Speciality & Fine Food Fair celebrates most successful show to date

15th September 2011, 8:54am

This year’s Speciality & Fine Food Fair (SFFF) attracted over 8,000 visitors, the highest number in its 12 year history.

This figure is a 12% increase on the 2010 event. A total of 42% new exhibitors showcased their brands for the very first time.

A new report, created jointly by Speciality & Fine Food Fair and the Guild of Fine Foods, which was released at SFFF found that 48% of fine food outlets have shown an increase in customer spend over the past year, while 55% anticipate a growth in turnover in the next 12 months.

Soraya Gadelrab, event manager of SFFF11, said: "We have been overwhelmed with the response to this year's Fair and are thrilled to see that the fine food industry is bucking the trend during such turbulent economic times. 

"We have worked hard to ensure the Fair provided its audience with the tools they needed to further this growth while supporting smaller businesses in their quest to become part of the sector's success."

Highlights of the show included the Fine Food Forum and The Small Business Forum. Exhibitors and visitors also took advantage of the one-to-one mentoring sessions that were held throughout the Fair at the Business Mentoring Centre. 

The 30 minute private sessions, which were oversubscribed due to their popularity, allowed experts to pass on their knowledge on everything from marketing to finance and social media. The Speciality Chocolate Fair also proved a popular event.

 "The fact that this year's Speciality & Fine Food Fair had the highest number of both exhibitors and visitors in its 12 year history leaves us confident that the sector will continue to remain strong and those within the industry will continue to do well."

Related Articles:

• 02 Aug 2010 - SFFF preview
• 14 Jun 2010 - Record number of new exhibitors at SFFF
• 28 Aug 2009 - Count down to SFFF

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