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Get your free copy10 March 2009, 13:42 PM
- It is a challenging time for the UK’s retail industry: the economy has faltered, and consequently consumer spending has decreased to an all-time low. It is little wonder there is an air of unease in the food world. So, now is the time when everyone from delicatessens to farm shops needs to focus on innovation in order to differentiate themselves from the competition.
IFE09 is the perfect platform for discovering something new and innovative. Good exhibitions provide a time and cost effective investment and this year’s event from 15th to 18th March 2009 at Excel, London, offers an unrivalled opportunity to source new and innovative products from 1,200 suppliers around the world.
It has never been more important to provide customers with a wide range of good value, innovative products to give them the choice and assistance to survive the economic downturn. IFE delivers many national and international buyers to the UK, many of whom will be new contacts for exhibitors. With so many opportunities at the show, the real question businesses need to ask themselves is not ‘can we afford the time to attend IFE09?’, but rather ‘can we afford not to?’
In 2007, IFE attracted over 24,000 of the world’s most senior food and drink buyers from the retail, food service, wholesale, distribution and manufacturing sectors. Of those that visited, 14% came from outside the UK, highlighting the event’s increasing international appeal and revealing an ever-growing opportunity for exhibitors to widen their customer base overseas. At a time when retailers need to stand out from the crowd to survive, innovation and ideas are key. IFE can offer both of those things in droves.
Occupying 500m2, the event’s star attraction will showcase a selection of the world’s most innovative products, as sourced by Mintel’s Global New Product Development team. Visitors will be able to enjoy a uniquely interactive experience where they can see, touch and taste innovation as well as being given advice on how best to source cutting-edge products. “No venue will ever have housed so many of the world’s most genuinely innovative food and drink products,” comments Paul MacDonald, event director of IFE09. “We have really gone back to square one with the meaning of innovation and are being ruthless when it comes to meeting the criteria. With this as the theme for the show, it is essential for any company looking to develop and have a future in today’s ultra-competitive industry to get involved.”
To register for FREE entry, visit www.ife.co.uk.
