FMI 2000 Supermarket Industry Convention and Educational Exposition Show Preview

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is set to host the 2000 Supermarket Industry Convention and Educational Exposition in May at McCormick Place in Chicago. The largest and most comprehensive annual grocery trade event in the world, it promises to be an exciting opportunity to look at trends and new products, and to view the latest technology available today for the grocery business. Of the estimated 35,000 attendees, 20 percent are expected to come from outside the United States, an all-time high for the convention. Some 1500 exhibitors will be featured in a total of 1.3 million square feet. Plus, the concurrent 2000 U.S. Food Export Showcase, sponsored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), will feature an estimated 38 pavilions spotlighting nearly 400 small and mid-size American manufacturers, making this a not-to-be-missed event.

Several special events, educational workshops, and two giant new pavilions focusing on technology and health add to the luster of this year's convention. Under the theme of "Connecting With Your Future," the convention kicks off three days of seminars with its signature event, "Supermarket Industry Speaks," FMI's annual state-of-the-industry address, delivered for the first time as part of Sunday morning's opening session. Workshops conducted over the ensuing days will cover such topics as Ethnic Marketing, Crisis Management, Human Resource Challenges, Genetically Modified Foods, Organic Produce and Natural Foods, Internet Grocery Shopping, and many other issues of relevance to today's grocers.

New Pavilions

The talk of the convention surely will be the two new pavilions that will take center stage. The first, Super TechMart, is an innovative exhibit that will feature a virtual tour of all the different orbital environments in the retail galaxy, from the home to the store to the distribution and manufacturing plants. It will focus on the existing technology available to everyone, and the "connectivity" these technologies have with one another. According to the FMI, this is the first time that a retailer-focused pavilion with live demonstrations has ever been built for a trade event.

The other new pavilion, The Whole Health Market, takes a look at the burgeoning health food industry whose sales are expected to increase to over $100 billion this year. The exhibit will feature displays on natural products, health foods, vitamins and herbal supplements, over-the-counter remedies, and nutritional information centers. Visitors can see new products, as well as products consumers will be looking for in the near future, and how retailers can take advantage of this growing category within the traditional food market.

New Releases

During the convention, FMI will release its two most referenced annual publications, Trends in the United States: Consumer Attitudes and the Supermarket and Supermarket Industry Speaks. Also, new data will be presented on topics such as Internet grocery shopping, frequent shopper cards, and supermarket take-out dining.

International Flavor

International trade will again be integral to the show as ethnic foods and products from around the world will be showcased to retailers eager to accommodate the increasing diversity in consumer tastes and demographics. Several countries will host pavilions to showcase native specialties.

Accordingly, designated sessions will be translated into six languages — Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and French. Two sessions will actually be conducted entirely in Spanish, including one presented by Carlos Paciarotti, president of the Associacion Latinoamericana de Supermercados (ALAS).

NASDA's U.S. Food Export Showcase will be back for the eighth straight year with nearly 300 exhibitors in a 42,000-square-foot area. More than 35 states will host pavilions to spotlight entrepreneurial companies with products for the export market. With approximately 7,000 foreign visitors from an estimated 120 countries, this should prove to be a busy pavilion indeed. This area will also provide a chance for American retailers to meet and exchange ideas with their counterparts from around the globe, and to see how the U.S. market and supermarkets are viewed from abroad.

Seminars

If all that weren't enough, there will also be on hand throughout the convention a host of internationally acclaimed speakers imparting their advice, wisdom, and the fruits of their research at seminars over the three days. Speakers include Jim Sullivan, author of Minding Your Own Business; Mary Matalin and James Carville, the husband-and-wife political advisors with diametrically opposed political views; and Harold Lloyd, president of H. Lloyd and Associates and columnist for The Gourmet Retailer.

The FMI 2000 Supermarket Industry Convention and Educational Exposition promises to be the place to see, hear, and taste it first — new products, equipment, services, research, consumer trends, and developments in the international food industry. For more information, contact FMI convention services at (202) 452-8444, or FMI's Automated Convention Infoline at (800) 890-SHOW (7469), ext. 900, or visit their Web site at www.fmi.org.