The 2009 Americas Food & Beverage Show opens at the Miami Beach Convention Center November 9 – 10 with a new two-day format, an enhanced program of educational seminars and more than 300 exhibitors from 18 countries showcasing thousands of new products.
New additions to the international pavilions this year are Algeria and Tenerife, adding the tastes and flavors of their country to those of Argentina, Atlantic Canada, Belize, Brazil, the Caribbean, Columbia, Italy, Spain, Peru, United Arab Emirates, Panama, Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa and other exhibiting nations. More than 6,000 qualified buyers from 87 countries are expected to attend in search of the newest, most innovative grocery products, ingredients, seafood, confections, beverages and ethnic and all-natural foods to take home. Everyone is ready to do business. Last year’s show generated $108.6 million in actual and projected sales from the three-day event.
Highlights of the 2009 show include an expanded Beverage Pavilion (doubled in size since 2008); Ethnic Brazil Pavilion; a large contingent from Atlantic Canada; pre-scheduled VIP Buyer Meetings; New Products Showcase; V Annual Chef Competition; VIII Americas Food & Beverage Awards for best products; Virtual Wine Tasting Seminar; Reception for International Buyers, and a Keynote address by Tom Feltenstein, CEO & Founder of P ower Marketing Academy and former vice president of sales and marketing for McDonald’s Corporation.
“We’ve packed a full schedule of networking, learning and purchasing opportunities into two days,” says show director, Jelena Meisel. “Our goal is to make the show as efficient and cost effective as possible for both our exhibitors and our buyers and to facilitate business deals on the floor.”
A true “trade” show, the Americas Food & Beverage Show is a portal for import/export and provides a gateway for small to mid-sized companies who want to expand within the global marketplace. The event is presented annually by the World Trade Center Miami in Miami, a city that’s at the nexus of international trade with one of the busiest seaports on the east coast and considered the business “capital” of Latin America.
According to Ms. Meisel, the 2009 Amer icas Food & Beverage Show is a cost-efficient way for companies and buyers to “go global” without going anywhere else—“a world of opportunity under one roof”. And smart companies today are looking for opportunities to offset shrinking sales. As both a catalyst for trade and an important trade gateway, the 2009 Americas Food & Beverage Show provides direct access to all of Latin America, second fastest-growing market and to the Caribbean, a region that depends on imports for 70 percent of its food and beverage.
“Anyone looking for new markets for their products—or new products to grow their company—should plan now to be in Miami Beach in November,” she says. “We bring the world to you at the 12th Americas Food and Beverage Show.”
