Top food and drink trade shows
And how your brand can make the most of themThe ingredients to a great food and drink trade show
Are you ready to connect with key buyers, elevate your brand presence, showcase innovative products, and secure face-to-face deals? A food and drink trade show is your go-to destination.
Our team has done the research and outlined the essential elements for creating an impressive trade show stand.
You’ll find out:
- Why should you exhibit at a food and drink show
- What can you include on your exhibition stand
- What are the best locations to exhibit at
- Food and drink exhibition stand inspiration
- Our recommendations on the best food and drink exhibitions
Read on to find out what it takes to make your brand stand out and what to consider!
Why should I exhibit at a food and drink trade show?
Food and drink trade shows, exhibitions and festivals are some of the best ways to get your product in front of them and make them fall in love with your product. They are the ultimate place to see existing customers, launch new products, meet new prospects and show off your products right in front of them.
Shows like this will usually have a great mix of emerging products tapping into market trends, homegrown brands from street food and pop-ups, disrupter brands responding to market changes, challenger brands with big social followings and companies bringing innovative new ingredients and tech.
Exhibitions and festival organisers invest in targeting the right audience to be there for you to get in front of. Keep an eye out on the show’s website for their attendee persona, they will usually list what type of visitors they expect to be at the show. If this fits your target market, then you know you are looking in the right place.
We often see shows combine multiple areas into one, such as the Food, Drink and Hospitality Week, where you will see IFE, HRC, Pub Show, IFE Manufacturing and International Salon Culinaire come together to draw in visitors from across the food service and hospitality industries. This can make it harder to stand out amongst the vast range of exhibitors in the hall, so it is important to pick your show carefully and do your research into what show would suit your brand best. The larger shows will give you a much wider audience to put yourself in front of, whereas the smaller and more intimate shows may give you higher-quality leads.
The stakes to get your stand right are high. Invest in the right way, and you could secure significant deals before the show is even over. Exhibitors expect to generate around £141K of business from the Food and Drink Expo 2024.
Do you have a show in mind?
We’ve compiled everything you need to know about exhibiting at lunch! NORTH and IFE
“By exhibiting at a trade show, exhibition or food festival, you put yourself in front of people who get to taste that delicious new chocolate bar, sample that brand new coffee you’ve launched or even try out that innovative grill technology you’ve developed.
It is a wonderful place to be if you are in the food and drinks industry. I try to visit as many as I can, full of innovations and ideas, and you get to try loads of new products. It’s something you can’t get with digital marketing alone, you have to be there and get people to try your products”
Edward Marshall, Creative Director of Motive Exhibitions
Scrocchiarella
Lunch Show, ExCeL London
Qualitops
International Food Expo (IFE), ExCeL London
Budweiser Budvar
BREWLDN, Between the Bridges London
What can you have on a food and drink exhibition stand?
It’s fair to say most exhibitors looking at going to a food and drinks exhibition or food festival, will be taking some of their taste products for visitors or customers to try. This means having the right kit on your stand is key to a good event. This requires a fair amount of pre-planning. There are a few things you need to think of ahead of time to benefit from making the most of your show and budget.
When you are planning, think about what products you are going to display on the stand and more importantly, what accessories or equipment do you need to do this? Are you planning on going live cooking on the stand? Are you going to offer sampling of your products? Here are a few things you might need to consider:
I am planning on cooking on my stand, how can I do this?
You could use a tabletop oven, like a Merry Chef, or maybe you want to do something a little more Masterchef and have a full cooking station. In the past, we have built-in full demo gas-powered grills, induction hobs, ovens and ever-popular air fryers. If you are planning on cooking on your stand, a protective screen is a must, to stop any visitors from accidentally touching anything hot.
Be mindful that with cooking usually comes a higher power requirement. Always speak to your stand builder or the shows electrical contractor to make sure you have enough power for what you are planning to use on the stand. This will save any hassle during the show with power tripping out during those key moments.
We have a whole range of case studies with examples of what you can achieve on your stand.
How can I store my products/ingredients?
This can be easily overlooked but is hugely important to get right. Do you need to keep your products cold or frozen? If so, you have a few options – most shows will have large cold stores and freezers which you can book to keep large volumes of product in over the duration of the show. However, you may also want to think about having a fridge or freezer on your stand, so you can keep enough product for each of the show sessions on hand without having to run back and forth too often.
