lunch! – Europe’s premier trade event for the food-to-go market – has once again been shortlisted for a pair of prestigious industry awards by the UK’s Association of Event Organisers (AEO).
The recently announced nominations see lunch! up for its fourth consecutive Best Trade Show Exhibition (under 2,000sqm) Award – an accolade that the event first won at the AEO’s Excellence Awards in 2010 (followed by a second triumph in 2011). The lunch! team will also be defending its Best Marketing Campaign of the Year Award, which it won last year.
Diversified Business Communications UK, the organiser of lunch!, had much to celebrate last week, having received a total of four nominations in the exhibition industry’s annual equivalent to the Oscars; with its office* show and new launch Natural Products Scandinavia also recognised. The news came just days after visitor registration opened for lunch!’s sixth edition, which will feature over 270 exhibitors (up 15% from 236) when it returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on 26-27 September.
Renowned for attracting top buyers from across the food-to-go retailing and contract catering industry, lunch! has enjoyed growing industry prominence and support since it launched in 2008 with around 100 exhibitors. lunch!’s meteoric rise to the forefront of the UK’s food and drink trade show calendar has seen attendance surge from 2,197 to 4,403 (that’s up over 100% in just five years). Indeed 2012 was a momentous year for lunch! all round – which marked its switch to a bigger venue by increasing its exhibitors by 42% and selling out four months early in the process. 2012 also witnessed increased interest from international buyers (up 32%, on top of a 76% increase the previous year) drawn to London on the promise of seeing a wealth of new launches from the food-to-go sector’s most cutting-edge food, drink, packaging, equipment and technology suppliers.
Speaking on behalf of the lunch! team, group event manager Chris Brazier says: “From day one we wanted lunch! to be different, to really stand out from the event crowd, and to be a real buying experience that visitors – from the biggest multiples to the local cafes and coffee shops – all actually enjoyed coming to. Five shows and three industry awards later and the word that still appears more often than any other in testimonials about lunch! is “innovation”. That’s what great about the show – it’s the ethos that drives it forward – and we’re absolutely delighted that the AEO has recognised this once more. It’s an exceptionally rare honour – and an enormous achievement for everyone here at Diversified UK – to be nominated for best trade show and best marketing campaign for two years running – and it wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of all our exhibitors, visitors, sponsors and partners.”
This continuing support has already heralded the prospective announcement of a sold out show months away from opening day, with booked stand space for 2013 now already outstripping the total sales for last year’s show. The expansion into a whole new area at the three-floor venue (which is now home to the popular Innovation Zone, the Innovation Challenge Showcase, the Working lunch! Theatre, British Smoothie Championships, Press Office, and a new VIP lounge) has done little to slow demand, with just a handful of stands left on the upper level (plus one stand on the ground level). Confirmed exhibitors to date include big name brands such as Equip Line; Impress Sandwiches; Delice de France; Cafe Deli Wholesale; Odysea; Tayto; Bagel Nash; ABDA; Tudor Tea & Coffee; The Food Doctor; Magrini; Wrigley UK; Simple Simon Foods; Delifrance UK; Freshfayre Chilled Foodservice; First Pack; Crown Foods; and Warbutons.
The AEO Excellence Awards recognises achievements by organisers, venues, suppliers and contractors throughout the exhibitions industry. This year’s winners are to be announced at a dedicated awards ceremony, which is taking place at – lunch!’s original venue – Old Billingsgate, London, on 21 June 2013.
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