Last week, the Southeastern Produce Council (SEPC) held their annual Southern Exposure event, themed Produce: The Unseen Heroes. It was focused on honoring the thousands of people who work in the produce industry, but largely behind the scenes. In line with the theme, many attendees were wearing camo.
The popularity of the event continues. Probably not to anyone's surprise, the event was again extremely well attended. The previous record attendance was broken, and a total of 3,400 people were excited to be in Tampa, Florida, to attend. Nice weather is a driving factor, but also the intimacy of the event as well as having access to produce buyers for several days. "At this event, I get to connect with retailers like at no other event," one exhibitor said.
The three-day networking event started with the Tom Page Golf Classic on Thursday, March 8. On Friday, breakfast & lunch meetings as well as educational sessions, a reception, and opening gala took place. Saturday, the final day, kicked off with a keynote brunch and an afternoon trade show where 292 exhibitors showed their products and met up with industry friends, colleagues, and buyers one more time. For three days, attendees were entertained and taken good care of. "SEPC always provides a bounty of opportunities to network throughout the event," shared Dan Davis with Washington Fruit Growers. "It was great to see so many people in such a condensed week. The show floor just tops off all the connections made throughout the week."
Out of 3,400 attendees, there were over 700 self-registered buyers who received complimentary access to the event. In fact, if qualified, SEPC not only provides free access to the event, but also includes lodging as well as an air travel reimbursement.
Click here for the photo report from the show.
More spacious show floor
Although the attendance record was broken, it didn't feel as cramped on the show floor as in years past. A larger exhibit hall allowed for a more spacious setup and room for attendees to sit down and relax after standing on their feet for several hours. On the show floor, the shortage of grapes was brought up many times. While this show isn't necessarily the event for new product launches, a new blackberry variety, Sweet Karoline, was on display, and several berry growers showed premium variety jumbo blueberries. Home compostable packaging is also still expanding.
The show is so popular that more than 150 companies are on a waitlist to exhibit. If booth space becomes available, a lottery is being held, and companies that attend SEPC's shows, participate on committees, and are sponsors of the council increase their chances in the lottery.
"This year's SEPC Southern Exposure was a great success once again," says Ray Wowryck with Nature Fresh Farms. "Networking with the heroes of our industry and engaging with the future ones were the highlights for Nature Fresh Farms. Congratulations to the SEPC for another great event."
Next year, Southern Exposure will be back in Orlando, but it will be held at a different venue: the Orlando World Center Marriott. Mark your calendars for March 6 – 8, 2025.