Food Industry Event Marketing: Why Your Brand Marketing Is Your Most Valuable Asset
I was fascinated to learn that The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was the first modern international trade show, held in London in 1851. Commonly known as the “Great Exhibition,” it was organized by a Royal Commission to showcase the pinnacle of industrial and technological achievement from around the globe. Canada’s first trade show, the Canadian International Trade Fair, took place in Toronto in 1949. Today, these events are common calendar fixtures.
Canada’s premier trade shows for the traditional grocery sector, Grocery Innovation and Grocery and Specialty Food West, are managed and operated by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, www.cfig.ca. Recently, I interviewed Mr. Rolster Taylor, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at CFIG, to gain further insight into their these shows.
What is the History of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers?
The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG), which was founded in 1962, is a non-profit trade association. As when they were founded, they continue to be a collaborative community, equipping and enabling independent, franchised, and specialty grocers for sustainable success. The first Grocery Innovations trade show was held more than 44 years ago, followed by Grocery and Specialty Food West a couple of years later.
How Does CFIG Support Smaller Brands?
Like any business, CFIG has evolved over time to showcase smaller brands, especially considering their success in the Canadian grocery sector. For the 52-week period ending September 2025, small businesses’ dollar percent growth was 5.3% vs. 3.8% on a national basis.[1] Both trade shows allow small businesses to exhibit under their Provincial banner, including but not limited to: 1. Buy BC, 2. Agri-Food Attache, Bureau du Quebec, and 3. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. In addition, there is a designated space for first time exhibitors.
Do You Have Any Success Stories You Can Share?
Solmaz Food was established in 2001 as a small butcher and grocery store on Danforth and Pape Avenue in Toronto. They started with a 100 sq ft booth at Grocery Innovations and now exhibit annually with a 400 sq ft display, supplying Halal certified deli meat to Costco, Loblaws, Metro, Fresh Co, and Adonis.
In the food and beverage industry, Canadian trade shows aren’t just another date on the calendar – they’re powerful opportunities to connect with buyers who have the power to say “yes” to your product or solution. This is the top reason why businesses attend Grocery Innovations. Chart 1 outlines the 2025 grocery decision makers in attendance, while Chart 2 categorizes retailer attendees by type.[2]
Trade shows are valuable venues for small businesses to reach potential customers, boost their brand’s visibility, generate leads, and gain industry insights. However, with many brands vying for the customers’ attention, promising conversations are easily forgotten. The key to success is a is a clear and compelling brand story, and a strategy to tell it. The brands that stand out are the ones that make a human connection. Innova Market Insights named storytelling as their top trend for 2020, and over 56% of consumers worldwide say brand stories impact their buying decisions. Storytelling can also boost a product’s perceived value by up to 20 times.[3]
Food Industry Event Marketing – Why Your Brand Story is Your Most Valuable Asset
The Opportunity: Tell A Story That Sticks
Stand Out! Be Memorable! Drive Engagement!
Every brand has a story, but without the right tools to craft and share it, your message gets lost in the noise, especially around industry events. This event marketing outline will help you weave storytelling every phase of your event marketing strategy to capture attention, generate interest, and build lasting connections.[4]
- Pre-Event: Engage early. Tease your story. Build excitement.
- Set the stage before the event to position your brand as a thought leader and spark attendee interest. Build your brand and compel your audience to want to learn more with educational and accessible content.
- Newsletter advertising,
- Gated content: white papers: capture leads, and invite them to exclusive on-site meetings,
- Blog series + Video Q&A.
- Set the stage before the event to position your brand as a thought leader and spark attendee interest. Build your brand and compel your audience to want to learn more with educational and accessible content.
- Onsite: Engage & capture. Bring your story to life in real-time.
- Your brand presence should extend beyond the booth—use compelling content to create meaningful interactions onsite.
- Live and digital content.
- Show a daily newsletter that helps keep your brand top of mind.
- Your brand presence should extend beyond the booth—use compelling content to create meaningful interactions onsite.
- Post-Event: Extend the buzz. Keep the conversation going.
- Capitalize on the show’s momentum by continuing to connect with your target audience after the event and reinforcing the story you want to align yourself with.
- Post conference special report.
- Blogs: Repurpose event content into shareable, high-impact digital assets
- Video series: Leverage event footage to sustain momentum and drive post-event engagement.
- Capitalize on the show’s momentum by continuing to connect with your target audience after the event and reinforcing the story you want to align yourself with.
Food Distribution Guy’s Final Thoughts
I successfully launched Food Distribution Guy at Grocery Innovations, and have made it a point to follow up with each lead I generated. What troubles me about event marketing, 80% of leads generated are not pursued.[5] It is essential that all leads are followed up with. To understand why, consider the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree. The story is a popular parable about patience, perseverance, and having to nurture each contact you make. It teaches us that significant achievements often require long periods of effort before visible results appear.
References:
[1] Quarter by Numbers, Qtr. 3, Nielsen IQ November 2025
[2] Decision Makers from Grocery, Grocery Innovations Canada, www.CFIG.ca, 2025
[3] Research Shows Story Telling Crucial to Brand Performance, www.grocerydive.com, March 2024
[4] Food Industry Event Marketing: Why Story Telling is Your Best Asset, www.smartbrief.com, Emily Elliott, August 2025
[5] Trade Show Marketing – Best Practices for Tradeshow Lead Follow Up, www.launchteaminc.com