Supermarket Trade Show, organized by the New Supermarket Association of Japan, was held in Tokyo from February 13-15, 2013. The USA Pavilion featured a variety of high quality and healthy U.S. agricultural products and foods from 32 organizations and companies including U.S. Meat Export Federation, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, U.S. Potato Board, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Hawaii Papaya Industry Association, Food Export Association of the Midwest USA/Northeast. U.S. exhibition provided an excellent venue for U.S. food companies and their Japanese agents interested in promoting their products to the retail sector buyers in Japan. Projected next 12 months sales were almost $51 million.
B. FAS FIELD EVALUATION
1) Show Objectives:
Supermarket Trade Show, organized by the New Supermarket Association of Japan, provides an excellent venue for ATO Cooperator, U.S. food companies and their Japanese agents interested in promoting their products to retail sector buyers in Japan. The show is particularly well suited for introducing consumer oriented products.
2) Show’s Success in Achieving the Objectives:
The show’s projected next 12-month sales was almost $51 million. The big increase is due to beef. Japan just expanded access for U.S. beef starting Feb 1. USMEF and its member companies reported $50 million.It was the second year exhibiting at the Supermarket Trade Show as a U.S. Department of Agriculture Endorsed Trade Show. The USA Pavilion featured a variety of high quality and healthy U.S. agricultural products and foods from 31 organizations and companies including U.S. Meat Export Federation, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, U.S. Potato Board, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Hawaii Papaya Industry Association, Food Export Association of the Midwest USA/Northeast. The U.S. Pavilion had increased number of booths from 28 booths to 34 booths, and 25 companies to 31 companies, compared to the last year’s pavilion.
ATO provided an information booth and business lounge for U.S. exhibitors and show visitors to the pavilion. The pavilion information handed out the USA Pavilion guidebook to invite Japanese buyers to the pavilion. The lounge was very small but was used heavily with the coffee service which is operated by one of the U.S. pavilion coffee exhibitors. U.S. exhibitors appreciated the quality of visitors at the show.
3) Suggestions for Improving Future Shows:
The Supermarket Trade Show became one of the major trade shows in Japan with good results in the past few years. The U.S. Pavilion added the quality by the appearance as an international show. We planned to manage the U.S. Pavilion well in advance of the show date as the show was held only 2 weeks before the FOODEX JAPAN. U.S. Government budget issue affected our budget for the pavilion design/construction upgrade. We needed to eliminate about half of the pavilion designs and rental furniture for ATO information booth and the lounge. We hope to have it funded early enough for the show in 2014.
