Food, Drink, and Events: The Perfect Pairing

Does your business specialise in tasty food or delicious drinks?

Have you ever wondered how to market something so physical via a digital campaign?

It is doable, of course, and we know you'll have had many successful campaigns.

But what if there was a secret second option, to spread the word even further?

What if one of the best ways to get people chatting about your products was to give them a taste, in-person, and let them make their own decisions?

Events and the Food Industry

Event marketing is the perfect backdrop for the food and drink industry.

Obvioussly, food and drink is all about the experience. What it tastes like. What it reminds you of. Whether you like the flavour.

It makes sense, then, that experiential marketing is such a good way of engaging people with tasty products.

But it goes beyond that, too.

This week, at Excel London, there's a trade show for the food industry, called Lunch! It's a melting pot of all kinds of food and drink experts, from supermarket chains, to bakery products, fast food, and even food packaging.

Here's why people might choose to exhibit at an event like Lunch!:

1. Increase Brand Awareness - according to their website, 100% of lunch! attendees increased brand and company awareness to buyers during their time at the show.

2. Meet New Customers - an event is a great opportunity to get your brand in front of a like-minded (and therefore warm) audience, who have not yet had the pleasure of your company.

3. Sell Your Product - that aforementioned audience is in a purchasing mood! That means that it's a good opportunity to send some samples of your product out into the world. They'll share it with friends, and make a note of your brand, so that they can come back to you again and again. That means your digital campaigns can grow, too (it's all conneted, you see!)

4. Meet New Buyers - but it's not just individual customers, either! You can also use event marketing to promote relationships with stakeholders, food chains, and supermarkets, who use events like this to take stock of their stock. Retail giants like the Co-op or Tesco are likely to attend, searching for new and exciting products for their customers. Talk about right-place, right time.

Meet New People (PHOTO: Jonny Gios)

How To Plan an Event

If you've never attended an event before, now's your chance!

Here's a comprehensive outline of everything you need to do to get started:

Do Your Research

Spend some time researching events in your industry. This might involve events like Lunch!, but it can also include the annual Allergy and Free From Show, Fruit Attraction, Brau Beviale, and the Speciality Fine Food Fair.

Each event will have a slightly different audience, and a slightly different purpose, so it's important you do your research, and consider what it is you need at this time.

Which brings us neatly onto our next point...

Think About Your Goals

Is your objective to build relationships with stakeholders? Do you want to sample your products with happy customers? Do you want to encourage brand awareness? These are all options that are available to you.

The answer to these questions will inform not only which event you attend, but also the design of your exhibition stand.

Make a Booking

It's important to try to get in early with this, because it gives you a better choice of stand location in that busy hall.

Most websites have buttons that relate to stand enquiries, or booking forms, and most will detail deadlines WAYYYYY ahead of the big day itself.

If you need guidance with this stage, you can always ask an events professional.

Hire Events Experts as your Contractors

Again, with this stage, it's important to look ahead. If you reach out to us early, we can get started with plenty of time to meet early bird deadlines and save you some money.

To get started, have a look at their portfolio, and get brainstorming. Note things you do like, things you'd like to carry over into your own exhibition stand.

Event contractors should respond to your enquiry with some questions of their own. They should ask you about your objectives, your brand, your goals, and who you are, as well as whether you have any ideas and preferences, early doors.

Transparent pricing is also important here. Request a quote, and work with your contractors to understand where those costs come from.

Food and Drink Shows: Some Examples

We're certainly no strangers to the food and drink industry. Over the years, we've worked with many a brand, helping them show off their delicious products at events around the country (and even some abroad!).

Here are some examples, to spark your interest:

BFree - Allergy and Free From Show

BFree at the Allergy and Free From Show (PHOTO: Image Experiential)

BFree have attended a few Allergy and Free From Shows with us over the years.

This stand looked to achieve their goal of myth-busting around gluten free foods. So, this was a two-sided exhibition stand. On one side, customers could try samples of their foods, and buy merch. On the other side, through the arch, there was a Foodie Quiz, keeping things immersive and exciting.

Enshu Sake and Spirits of Japan - Speciality & Fine Food Fair

Enshu Sake and Spirits of Japan at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair (PHOTO: Image Experiential)

Enshu are responsible for assisting Japanese drinks brands with UK Exhibitions. We took them to the Food fair, where they could connect with a wider pool of customers.

This exhibition stand amplified their work with a slick banner overhead, and gave them space to work with a sake specalist from West London Wine School, to improve footfall on the stand.

Kalsec - Plant Based World

Kalsec at Plant Based World (PHOTO: Image Experiential)

Kalsec derive all of their ingredients from natural herbs, spices, vegetables and hops, and attended Plant Based World in 2023 to meet like-minded people.

Kalsec's exhibition stand offered space for food preparation, which allowed customers to see the product in action, and feel immersed in trying their products.

Sinclair - Fruit Attraction

Sinclair at Fruit Attraction (PHOTO: Image Experiential)

Over to Madrid, now, for Fruit Attraction!

For this brand space, it wasn't not the food itself that was on display, but the labels and packaging.

For this brand, we created a welcoming space in a semi-separate room (that's the blue part in the picture!) But, recognising that it's helpful to see the product in action, we also built in a timelapse video, where visitors could watch the compostable label breaking down, to build trust around the brand and their product.

Want to Take a Bite Out of Event Marketing?

Get in touch with us today to discuss your next exhibition stand!