Newsletter December 2011

Dear Colleague,

It has been a big year for the food industry, with the economy taking a dive but foodservice sales seeming to hold steady.

It has also been a big year for the Foodservice Australia show. After 40 years the show has a new organiser and an exciting new energy.

We want to thank everyone for their positive response and feedback. We also want to wish you the very best for a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Our office will be open throughout the holiday period. Please call us for information on exhibiting or visiting.

Contact the organisers
Visit the show website

This is a good time to think about what we might do different next year. We asked our team for some of their business new year's resolutions:

• I am going to go online and reserve my facebook and twitter names before someone else does, and learn how to use them
• I am going to book my airfares well ahead of time to save money and organise my calendar
• I am going to back up my phone and my computer online so there is no stress when one of them collapses
• I am going to install a handsfree kit in my car and never look at the screen while I am driving

Tim Collett has just spent a week in Shanghai exhibiting at Food & Hotel China. He came back with the following tips:

• Go with a group if you can. It makes life a lot easier and Australia is seen as a quality food and wine exporter
• Make sure you have a Mandarin translation on your cards and brochures. We gave out 10 Mandarin brochures to 1 English.
• Hire a local assistant to help on the stand and translate. It will only cost around A$100 per day
• Try to set up some appointments to meet at the show. And ring them in the morning to remind them
• Don't bother setting up early. The shows come together quite late so leave it until the night before opening
• Have your follow up materials ready to go. Otherwise it might take weeks to send information to hot buyers

More exhibit tips...
Food & Hotel China Website

While the foodservice industry has proven resilient through the economic downturn there is no doubt that many see 2012 as a challenging year for sales.

It may be tempting to cut marketing, but this is the time when you need to be talking to your customers and showing them why your products are so important to their business. For some suppliers it will be a time of great opportunity.

Tradeshows tend to do better in the tough times. They are a very direct way to engage with customers and find new ones. And customers are more likely to attend because they are looking for new ways to improve their bottom line.

Here are some blogs we found that talk about this phenomenon and have some handy tips.

Blog 1 - Why exhibit in tough times?
Blog 2 - Direct marketing in time of a recession
Blog 3 - Why exhibiting in a recession is critically important

Visitors to the show will be able to meet famous Italian chef Carlo Casoni. He was the chef for the Ferrari team for five years and has amazing stories about catering in remote locations and managing celebrities. His food is classically simple and his forte is Northern Italian - tortelloni, gnocci and other simple dishes. Carlo is being hosted by Sandhurst Foods.

Winemakers looking to increase sales to the restaurant, catering and venue sectors can now be a part of Foodservice Australia. This gives them a chance to speak directly with decision makers.

Organisers have introduced a dedicated wine section with easy and affordable wine pods. These include a 4m2 stand with tasting counter, display case and access to glasses and ice for a special price of $1800 + GST.

More on exhibiting
Contact the organisers

If you are looking for new ideas for your restaurant, bakery or foodservice outlet then make sure you come to Foodservice Australia.

This event runs from 27-29 May 2012 at the Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park, Sydney. This premium venue offers easy access and two hours free parking.

Online visitor registration is now open.

Information on visiting
Information on exhibiting

As well as meeting all the exhibitors at the show you can attend free workshops and demonstrations...

Chef 2012

Apprentice 2012

Restaurant Theatre

Bakery Master Classes

World Chocolate Masters