Seafood Expo North America Back in Person This March
Despite concerns regarding the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, the 40th Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America is still on track to take place as planned March 13-15 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The three-day event will offer a comprehensive exhibit hall for business and networking opportunities, new products, food sampling, special events and education.
“We are excited to be back in person in Boston to reconvene seafood professionals looking to do business in the North American market,” said Wynter Courmont, event director at Portland, Maine-based Diversified Communications, producer of the annual event. “Year over year, industry suppliers and buyers have valued the business opportunities at the event, and this year will be no exception.”
The largest annual seafood trade event in North America is dedicated to providing a healthy environment and supporting a responsible industry gathering. Based on its all-secure standards, Diversified has safely hosted more than 10 trade events this past fall. In keeping with these standards, Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America has implemented health and safety guidelines that are posted on the event website and communicated to exhibiting companies and visitors. As of Jan. 15, the city of Boston will require proof of vaccination to enter certain indoor areas, including the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. A face mask mandate in all indoor public settings in Boston is already in effect and all exhibitors, visitors, vendors and staff will wear masks at the event. Additionally, the venue has procedures in place to maintain a clean environment, including an advanced ventilation system that features “more than 25 dedicated ‘twin’ air handler units that can move millions of cubic feet of air, exchanging the air up to six times per hour,” according to Diane DiAntonio, general manager at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
To date, the event covers 210,900 square feet of exhibit space for seafood and processing companies. “To put it into perspective, this represents 82% of the event’s largest edition, which nearly filled the entire exhibit floor,” added Courmont. “While we have received some cancellations, many from companies in countries facing long quarantine restrictions, our event is substantial and represents a very valuable supplier base. We continue to receive interest from the industry and new exhibitors are joining the event daily. As companies continue to submit their listing information, more exhibitors will be added to the website. The event will have a comprehensive representation of the industry supply chain.”
Among the companies that have already pre-registered to attend the event are Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Avendra, Bloomin’ Brands, Costco, Captain D’s, Darden, Foodbuy, McDonald’s, PFG, Publix, Red Lobster, Stop & Shop, Sysco, Target, Wegmans and Whole Foods Market.
The exhibit hall will provide opportunities for exhibiting companies to show off their latest and best products to attending buyers, who will be able to sample food at companies’ booths and in designated areas like the Demonstration Theater, where masks can be temporarily removed for consumption. Additionally, Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will offer a comprehensive conference program encompassing more than 28 sessions and 124-plus experts covering such industry trends as aquaculture, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, food safety and compliance, seafood business and leadership, and seafood sustainability, traceability and transparency. The conference schedule will kick off with a keynote presentation, “Economic Outlook for 2022” by Megan Greene, a global economist, Financial Times columnist and senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