If your products are ambient, then you will still need to consider how much room you’ll need for storage. Having serving counters with lots of shelving underneath can be a great space-saving tactic, or if you have a larger space, consider adding a store room with lots of shelving or racking inside.
What happens to my fridge or freezer overnight?
It’s not just during the day that you’ll need to keep your fridge and freezer cold – venues will cut the power to your stand overnight if you order the general electric package, to ensure your products are kept as they should be, you may want to consider booking 24-hour power from the venue. Unless you are planning on replenishing your store each morning, which can pose its own logistical challenges. If you are planning to have products such as ice cream, cakes, meat or dairy on your stand – then we would always recommend 24 hour power.
Will I need a sink?
The bottom line on this one is if you are offering sampling or cooking food on your stand, you will need a sink of some form to comply with regulations and you need to be able to wash your hands on your stand.
There are a few options for this;
– Self-contained countertop sink, which has a built-in water reservoir that you fill up and it folds up nicely to sit under your counter.
– Self-contained upright sink, this option gives a washing bowl with a larger reservoir. This can also have an option for hot water if you need it.
– Full sink, most venues offer a fully plumbed sink and water/waste package if you need a full station on your stand to use to wash up, clean or prep ingredients. This requires a lot more space and will need a platform floor to hide the water and waste pipes.
Most food and drinks shows will often have a dedicated space in the hall for washing up and food prep, so don’t panic if you haven’t got room for the full set-up on your stand.
What about hot drinks?
If you’re serving up your perfectly roasted coffee or brewing your brand-new blend of tea, hot water is a must. In the past, we have included coffee machines, instant hot water taps and kettles on a stand. One of the key points to think about here is power. you can’t turn up with your all singing all dancing coffee machine and plug it into a 500w rated socket as the power will trip and you’ll be left high and dry. Anything that boils water requires a much higher power source. We’d recommend booking a 3kW socket as a minimum for kettles or coffee machines. If you’re not sure what power you need always speak to your stand builder or the electrical contractor from the event.
Can I have a bar on my exhibition stand?
You can indeed, there are a few ways we can do this. You could go simple and have an under counter fridge with space for your beverage of choice. Or if you are looking to have your latest craft beer on tap ready for serving, we can build your chiller, pump and dispense equipment straight into a bar, counter or the wall of your stand. The third option is going for the halfway house and having a table top Beer Tender or Blade dispenser.
Food and Drink Exhibition Stand Ideas
It’s always hard knowing where to start with your food and drink exhibition planning. Here, you’ll find examples of custom exhibition stands that we’ve designed and built from scratch, as well as modular, space-only and shell scheme stands, which include elements that have been hired.
When you’re ready to chat about your future exhibition stand, then get in touch. We’ll be ready and waiting to help you make your next exhibition the best one yet.
Budweiser Budvar
Taste of London, Regents Park London
Brew Tea Co
London Coffee Festival, The Trumans Brewery London
Essential Cuisine
Hotel, Restaurant and Catering (HRC), ExCeL, London
Nationwide Produce
Farmshop and Deli Show, NEC Birmingham
Joe and Seph’s Popcorn
Speciality Fine Food Fair (SFFF), Olympia, London
Essential Cuisine
Casual Dining, ExCeL London
Solina
Casual Dining, ExCeL London
Budweiser Budvar
National Geographic Traveller Food Festival, London
Belazu
Taste of London, Regents Park London
Budweiser Budvar
London Craft Beer Festival (LCBF), Tobacco Dock London
Nextera
Plant Based World Expo Europe (PBWE), ExCeL London
Brew Tea Co
London Coffee Festival, The Truman Brewery London
Synergy Grill
Hotel, Restaurant and Catering (HRC), ExCeL London
Destiny Foods
Lunch Show, ExCeL London
Chika’s
National Convenience Show, NEC Birmingham
Recommended exhibitions for food and drink brands
We often get asked what shows we go to, so we’ve put a handy list together of some of the food and drinks exhibitions and festivals we go to each year.
