“Fresh Farms, a leading produce marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico grown by the Molina family, is reflecting on its experience at the recent IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, with thoughts about how it was able to maximize its trade show experience.
“Trade shows hold very high expectations, as they are the one place where we can present in force to the industry all of our products and services, and equally important, showcase the company’s culture and spirit,” said David Watson, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “When you have over 20,000 industry members in one place for two days, it’s a great opportunity to market your company.”
Jorge Donnadieu, chief administrative officer, added that the IFPA show presented a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with Fresh Farms’ business partners and immediate stake holders. “Sure, Zoom meetings and phone calls are great, but to put faces to names, to sit down and have coffee or a beer with people you have been doing business with is invaluable.”
To get the most out of this show and all shows, both Watson and Donnadieu said preparation in advance and follow-up after the show are both crucial.
“Organization is key to a successful trade show,” said Watson. “From hotel reservations to booth design to scheduling customer meetings to deciding which seminars and events to attend – all of these are important to making the most of our trade show experience.”
And following up is the real key to success, according to the Fresh Farms executives.
“Once you have met with existing or new potential clients, following up in the days and weeks afterward and bringing the ideas to fruition is crucial,” said Watson.
“Converting those leads into loyal and repeat customers based on great quality and customer service will, over time and organically, result in increased brand presence,” added Donnadieu.
Both men feel that events like the IFPA show offer a great opportunity for new business leads and to establish brand presence.
“Companies have their own identities and their own culture, and each company needs to represent itself the way they want the industry to see it,” said Watson. “When you walk the show, you will see the creative, the innovative, the multinationals, the tech, and every type of fresh product format being offered.”
With regard to the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, Watson and Donnadieu believe Fresh Farms stood out for a couple of reasons.
“For this show, we decided to carry a message of ‘Fun, Healthy, Innovation and Fresh,’ and we achieved that with our booth, featuring one of our top products – Cotton Candy grapes – and bringing to life the theme of fun and freshness in our candy land of grape products and full line of healthy, fresh produce,” said Watson.
“We really had a nice booth and a good location, close to important industry players,” added Donnadieu. “But the one thing no one had that allowed us to stand out, in other words, our ‘secret sauce,’ is that we have an array of talent stemming from different disciplines and years of industry experience, along with young team members that bring fresh perspectives to the table. All in all, I believe our human capital is, and will continue to be, our key to success.””
*This article is excerpted from producenews.com website, published 10th November 2022