Gift Focus - May/Jun 2019 (Issue 113)

14 EXCLUSIVELY SHOWS LAUNCHES NEW INITIATIVE WITH THEFOODPEOPLE Exclusively Shows is delighted to announce that Charles Banks from thefoodpeople will be presenting a food trends talk each day at the show. The company will share the most relevant food and drink trends that will influence visitors and exhibitors attending the show over the course of the next two years. Banks commented: “The problem for business today is that food moves fast – very fast – and the consumer is moving faster still. So understanding what the next vegan, the next street food or the next Korean is, is critical for business. At thefoodpeople, we combine specialist global understanding of consumer trends and behaviours with our expertise and passion in food and drink to define the future horizon in the sector.” Each year, thefoodpeople releases a rolling two-year future food and drink trend forecast to define the social and cultural forces affecting food and drink and the mega trends that sit beneath them. From retail to foodservice, from cuisines to ingredients and cooking methods to preparation techniques, this two-year food and drink forecast attempts to help businesses align buying, promotions, events and merchandising with the trends of tomorrow. LOOKING AHEAD Formex When: 20 th -23 rd August, 2019 Where: Stockholmsmassan, Sweden Website: formex.se NY NOW When: 10 th -14 th August, 2019 Where: Javits Centre, New York Website: nynow.com Speciality & Fine Food Fair When: 1 st -3 rd September, 2019 Where: Olympia London Website: specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk IJL When: 1 st -3 rd September, 2019 Where: Olympia, London Website: jewellerylondon.com Autumn Fair When: 1 st -4 th September, 2019 Where: The NEC, Birmingham Website: autumnfair.com Top Drawer Autumn & Pulse When: 8 th -10 th September, 2019 Where: Olympia London Website: topdrawer.co.uk HOMI Outdoor & HOMI Fashion&Jewels When: 13 th -16 th September, 2019 Where: Fiera Milano, Milan Website: homimilano.com For further in-depth show previews and reports, turn to: 41 Exclusively Shows 51 Manchester Furniture Show 71 NY NOW preview 83 PG Live preview Glee invests in new app facility In 2019, Glee joins the digital revolution with the launch of its new exhibition smartphone app, designed to provide an unrivalled matchmaking solution to help suppliers and retailers get the most out of their time at the show. The new AI-powered event matchmaking solution from the experts at Grip will offer benefits for exhibitors and retailers, utilising a platform that has already proved its worth at leading events across the globe. Visiting retailers will be able to better measure their return on time spent at the show, and the hope is that it will improve it with personalised exhibitor recommendations and an easy-to-use meeting scheduling function. The Glee app will also include an overview of the exhibition’s wider educational content and seminar programmes, helping retailers plan their trips around the show. Exhibitors can also optimise their time via the app, as it provides a new way to generate leads and manage meetings with new, potential and existing customers. Popular exhibitor- focused features of the app include the ability to filter and refine visitor recommendations via Smart Recommendations and Meeting Delegation, which enables management of meetings across the sales team. There’s also the Smart Meeting Link, which makes it easy to invite existing clients to meetings, and an Inbound Leads section to highlight retailers interested in the company. The app is fully integrated with Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple iCal. Glee’s event director, Matthew Mein, said: “We’re excited to announce the introduction of the new Glee app. The industry has been calling for such a tool for some time, but we wanted to ensure we had the best possible platform at our disposal before launching. Grip has a great track record and utilises responsive, live data to provide the most efficient and hardworking matchmaking tool for both our exhibitors and visitors, helping to improve and increase the exhibition ROI for both. We look forward to rolling out the Glee app and working with the market to make it a go-to tool.” The Glee app will be available from early June 2019. It will also be available as a web-based platform to ensure accessibility. To find out more, visit gleebirmingham.com