help formulate a trade show marketing strategy. If you don't need or want a consultant, use these trade show tips from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center as a template for your event.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The best giveaways for food trade show promotions are, of course, samples of your company's specialty, but don't forget to stock your display with brochures and pricelists with your logo, contact information and website address.