Washington, DC – E.J. Krause & Associates (EJK) entered the consumer-show arena by acquiring the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show.
EJK, a venerable international organizer and manager of B-to-B trade shows domestically as well, picked up a majority stake in the Washington, DC event from Denise Medved, another veteran of the exhibition industry in the Beltway region who founded the gourmet foodie event nine years ago.
The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (MCES) takes place in Washington, DC each November. The brand also included two sister shows in Houston and Dallas; however, those events will not take place in 2014, but will be considered among expansion plans for 2015.
The MCES show is open to the public, features a strong showing by celebrity chefs, and draws roughly 20,000 visitors who can purchase products that catch their fancy right from the booth. This year’s event has confirmed Food Network star Bobby Flay, and numerous other award-winning chefs. In addition to presenting over 300 exhibitors, the show will include hands-on workshops; cooking theaters; beer, wine and spirits tastings; food and wine pairings; children’s cooking events; an on-site bookstore; celebrity book signings; as well as a Grand Tasting highlighting local restaurants and chefs.
Krause organizes 40 trade shows serving 14 industry sectors. The MCES show is its first consumer event. “This joint venture fits our aim of continuing to develop a wide range of food and beverage events,” said Ned Krause, CEO of EJK.
Krause has offices on three continents and most recently has been emphasizing the development of its Latin American business. Earlier this month, Krause was selected by Mexico’s National Forestry Commission to organize Expo Forestal 2014, a trade show held in Guadalajara for the timber industry. The October 29-31 show features 16,000 net square meters (about 172,222 net square feet) of exhibit space and is expected to draw about 8,000 attendees.
The MCES brand was launched by Medved through her company, The Tiny Kitchen, Inc. “We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with E.J. Krause & Associates on MetroCooking DC,” said Denise Medved, CEO of MetroCooking. “Their 30+ years of event expertise and resources will be invaluable to take MetroCooking DC to the next level and will allow us focus on and grow ShopMetroCooking, our e-Commerce platform that was launched in December 2013,” she said.
Reach Ned Krause at (301) 493-5500 or krause@ejkrause.com; Denise Medved at (703) 543-1632 or denise@metrocooking.com
