ATLANTA – Exposition Development Company, Inc. (ExpoDevCo) acquired a 50% ownership stake in the New England Food Show (NEFS), becoming 50-50 partners with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA).
After Winsight Media acquired the National Restaurant Association Show last year ExpoDevCo was hired in March 2019 to manage the 2020 NEFS event.
Owned and managed by partners David Audrain and Stephanie Everett, ExpoDevCo manages the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) and produces a number of events, including SPTechCon, Furniture Manufacturing Expo, ExpoProduccion Mexico and Techno Security & Digital Forensics Conference.
After canceling the March 2020 event due to COVID-19, the next edition of NEFS will be Feb. 21-23, 2021, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. “The average attendance has been around 6,000-plus attendees the last few years with 300 exhibitors,” said Everett, COO & Partner of ExpoDevCo. “Last year saw a reduction in attendees due to a blizzard that hit Boston and shut down the city for much of the second day of the show.”
Audrain, CEO & Partner of ExpoDevCo, said: “Stephanie and I are thrilled to have this opportunity to add the New England Food Show to the ExpoDevCo Portfolio. The very first trade show I produced almost 30 years ago was in the restaurant industry, and I grew up in a family of foodservice industry suppliers, so this is an industry I feel very connected to.”
A regional restaurant and foodservice event serving both the foodservice and retail sectors, NFES draws attendees primarily from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Exhibitors come from all over North America.
“With the new relationship between Winsight and National Restaurant Association, this brought about an opportunity for us to partner with the MRA on the future of New England Food Show,” Everett told TSE. “The last year allowed us to develop a great working relationship with Bob Luz and his team at the MRA. Ultimately this led to the MRA and their board agreeing to partner with us on NEFS.”
MRA has owned and operated the event for nearly 50 years, said MRA President and CEO Bob Luz. Over the years, MRA has also partnered with Diversified Communications and Cahners Exposition Group (now Reed Exhibitions).
“Along with the MRA Board of Directors, I could not be more pleased to enter into this partnership with ExpoDevCo,” Luz said. “ExpoDevCo brings a wealth of large national and regional trade show experience to the table, with a strong niche in foodservice segment. We look forward to continuing the future growth of New England Food Show along with their talented team.”
Reach David Audrain at (404) 334-4585 or David@ExpoDevCo.com; Stephanie Everett at (404) 334-4582 or Stephanie@ExpoDevCo.com; and Bob Luz at (508) 573-4199 or BLuz@TheMassRest.org.
