The London Produce Show Announces 2015 dates at Grosvenor House on Park Lane, London

The second edition of the London Produce Show and Conference will take place at Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott hotel on Park Lane, London, on June 3-5, 2015.

The show made a spectacular entrance onto the fresh produce scene in June, attracting a full house of exhibitors and attendees from more than 40 countries and every corner of the globe to London for a boutique trade exhibition, which was complemented by a series of seminars and chef demonstrations, a gala cocktail reception and a thought leaders breakfast panel hosted by Perishable Pundit Jim Prevor.

Presented by the UK”s trade association for the fruit, vegetables and flower industries – Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), and organised in conjunction with US publisher and events organiser, Produce Business magazine, the London Produce Show and Conference was the talk of the UK produce scene after its first outing. The 127 exhibition booths filled Europe’s largest five star exhibition area at the Grosvenor House and their hosts covered virtually every category and a huge number of the countries that provide produce into the UK market. Retail, wholesale and foodservice buyers from not only the UK, but Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, South Africa, the Middle East and Russia added to the international flavour and spread the opportunity to create new business far beyond the British border.

Well over 1,000 attendees had ample time to cover the show floor and were also presented with a series of occasions that allowed them to share and learn from each other, build new relationships and enjoy the sumptuous surroundings of the venue.

Next year’s event promises a similarly enriching experience, but organisers have pledged to pull out the stops to deliver yet more value to every exhibitor and attendee. Tommy Leighton, managing director of the show, said: “It was very important to us to secure a second year at this fantastic venue as it really did deliver an experience that you just don’t get at trade shows ordinarily. The deliberately limited number of exhibitors gave every exhibitor the chance to be seen and every visitor the opportunity to see them – that was always our number one aim. The venue also provided the ideal backdrop for a relatively informal and convivial atmosphere that exhibitor feedback tells us was conducive to doing business.

“The shows within the show – our fantastic line-up of top London and New York chefs (led by Show Ambassador Valentine Warner) and seminars and workshops were also a great hit, taking place on the balcony above the main show floor, so no-one had to venture far from the action to find great food, excellent company and fascinating, educational entertainment. Watch this space over the next few months for new and exciting features in 2015.”

Produce Business is also an organiser of the New York Produce Show and Conference, which is all set for its fifth edition in the Big Apple on December 2-4. Editor in chief of the magazine Jim Prevor said: “We were so grateful to the produce industry for their overwhelming support of the brand-new concept we launched in London this year. This is no ordinary trade show, and the unparalleled positive feedback we have received would suggest that just about everyone present recognised what we were trying to achieve and bought into it wholeheartedly.

“Having done something with the same ethos and objectives in New York, we were pretty confident that the UK market would see the value of the London show, but in the first year of course you still rely on the forward-thinking and hungry businesses to spot the huge opportunities that lie within such an event. That so many people did was extremely gratifying and it is that belief that drives us forward with a desire to deliver an even better show next year.”

Further information will be released through various media over the coming months, but for background information on the event and to view videos and a flipbook from the 2014 show, go to www.londonproduceshow.co.uk