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The 12th annual IFIA Japan (International Food Ingredients and Additives), held May 30 – June 1, 2007, welcomed a record 31,000 attendees from all over the world, making it the largest event dedicated solely to the food additives and ingredients industry. Each year, IFIA Japan increases in size and number of buyers. IFIA Japan Food Show PLUS!TM tradeshow enhancement services, sponsored by Food Export–Midwest, Food Export-Northeast, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, were available during the event to help U.S. suppliers maximize their tradeshow experience. As a result of the services offered, one U.S. supplier made a first-time export sale, 20 new buyer/seller introductions were made, and one new distributorship was formed. Collectively, the suppliers made $100,000 in new sales and anticipate an additional $900,000 in sales over the next two years. Kate Leavitt, Director, International Sales & Marketing for SunOpta Grains and Foods Group in Minnesota, took advantage of the Food Show PLUS!TM services at the event. “The IFIA show is targeted to our audience with more meaningful traffic for us. Going to these events helps us qualify new leads and solidify relationships by meeting face-to-face with potential buyers. And the tradeshow support services we received certainly helped us make the most of our time,” explained Leavitt.
IFIA Japan Food Show PLUS!TM included several tradeshow enhancement services such as an import analysis for one product in Japan and one additional market (China, Taiwan, or Korea), translation of up to two pages of each company’s brochure and profile into Japanese, and Japanese interpreters at their show booth during show hours. According to Bonita Oehlke of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and activity coordinator for IFIA Japan Food Show PLUS!TM, “The four participating U.S. suppliers were enthusiastic about the quality of the buyers and about the event. The common comment from participants was that this activity exceeded their expectations with the quality of buyers in attendance and the strong potential for significant new sales.”
Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast are private, non-profit associations of Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies that use federal, state, and industry resources to promote the export of Midwestern and Northeastern food and agricultural products. Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast administer many services through Market Access Program (MAP) funding from the USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service.
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