Restaurant Community Drives Decision – And Looks Forward to 2022 Live Event
After conferring with the Metro NYC restaurant and foodservice community, and based on the feedback, Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group has announced that the 2021 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York and Healthy Food Expo NY will not be held in July at the Javits Center in New York City. Instead, the next in person event will now be held at the Javits Center March 6-8, 2022.
“As the industry starts to come out of the year-long impact of the global pandemic, we have been in close contact with hundreds of our exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and our association partner and they have reported that they are just not ready for a large-scale, live event in the second half of 2021 and are very much looking forward to gathering in person with their peers in March 2022,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President, Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group. “Although disappointed, our events are here to support the industry as a partner, and we know this is the right decision for our community. And overwhelming support from the vendor community for the 2022 IRFSNY event points to a strong return to a live event in March.”
“Feedback from our customers helped us to refocus the event to meet the changing needs of the foodservice community,” added Loughran. “One of those significant changes is an all new education program through our new partner, EventEd. The restructured program will bring the best of curated content for all visitors through four new Educational Summits, for independents, foodservice, chains, and retail – and will make this a ‘must-attend” event. In the meantime, based on conversations with the foodservice community, we will continue to support the operator need for education and networking and will continue to provide year-round opportunities for foodservice professionals to connect virtually through our Digital Forums, a robust on-demand webinar library and late 2021, a new national digital event.”
“We applaud the difficult decision Clarion Events has made and strongly believe waiting until March 2022 is truly what is right for the industry,” said Melissa Autilio Fleischut, President & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA), sponsors of the trade show and conference. “If the past year has shown us anything, it’s that we must remain flexible to be successful – and we’re proud to watch how operators have adapted to change, and see the industry move forward to recovery and look to growth in the future. I look forward to gathering with our members and the industry next spring for an exciting event to celebrate the resilience of our industry. Throughout this year, we have been working diligently with our members to provide leadership and local/state/national advocacy and will continue to be a voice for the industry.”
“We fully support postponing the show and look forward to seeing all our customers and the tristate foodservice industry in March 2022 at the Javits Center,” said Joe Cirone of Roger and Sons. “It will be a great show as the industry rebounds in 2022 and we are excited to be a part of this event.”
“We are grateful to our customers, and the entire foodservice community, who play a critical role in serving their neighborhoods — either in person, curbside or via delivery. We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel as restrictions begin to lift throughout the state and the successful roll out of the COVID vaccines,” said Peter Caro from Sam Tell Companies. “And we very much look forward to seeing the industry come together again in person at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York in March, 2022.”
“We look forward to welcoming back an event that consistently brings the community together to learn, uncover innovation, and share ideas that will chart the future of foodservice during a time of growth and opportunity,” added Morgan Tucker, VP, Marketing at Singer Equipment Company. “At Singer, we’re excited to continue to be a part of the IRFSNY legacy with a commitment to returning as an exhibitor when the show returns in 2022.”
Coffee Fest NY, originally scheduled to co-locate with the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York and Healthy Food Expo, will move to Atlanta for 2021 – taking place July 16 & 16, 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The event will return to New York in March of 2022 to return the three shows under one roof for a comprehensive education and product sourcing event as part of F&B Week NY.
In addition to planning for a live, in-person event in March 2022, Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group is continuing to offer educational webinars and online product sourcing opportunities to support our operators with the tools to connect with suppliers and rebuild their business. For more information, visit https://www.foodandbevshows.com/.
The New York State Restaurant Association (www.nysra.org) is the trade association for New York restaurants. NYSRA has been giving restaurateurs the power to succeed since 1935. The Association provides a platform for statewide cooperation and leadership on advocacy issues, along with valuable support services to members.
Clarion Events (us.clarionevents.com) produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. The Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group include the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, Healthy Food Expo, Coffee Fest and The NGA Show. Clarion Events acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing 4 Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and super-charging the already rapid growth. Clarion Events has offices in Trumbull, CT; Kennesaw, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Tacoma, WA, and Fairlawn, NJ.
