Why Exhibit

“More retail partners come to this show than any other show in the country, so it’s the best place for us to see potential new customers.”

—Tom Bush, Co-founder, SoloGear, Madison Wis.

Connect with New Customers, Face-to-Face

Better than the phone, better than e-mail, better than a website, FMI2012 puts you in touch with more than 5,000 food distribution retailers, person to person. They want to know you, your products and services, and your perspectives on their customers, plus they’re eager to discover new merchandising ideas.

More cost-effective than sales calls, FMI2012 puts you in direct contact with receptive prospects by the thousands. “Seeing new products and developments” ranks as their No. 1 reason for attending the show.

Meet People Who Mean Business

Based on past experience, more than two out of every three of the faces you’ll see at FMI2012 (68%) influence their company’s buying decisions.

• Nearly 1 in 2 recommends products or services
• More than 1 in 4 has the final say in purchasing
• 1 in 5 specifies their company’s supplier

On average, they each command planned-purchasing budgets of $1.83 million, and they come to the show looking for you. These qualified, primed-to-buy prospects devote entire days to exploring the exhibit floor, introducing themselves to exhibitors like you and scheduling one-on-one meetings to follow up their interests. A whopping 65% spend 7 hours or longer on the exhibit floor, all on a mission to search-and-discover, search-and-learn, or search-and-buy. And, 1 out of 4 of them attends no other show—making FMI2012 your unique opportunity to cultivate them all in one place, as they collect information and make decisions for the coming cycle. Be sure they see you.

Map Out New Channels to Consumers

FMI2012 attracts top decision-makers from the full spectrum of the food industry, offering the chance to extend your reach and expand into wholly new-to-you markets. You'll meet prospects not only from national- and regional-chain supermarkets, distributors, and wholesalers, but also from consumer outlets with emerging importance and potentially powerful impact: convenience stores, drugstores, gourmet shops, ethnic- and natural-food stores, wholesale clubs, and institutional food services such as military commissaries. They’ll all gather at this event in Dallas—making FMI2012 the one place to reach multitudes.

Nearly 40% of these people with purchasing power are “first-time shoppers” at FMI; these fresh faces on the scene translate to untapped prospects who want to meet you and learn what you have to offer. To make a good first impression, you first need to be there.

Let the World Come to You

This biennial FMI event attracts nearly 1,000 registrants from over 35 nations outside the United States—more than half of whom are attending for the first time. Most important for you, 3 out of every 4 of these top international managers attend primarily to identify new food and beverage products, equipment, supplies, and store fixtures. And they think of FMI2012 as a one-stop shopping experience; 44 percent plan to buy one or more exhibited products. You won't find a larger – or more receptive – international market at any show in the States.

Show Your Face—and Your Products

Representing the entire industry, buyers at FMI2012 search out new products and developments in every category. And they do more than merely look – they touch, taste, and try out what you offer. Nothing entices like personal experience, and nothing closes a sale like personal contact. Expect to meet prospective customers by the hundreds, searching in the following categories:

• 1,500 looking for Beverages
• 2,250 looking for Equipment/Supplies/Fixtures
• 1,900+ looking for Food
• 1,500 looking for General Merchandise/Consumer Services/Health & Beauty
• 1,000 looking for Supply Chain Management/Pharmacy
• 2,300 looking for Technology/Corporate Services

Reach Three Audiences in One Location

Co-located with the American Meat Institute’s International Meat, Poultry, and Seafood convention and Exposition the United Fresh Produce Association's United Fresh, FMI2012 delivers three audiences at one site.

Reserve Premium Space Now

Why wait? The best spots are filling up fast. Click on the Floor Plan to target a prime location, and then call 770.576.4971 or email us at FMI@naylor.com for more information.