Food & Drink World 2006 was officially the UK’s largest food and drink trade show to date - with more than 70,000 visits, according to its organisers William Reed Events & Exhibitions.
The success of the umbrella event for Food & Drink Expo, Foodex Meatex, the Convenience Retailing Show and IFFE, which took place March at the Birmingham NEC, has seen its organisers already looking ahead to the 2008 show.
The Food & Drink Expo 06 generated £81 million worth of business.
The giant exhibition attracted more than 25,500 visitors, up 4,700 on the previous event - and stand holders had an average of 39 visitors each.
A total of 92 per cent of visitors rated the Food & Drink Expo as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and 86 per cent said it was important to their business, according to research from Fusion Communications.
The Convenience Retailing Show visitors welcomed 17,000, 16,500 visitors attended the Foodex Meatex and 11,000 people were counted at IFFE.
A spokesman for exhibitor Womersley Fine Foods said: “We got substantial orders from independent retailers, delis, garden centres, National Trust, International buyers and multiples such as Waitrose… the list goes on. This backed by the best location and facilities in the UK we can’t wait until to 2008.”
A Quickes Traditional Ltd spokesman added: “We saw the whole spectrum of buyers from farm shops to overseas supermarket buyers.”
Food & Drink World 2008 will cover eight interlinked halls at the NEC Birmingham UK from April 6-9.