ISM | 2 – 5 February 2025 | Cologne, Germany
The world’s largest sweets and snacks fair, held in Cologne, Germany.
lunch! NORTH | 11 – 12 March 2025 | Manchester Central
Brand new show for 2025, and counter-part to Lunch held in ExCel, London, it will be focusing on the northern cafè, coffee shop, and food-to-go industry. Read our tips about exhibiting at lunch! NORTH
Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) | 11 – 12 March 2025 | Manchester Central
NRB is the north’s leading show for the hospitality and restaurant trade.
International Food & Drink (IFE) | 17 – 19 March 2025 | ExCeL, London
IFE is part of the Food, Drink and Hospitality Week. It is one of the UK’s largest shows for showcasing food and drink products. Read our case study for the stand we built for Scrocchiarella or everything you need to know about exhibiting at IFE.
Hotel, Restaurant and Catering (HRC) | 17 – 19 March 2025 | ExCeL, London
HRC is part of the Food, Drink and Hospitality Week. One of the leading shows for food service and hospitality for the trade.
Food and Drink Expo | 7 – 9 April 2025 | NEC, Birmingham
Part of the UK Food and Drink Shows, it brings buyers from retail, wholesale, food service, hospitality and manufacturing sectors under one roof.
Farm and Deli Show | 7 – 9 April 2025 | NEC, Birmingham
Part of the UK Food and Drink Shows, Farm and Deli is great for showcasing the best in quality local ingredients and produce.
National Convenience Show | 7 – 9 April 2025 | NEC, Birmingham
Part of the UK Food and Drink Shows, this is the biggest event for the convenience and retailing sector.
BREWLDN | 10 – 12 April 2025 | Between The Bridges, Queens Walk, London
UK’s largest and most diverse craft drinks festival.
London Coffee Festival (LCF) | 15 – 18 May 2025 | The Truman Brewery, London
Ultimate show for caffeine enthusiasts. Read our case study for the stand we built for Brew Tea Co
Taste of London | 12 – 16 June 2025 | Regents Park, London
A five day celebration of food and drink in London, set. in the beautiful Regents Park. Music, Food and Drinks all week long.
National Geographic Traveller Food Festival | 19 – 20 July 2025 | Business Design Centre, London
Showcasing food an drink from brands around the wrold.
London Craft Beer Festival (LCBF) | 18 – 19 July 2025 | Tobacco Dock, London
A weekend celebration of all things craft beer and food.
Speciality Fine Food Fair (SFFF) | 9 – 10 September September 2025 | Olympia, London
Leading showcase of artisanal food and drink.
The National Restaurant, Pub and Bar Show (Casual Dining) | 24 – 25 September 2025 | ExCeL, London
A brand new look for what was known as Casual Dining, it brings together restaurants, pubs and bars to showcase the best in the industry. Read our case study for the stand we built for Synergy Grill.
Lunch Show | 24 – 25 September 2025 | ExCeL, London
The original show focuses on the cafè, coffee shop and food-to-go industry. Read our case study for the stand we built for Joe and Seph’s.
Plant Based World Expo Europe (PBWE) | 13 -14 November 2025 | ExCeL, London
Gathering space for the retail and foodservice industry looking for plant-based innovation and solutions. Read our case study for the stand we built for Nextera.
“They are adaptable, innovative, very helpful and really understand the demands of food exhibitions, especially those where we cook and sample on the stand.
“The design nous is exceptional as well.”
Scrocchiarella – Read our case study here
What location should I exhibit in?
Ultimately this question depends on your business and brand. If you are trying to tap into local markets, then exhibiting in your city would be a great start. Or if you are looking to grow or expand into new cities, and markets then look further afield.
If you’re based in London, then you have a whole range of great shows on your doorstep, everything from Taste of London for talking straight to consumers through to UK Food Week to develop those trade partnerships.
Or if you are in the Midlands, then Birmingham has some great shows for trade such as the UK Food and Drinks Shows or get in the festive spirit with festivals such as BBC Goodfood Winter.
In the north, there are some great emerging shows in Manchester such as the new Lunch North show and long-running shows such as Northern Restaurant and Bar.
For the best exposure for your brand, then we recommend visiting a range of shows across the UK. By doing this you will get a higher range of exposure for your brand.
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Motive Exhibitions, 3 Orion Court, Ambuscade Road, Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, PE19 8YX
