Anticipation is building for the New England Produce Council’s Produce, Floral & Food Service Expo, set for Sept. 29-30 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.
Laura Sullivan, NEPC executive director, said the group is looking forward to bringing the industry together after canceling its expo last year because of the pandemic.
“We’re very excited to finally have an in-person trade show event,” Sullivan said Sept. 7.
“We’re only three weeks from (the event) and the only change right now is the city of Boston has a mask mandate.”
She said that means that all attendees, exhibitors and invited guests must wear a mask at the event.
Sullivan said Massachusetts has a high percentage of adults vaccinated against COVID-19.
In addition, the convention center has upgraded its filtration system and has a great cleaning protocol in place, she said. That protocol includes wiping down elevators, bathrooms and other public spaces.
“We are confident that we’re offering the best possible environment for everybody,” Sullivan said.
The expected number of exhibitors is 100-120, which is a little less below pre-pandemic levels, she said. However, Sullivan said the event is drawing support from the industry, including buyers.
“We have a good list of attendees, including almost all of the New England retailers, and then some outside of New England that have committed to attending the event,” she said.
“I think it’ll be a great opportunity for some of these (exhibiting) companies to showcase some products and listen to some of our speakers,” Sullivan said.
The speakers will be looking ahead, she said.
“They are not going to talk too much about the past, I think we’re going to try to focus more on moving forward and in what the landscape is going to look like post-pandemic,” she said.
“I think people are ready to move forward, look ahead and get excited about the future.”
