West Coast Produce Expo brings industry together
Getting back together in person was more than satisfying for attendees of The Packer’s West Coast Produce Expo.
Held at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, the show had about 500 attendees and 89 exhibitors.
Buyers included representatives from Blue Apron, Charlie’s Produce, Jewel Osco, Albertson’s, Sobeys and other retail groups, event organizers said.
Masks were not required on the expo floor for the fully vaccinated, according to the resort’s rules.
“I think people were excited to get back to normal,” said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for Chelan Fresh, Chelan, Wash. “Being able to communicate face-to-face with a lot of people feels good, because it’s such a tactile business.”
Kent Beesley, retail promotion director for the western region for the Idaho Potato Commission, spoke highly of the event.
“The nice thing about the West Coast Produce Expo is that you get the key players from major retail chains to come to this, so you get the VP of produce, which is really important,” Beesley said. “We like seeing them, so that’s one thing that we really enjoy about this show.”
“One of the things I felt in the show that everybody is talking about is that it is nice to get out and finally get to see everybody again, because this is a people business,” said David Clyde, vice president of sales and marketing for Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, Calif. “It is really a people business.”
Some exhibitors noted the show was smaller than previous years, which they expected given the pandemic and similar experiences at other recent events.
“There’s been some quality people,” said Shay Myers, CEO of Owyhee Produce, Parma, Idaho. “I think the numbers are low … Viva Fresh the numbers were low, but those that were there were very engaged. I think this is comparable. The numbers might be lower, but the engagement, everyone’s willing — maybe it’s because the numbers are lower it’s easier to have that conversation.”
Dave Marotta, salesman with Coastal Fresh Farms, Westlake Village, Calif., also mentioned that the show was a bit quieter than normal but said it was to be expected because of the pandemic.
“We were excited to bring the fresh produce industry together for the first in-person event in the western U.S. since the pandemic began,” said Matt Morgan, executive vice president for produce at Farm Journal.
“Attendance exceeded our expectations, and we were happy to deliver a more than two-to-one buyer-to-supplier ratio for our exhibitors, with almost half of the buyers being first time attendees of the West Coast Produce Expo. This event continues to grow, and we look forward to seeing everyone back in Palm Springs in 2022.”
Riggan said the industry has been frustrated with inability of virtual events to provide what in-person events offer.
“While you might have kind of got tired of the shows all these years, because they take a lot of work, they really are effective in our business,” he said. “So, it was great to see people and share and have a lot of laughs and share stories.”
While some retailers could not travel yet because of company policies, Riggan was pleased with the engagement he saw from buyers.
“All in all, it’s been a real success for us. We’ve got some great dinners with customers. We had great interaction with accounts. This is a big first step in getting really back to normal; I think this is about the first show we’ve seen that is as close to normal as it’s ever been.”
Retail Editor Ashley Nickle also contributed to this story.
