Another IFT FIRST show is in the books! Each year our team heads to the windy city to the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual expo held at Chicago’s McCormick Place. With more than 1,000 exhibitors, approximately 17,000 attendees, numerous samplings and an array of presentations, it was one of the year’s most important networking events and a source of inspiration for the food ingredient, food science and food technology industries. Regular exhibitors Innova, Mintel and SPINS also showcased their insights and hosted presentations covering a wide variety of topics.
Here are some of our team’s key takeaways from this year’s event.
More specialty pavilions
A shoutout to the event organizers for continuing to make the attendee experience stronger by organizing sections of the expo floor by industry segments and grouping exhibitors in a smart way. This year’s specialty pavilions included: the Agriculture Pavilion, the Co-manufacturers Pavilion (new), the Organics Pavilion and the Startup Pavilion.
The Startup Pavilion, which gives smaller companies accessibility to exhibit at a key industry event, has consistently grown since its introduction in 2022. This year’s startup pavilion featured a pitch competition with approximately 100 food and food tech startups competing for prizes totaling $15,000 from the Seeding the Future Foundation.
Right-sizing
As long-time attendees of the event, we noticed quite a few past exhibitors choosing to pivot from their larger spaces of the past and run with a smaller, more economical trade show appearance. In IFT’s third year back to in-person shows, it’s clear that many companies are continuing to re-evaluate their trade show investments within the overall scheme of their marketing plans.
What we saw revealed that several exhibitors decided having a space, and not necessarily the space, made better sense for them. These smaller footprints and simpler spaces may explain why we noticed fewer samples being handed out overall as well.
And of course, the samples
So much to try, so little time. Here are just a few exhibitors that won our hearts (and tummies) over.
Foodology by Univar Solutions served up a chocolate protein pudding layered with fresh raspberry sauce and topped with a decadent blonde brownie crumble. They also featured a refreshing protein-packed mocha drink with chocolate and coffee flavors.
Blommer Chocolate Company handed out milk- and dark-chocolate coated ice cream bars that made for a great afternoon snack.
Revela Foods served up so many tasty samples, including their beer cheese soup, buttery biscuits and hot honey gravy.
Hormel Ingredient Solutions kept attendees satisfied throughout the show with a sample lineup that included albondigas meatballs, roma fundido, three meat breakfast quiche, Italian wedding pizza and savory onion soup.
Also grabbing our attention
Beyond the sampling, we’re always curious to see how companies create an engaging space to draw attendees in and “start the conversation.” Once again, there was plenty to catch your attention. Lycored brought in a digital illustrator for anybody willing to pose and have their portrait done. The AAK space featured a touchscreen trivia challenge. Marroquin Organic Intl. wheeled in a commanding food truck for their space. And Alianza Team had 2-story digital displays on the perimeter of their area to help share their brand story.
When it came to something people literally lined up to get their hands on, Kraft Heinz Ingredients won the day with their customized mini Heinz ketchup bottles, with a name of your choosing printed on the bottle’s iconic label. The colorful marbits display within their booth was a nice touch too.
IFT FIRST continues to be a key industry event for the food manufacturing and food science industries, and it’s always interesting for us to see how the show continues to evolve. Thanks to the event organizers for another great show, we’ll see you again in 2025!