Lunch in the Foodservice Pavilion

The new Foodservice Pavilion on the show floor had lots of activity on Thursday.

Photo 2011 © Gary Michael www.exposuresltd.com

With experts predicting an improved economy and strong business outlook for 2011 and beyond, AWMA members turned their focus to finding ways to further strengthen their businesses as the 2011 AWMA Show drew to a conclusion Thursday at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

“It is amazing how spot-on these educational programs have been,” said Brad Borkhuis, Wholesale Supply Co., Inc., Minot, ND. “My goal is to find at least one good thing to take back and implement. I do that. Sometimes it takes longer than I thought, but it gets done.”

Before distributors and suppliers headed to the Expo floor for another five hours of business-to-business and face-to-face discussions, concurrent educational sessions included the Convenience Industry Forecast and a discussion of the distributor’s role in making convenience foodservice programs successful.

The closing super session featured a forecast of the 2015 retail landscape, how consumers are expected to respond following the recession, and how the convenience channel can capture an increased share of consumer spending. Expanded foodservice is part of that opportunity, and distributors appreciated the emphasis on foodservice, which included seminars on Wednesday and Thursday and the new Foodservice Pavilion on the Expo floor.

“I think the best thing about this year’s show is the foodservice pavilion,” said Ricky Jones, Andalusia Distributing Co., Andalusia, AL. “There is a good variety of food items and information on coolers and equipment as well. It’s been very helpful. And from a general perspective of the show, we’ve been able to take advantage of some of the Show Deals that were offered. We saw a lot of new items, especially in the general merchandise area that will help provide extra sales and profit.”

AWMA President & CEO Scott Ramminger was delighted with the results of this year’s Expo, and expressed appreciation to all of the exhibitors, attendees, and sponsors for helping to make it one of the most successful ever.

Platinum Sponsors were:

• Altria Sales & Distribution Inc.
• American Snuff Company
• The Hershey Company
• R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
• Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.

Gold Sponsors were:

• Altadis U.S.A.
• BIC Consumer Products, USA
• Commonwealth Brands, Inc.
• InfoRhythm, Inc.
• Kraft Foods
• Lorillard Tobacco Company
• Mars Chocolate North America
• Swisher International, Inc.
• Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.

Silver Sponsors were:

• Atkinson Candy Company
• Dosal Tobacco
• General Mills, Inc.