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The U.S. Food Export Showcase: A Winning Show-Within-a-Show
By Lita Echiverri
An air of anticipation. . . a sense of
high adrenalin. . . mingled aromas of many types of delicious
food. . . hustle and bustle wherever you look! Such are the sweet
pleasures of doing business at an American trade show.
Moving through the nation’s largest exhibition hall, McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. during the U.S. Food Export Showcase (USFES) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Supermarket Industry Convention and Education Exhibition is an exercise in international diversity. It’s not uncommon to hear business conducted in a host of languages and to see attendees from over 120 countries scattered across the exhibit floor.
Held annually for over 60 years, the FMI
show, in conjunction with its international component, the U.S.
Food Export Showcase, has grown into one of the largest
international trade events of its kind. Buyers, sellers and
distributors alike from near and far continually migrate to the
FMI show to taste, sample and see the best in U.S. high-value
food and beverage products, knowing that the U.S. Food Export
Showcase will provide them with top grade selection. 
Many attendees were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the show. "This show has been unbelievable!" shouted a Canadian food buyer who was looking for upscale products.
Thousands of international visitors, making their way through the show, stopped at the U.S. Food Export Showcase, expecting to find smaller sized companies that are serious about expanding their product line overseas. In just five years of existence, USFES has provided buyers with the satisfaction to which they have become accustomed.
A Win-Win Showcase
The U.S. Food Export Showcase is sponsored by the National
Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the
Food Marketing Institute’s annual International Supermarket
Industry Convention and Educational Exposition. 
NASDA works closely with the USDA’s Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS) in the orchestration and promotion of
the event. 
Designed to help small- to medium- sized U.S. food and beverage companies expand their businesses abroad, USFES brings sellers and buyers together, allowing for a solid foundation in developing partnerships.
This sets the stage for a win-win situation: smaller companies exhibit within USFES to try their hand at new ventures, testing potential markets with the knowledge that their contacts are serious players. Foreign buyers, meanwhile, know that, when quality counts, USFES will provide them with the best products the United States has to offer.
This year 631 companies from all over the United States exhibited at the U.S. Food Export Showcase. In its entirety, FMI and the U.S. Food Export Showcase featured 1,650 exhibitors displaying the newest products and technologies available in the food industry.
In total, 33,000 attendees walked the floor and nearly 6,000 international visitors representing 120 countries passed through the doors of McCormick Place, despite the economic woes caused by the concurrent Asian crisis.
Although financial burdens caused some countries to lessen their presence at FMI, the success and quality already established by the U.S. Food Export Showcase seduced plenty of others. New markets opened both doors and wallets to U.S. products and enticed existing buyers to expand their partnership with U.S. companies.
Strengthening Existing Markets
As expected, participation from
Asian markets decreased due to the financial problems of the
region. However, not all economies were strongly hit. Attendance
from China tripled in 1998 from the previous year, raising
eyebrows and generating optimism for export potential to the
area. As a result, the FAS Trade Show Office has plans to venture
into the once undeveloped market to test the waters for American
companies.
In addition to China’s growing
presence at FMI, participation from countries in the Middle East
and Africa was significantly up this year. A delegation of nearly
100 West Africans brought added recognition and media
coverage.
The U.S. Food Export Showcase provides an ideal environment for small- and- medium-sized U.S. companies. In one large exhibition hall, companies have access to buyers from all over the world, allowing for cost-effective access to new economies. Initial trade negotiations are conducted on home turf, where U.S. businesses feel confident and comfortable making deals.
The U.S. Food Export Showcase strives to create an environment where long-term partnerships are developed and pursued. Continual success stories drive more and more companies and buyers to return to FMI and the U.S. Food Export Showcase each year.
"There Is No Other Food Show..."
Agri-Foods International, Inc., produces patented Flashgril’d Steaks. This is a steak that comes pre-trimmed, pre-seared and equally portioned for food service applications.
We are just a small company with about 25 employees. We had worked in foreign markets with limited success for the last two years. With this year’s participation in the U.S. Food Export Showcase, we were able to secure three new distributors in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia that have increased sales by more than $100,000 this year.
In addition, through the interest that was generated there, we designed a retail product that will be even more successful for us in the future. We also have many other contacts that we can work with to generate even more business. It has become a major part of our sales strategy.
There is no other food show or export vehicle that can accomplish what the U.S. Food Export Showcase did for us in a single week. I cannot describe how important this event has been to us. We strongly support these activities.
–Rick Holt, Marketing Manager
Agri-Foods International, Inc.
"Potential To Pay Dividends for Many Years"
Global Merchandising Corp. has averaged sales in the
three-year period 1995-97 of $21 million a year. Our sales are
100 percent export, primarily to the Far East. We have rented a
booth two years in a row, in 1997 and 1998. We are very pleased
with the results and we definitely will rent a booth in the
California Pavilion in 1999.
In 1997, we acquired a new customer from Southeast Asia whom we met through the show, to whom we have so far sold $1.2 million worth of product. Through our mutual efforts we have developed regular sales of a potato snack that is manufactured in the United States.
In 1998, we acquired a new customer from the Near East who visited our booth in the California Pavilion. The firm placed orders at the show totaling $56,000.
We count among our customers in Asia many who have been purchasing from us for 10 to 40 years. Therefore, we are very excited about any new customer because it’s a relationship with the potential to pay dividends for many years.
–James M. Connell, Vice President
Global Merchandising Corp.
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