Stage set in Florida for the inaugural BevExpo

A brand new U.S. show for beverage manufacturers is about to make its debut in sunny Tampa, Fla. The biennial BevExpo will showcase innovations in beverage manufacturing equipment, packaging, ingredients and formulation, materials handling, merchandising, vending and foodservice for the global $700 billion a year beverage business.

The show is geared toward marketers, manufacturers, bottlers and distributors of bottled water, soft drinks, milk, juices, enhanced beverages, coffee and tea, beer and other beverages, for companies operating in the United States, Latin America and around the world.

Produced by some of the same organizations that put together the Worldwide Food Expo (WWFE), BevExpo has been well hyped since last fall. The show will take place in those years when the biennial WWFE does not. Plans for BevExpo were unveiled last October at WWFE in Chicago. Since then the excitement has grown. In December the show organizers announced a partnership with drinktec, an International counterpart that is held once every four years. The next drinktec will be in Munich in September 2005.

More recently, details about programs and speakers were announced.

"We are honored and thrilled that the makers of drinktec-widely recognized as the world's leading beverage and liquid food trade event-have chosen BevExpo as the U.S. event to affiliate with," says IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton. "BevExpo represents the growth categories in beverage, as well as the breadth of disciplines within beverage companies-it is the beverage meeting place for 2004."

Mike Weinstein, the Snapple CEO who led the charge to rescue the foundering beverage brand, kicks off BevExpo 2004 by sharing his story in a fascinating and often humorous keynote address. His session, "Snap Judgments-The Snapple Story," will be held Wednesday, September 29, at 11:00 am.

In the mid-1990s, Snapple plummeted from profitability to huge losses virtually overnight. Within six months of becoming CEO, Weinstein and his team returned the brand to its former growth trajectory and put it back in the black. "Snap Judgments" examines the history of a great brand that experienced dramatic peaks and valleys. It's a great lesson on how business momentum can shift dramatically and the steps that can be taken to ensure success or avoid disaster.

Sponsored by the International Bottled Water Assn. (IBWA), the International Dairy Foods Assn. (IDFA), the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS) and Beverage Marketing Corp., BevExpo 2004 will be held September 29 - October 1 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. Additionally, the drinktec 2005 European trade show serves as a marketing partner to BevExpo, and the International Society of Beverage Technologists is a supporting association of the show.

Weinstein's session is the highlight of the extensive educational program at BevExpo 2004, the exciting new beverage trade show devoted to showcasing the latest innovations in beverage manufacturing, packaging, ingredients and formulation, materials handling, merchandising, vending and foodservice for the global $700 billion a year beverage business.

"When we set out to create BevExpo, our research strongly indicated that beverage industry professionals want a trade show that offers information on key industry issues as well as the latest innovations," says Tipton. "BevExpo combines those two critical elements and offers significant value to attendees."

Program Highlights

BevExpo's in-depth educational program examines the industry's key issues and toughest challenges, including distribution, logistics, finance, sales and marketing, merchandising, production and processing, packaging and more. Additional sessions are geared toward the issues faced by plant engineers and managers. A number of product-specific regulatory and marketing sessions were specifically developed by IBWA and IDFA; some IBWA sessions offer continuing education units.

Here is a partial list of BevExpo sessions:

• What's New in Beverages: A Worldwide Overview: Productscan Online Executive Editor Tom Vierhile examines the boom in new products from flavored soft drinks and milks to functional bottled waters, and the ways marketers around the world are revitalizing the beverage industry.
• New Developments in Packaging: This series of four sessions provides important market data and covers key trends and opportunities for glass, paper, can and plastic beverage packaging.
• Market Trends and Developments in Bottled Water: Michael Bellas, Chairman and CEO of Beverage Marketing Corp., discusses the current status of the dynamic bottled water category in the context of the overall U.S. multiple beverage marketplace, as well as projections of the industry's future growth.
• Beverage Market Intelligence: Hear the most up-to-date beverage category data from Beverage Marketing Corp. Senior Vice President Gary Hemphill, who also examines the trends behind the data.
• Grow, Merge or Sell? How to Survive Beverage Industry Consolidation: Ross Colbert, Managing Director, BMCHaas Financial, provides a beverage industry overview with emphasis on the market and economic forces driving consolidation, including the pros and cons of various financial alternatives.
• Milk Business: New research from the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) on critical issues affecting the business of selling more milk-dairy case optimization, fluid milk elasticity and milk flavors-is unveiled in this three-session series.

Venue and Hotels

Bev Expo 2004 will take place at the Tampa Convention Center, downtown.

The show organizations' headquarter hotel is the Tampa Marriott Waterside.

Other hotels offering special rates include: the Hyatt Regency Tampa, Wyndham Harbor Island and the Radisson River Walk.

Schedule

Tuesday Sept. 28
Registration opens 7:30 am
Educational sessions begin 8:30 am
Association meetings begin 8:00 am

Wednesday Sept. 29
Registration opens 7:00 am
Educational sessions 8:00 am
Show floor opens Noon

Thursday Sept. 30
Registration opens 7:00 am
Educational sessions 8:00 am
Show floor opens Noon

Friday Sept. 30
Registration opens 7:30 am
Educational sessions begin 8:30 am
Show floor open 8 a.m. to Noon

Sponsors

BevExpo 2004 is scheduled for September 29-October 1 in Tampa, Fla. Sponsored by the International Bottled Water Association, the International Dairy Foods Association, the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers, and Beverage Marketing Corporation.

Special Events

Welcome Reception
Wednesday, September 29
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
IBWA Chairman's Banquet and Show
Thursday, September 30
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
DWRF Golf Tournament
Tuesday, September 28
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay

Registration

Registration is now open for BevExpo 2004. Attendees signing up for "full registration" at $495 will have access to over 40 great educational sessions; those registering for "basic registration" at $125 will have access only to general sessions and the show floor. Visit www.Bevexpo.com or call 703/934-5514.