Viva Fresh is ready to roll
Hosted by the Texas International Produce Association, the 2021 Viva Fresh Expo is right around the corner with both in-person and digital elements.
The in-person Viva Fresh Expo is set for March 26-27 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas.
The Viva Fresh Steering Committee has put in place safety measures while remaining committed to providing the top-tier event experience attendees expect, said Dante Galeazzi, CEO and president of TIPA.
The Grapevine location is just three minutes from the DFW Airport, he said.
“We really wanted to make Viva Fresh accessible for the buyers, and that was part of the reason and the strategy that we structured the event as it is,” he said.
Education, golf and some networking activities are March 25-26, but the expo is only on Saturday, March 27.
“Buyers, no matter where they’re at, can hop on a plane, get somewhere easy, attend the show and then take that same plane out on Saturday,” he said.
As of Feb. 3, Viva Fresh had 165 exhibitors and more than 100 buyers committed to attend, with expectations of about 200 retail and foodservice buyers to visit the show.
“The show floor is going to have a lot more space,” he said.
The expo floor will have 14-foot aisles and there will be six feet of space between the booths, Galeazzi said.
“We have gone through great lengths to identify and create spaces for people depending on their comfort (zone),” he said. “If you have attendees who very much don’t want people within that six-foot space, we will have badges and lanyards that will identify those people.”
Some of the precautions, according to the event website, are:
- Shortened schedule:
- Wider aisles;
- Limited attendance;
- Temperature checks;
- Daily check-in app.
- Mask mandate in all conference and trade show areas;
- Sanitation stations throughout the hotel but also in the convention trade show areas; and
- Plexiglass added.
Registration is available online.
