This report (extract of the report see below) is kindly provided by IMR INTERNATIONAL Hydrocolloid Information Center http://hydrocolloid.com , Publisher of The Quarterly Review of Food Hydrocolloids.
Day 3 attendance was not as terrible as predicted but certainly a poor return on investment for most exhibitors. Not to mention the attendees that purchased only a one day pass. Attendance was way below even the normally expected poor attendance on the last day. By 2:30-3:00pm most attendees had started to leave and many exhibitors had started to pack up. For those that decided to brave public transport, they were pleasantly surprised. Metro and RER service was available if sporadic and with longer than usual wait times.
In terms of hydrocolloid relevance, visits and interviews conducted during day 3 confirmed the craze over plant based food identified during days 1 & 2. A deja vu of the ‘low fat, no fat craze’ of years gone by. A lemming mentality headed for an inevitable correction.
Of all the marketing and promotional effort expended during shows like the FIE, it is amazing how little is targeted at the most important decision maker, the consumer. A case of ‘out of sight out of mind’. IMR’s saying:- “The Perception of the Consumer is the Reality of the Producer”