I have recently returned from at- tending the rst round of trade shows this year, and I am pleased to report that the general mood in the industry seems very positive. Attendance has been strong, with many shows reporting re- cord numbers. More importantly, vendors are reporting strong sales, and many promising business discussions are taking place with new and existing trading partners.
The Winter Fancy Food Show, in San Francisco, was the most crowded I have seen in recent memory. Not all that surprising since the specialty food business is still showing strong growth, which always attracts new interest. I heard through the grapevine that some of the Gourmet Catalog Buying Group member stores were reporting great success retailing specialty foods, and were looking to expand further into additional foods.
The 13th annual Gourmet Catalog Buying Group member conference in Atlanta featured a new products showcase that included many more vendors than in years past. It proves to me that companies marketing gourmet products understand that the gourmet specialty store is still a very important channel for the sales and education of these products. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Janis Johnson, who is a member of our G.R.E.A.T. retail advisory team, and her staff, for their vision, great effort, and planning that they put forward on behalf of their retail members in this their 35th year running the organization.
My travels also included a stop at the Winter Gift & Home market at the International Market Center in Las Vegas where attendance exceeded all expectations, leading to an hour wait for registration the first morning. While the show organizers were apologetic, and did their best to process the queue, I couldn’t help but think this was a good problem to have! If you haven’t visited yet, the IMC facility in Vegas is in a word...beautiful. Our group does attend a lot of shows, but there is something about attending the show at this facility that makes it very pleasing. The first thing you will notice is the friendliness of the staff and their willingness to help make your experience a positive one. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since we are in a city that was built on hospitality. The buildings and grounds are well thought out, appropriately signed and easy to navi- gate. Bonus points are awarded for the attached FREE garage parking as well as shuttle bus service to most hotels, as well as triple points for being handed a free bottle of chilled water on my short stroll through the courtyard (we are in the desert after all). I think the factor that makes this show so special is the fact that the buildings are filled with permanent showrooms where products can be attractively displayed, which makes them stand out and seem more appealing.
Add up all of these experiences, and I feel as if this is going to be a very positive and fruitful year in our industry.
David Spencer
Publisher, Gourmet Business
President, HousewaresDirect, Inc.
dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com