Foodex 2008

[Pouncy]

I'm planning on going to Foodex this year, probably on Friday. Is anyone else thinking about taking in the sights?

[JasonTrue]

I have to miss it this year (too much money spent on immigration attorneys and international travel in the last 12 months), but do make sure you have some sort of industry credential in the form of a business card when you arrive. They keep one and staple the other to your ID.

If you register in advance they'll waive the fee usually.

Because food covers a lot of sectors (wholesale, distributors, restaurant, specialty food, hotel, import/export, retailers, and so on) they're not demanding about what kind of company you work for, of course.

I'm planning on going to Foodex this year, probably on Friday.  Is anyone else thinking about taking in the sights?

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[torakris]

I actually had forgotten about this until just now!

The registration page is confusing me, do we really have to pay this year?

The best day for me would also be that Friday.

[JasonTrue]

They've always had a fee, though they've never offered a "purchase in advance" option.

They've also always had a very-well-buried pre-registration page, which I usually see in the mailing that they send me, but I haven't been looking for that in my mailbox this year, and I might have tossed it already.

That pre-registration page is how you get the "registration card" that allows you free admission once they qualify you. Since my company does some food import, I never had a problem, but it's possible they've gotten more strict with casual visitors than previously.

Last year, I was in Japan just a little too late to go to FoodEx (and too early for the biennial ceramics festival at Icheon, Korea, alas), so I don't have recent information.

Following the path that they link to online leads to a purchase path, and they now seem to charge per day rather than for the whole show.

I think you could use your eGullet press card to register as Press though.

[Chris Amirault]

What sorts of things are people planning to do?

[JasonTrue]

Well, when I've gone before, it was to look for products that might be worth considering importing. I've also had several meetings there with companies that had some connection with the food industry but weren't exhibiting.

There are also a bunch of presentations on trends in the food industry, but I've usually not had time for those.

The Hoteres show at Tokyo Big Sight, mostly focused on foodservice and hospitality equipment and service items, hosts the nifty Japan espresso barista competition which I caught part of in 2006.

What sorts of things are people planning to do?

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[helenjp]

Opens next Tuesday (March 11)!

Overseas visitor registration closes March 7 - this Friday.