The BBC Good Food Show is in full swing at the NEC in Birmingham (UK) 16-19 June. The show is combined with the BBC Gardeners’ World show.
This is definitely a consumer rather than a trade event. Most of the visitors are consumers (garden or foodies) out for a fun day. Many visitors are dragging wheeled baskets behind them. Exhibitors are out to sell product rather than provide samples.
We asked food and beverage exhibitors what they thought about the show. They thought it provided valuable exposure for no or little spend. A small stand goes for roughly £2,000 ($3,000) but many exhibitors reported that they were able to sell £2,000-£10,000 of product during the show, thereby defraying most or all of the stand cost.
The B2C exposure is good. The organisers involve food bloggers and celebrity chefs in the publicity (including Instagram and Twitter) surrounding the show, and exhibitors are included in some of that. Exhibitors encounter thousands of visitors, including food bloggers. The organisers also offer a service of sending out new product samples to food bloggers. There are also sponsorship opportunities starting at £10,000.
The event includes many recipe presentations by celebrity chefs. The image is celebrity chef Tom Kerridge presenting one of his famous burger recipes (pork & feta with cucumber salsa).
There is another larger BBC Good Food Show in November at the NEC in November 24-27 2016. The November show does include the Gardeners’ World component, and more food and beverage stands fill that space.