SIAL Montreal Up for Another Record in '07

JEFF WELLS

MONTREAL — Organizers of this year's SIAL Montreal food exhibition have expanded resources and activities in anticipation of another record crowd.

Set for late March, this year's installment — the fourth overall — will feature 750 exhibitors and is expected to draw more than 15,000 visitors from 80 countries to the 200,000 square-foot space at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Exhibitions and the accompanying discussions, awards and other activities will cover numerous food and beverage categories, all in the spirit of bolstering the North American Free Trade Agreement's central tenet: to improve commerce among the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Previous shows have recorded more than $400 million in transactions.

“This event is fertile ground for developing national and global business ties on a stage where trade plays the leading role,” said Mathieu Herrou, general director, SIAL Montreal.

New to the program this year is a special product display and contest titled “The 100 Innovative Products Showcase.” This includes any products that have been introduced to the market since May 2005. The showcase is judged according to healthfulness and innovation, and the winner will receive the newly developed Novitas Award.

Also new this year is an olive oil competition, the “Olive d'Or.” Supervised by the International Olive Oil Council, this contest will include extra virgin olive oils that contain less than 0.8% oleic acid. Judges will dole out nine awards in all, with categories scaled according to fruit flavor.

According to organizers, several countries will have their own pavilion of exhibitions at SIAL Montreal. These countries include China, Brazil, France, Italy, Mexico and Egypt. The new exhibitors this year include representatives from Turkey, Malaysia and Uzbekistan. Exhibitors from 40 countries are expected to attend this year, and registration is up 20%.

Visitor attendance has also trended upward over the years, increasing by close to 1,000 people each event, which runs every other year. In 2005, attendance hit 14,132.

Francisco Fonseca, an international sales and marketing representative with Taylor Shellfish Farms in Shelton, Wash., said his company attends SIAL Montreal in order to increase sales throughout Eastern Canada. He explained that the opportunity is ripe in this area, especially for shellfish.

“Eastern Canada is still a relatively small market,” said Fonseca. “We want to make it bigger. You know, there is a good, stable economy, and a large Asian population. This is good, because 80% of our clients are Asian.”

Bernard Gauthier, national sales director for Kozy Shack, a pudding company based in Hicksville, N.Y., has attended every SIAL Montreal show since its inception in 2001. This year he plans to showcase the company's new frozen offerings, as well as several products from its current line.

He explained that the exhibition has provided positive international and domestic exposure for Kozy Shack.

“To be able to touch all of those major buyers at the same time is very beneficial, especially when introducing new products like we have this year,” Gauthier said.

In addition to expanding the overall scope of SIAL Montreal, organizers want to garner increased participation from U.S. companies in particular. Part of this campaign includes a new marketing tagline, “If You Don't Go … You Won't Know.” Organizers are also slanting features on the SIAL website toward American visitors and potential exhibitors.

“Increasing the share of U.S. buyer visitors is central to the communications strategy rolled out for this fourth edition,” said Herrou.

This year, Taylor Shellfish will be exhibiting value-added selections marketed toward retail and the food-service industry. According to Fonseca, SIAL Montreal is an excellent opportunity for U.S. companies.

“I think it is a good way to give exposure to the company name, to the brand name, to the products that we have and the products that we are putting out on the market,” he said.