MEDIA CONTACTS:
Henri Boucher, Show Producer (616-447-2860 /
henrib@showspan.com)
Cathleen McDonald, Show Manager (616-447-2860 /
cathleenm@showspan.com)
Dianna Stampfler, Show Publicist (269-330-4228 /
dianna@promotemichigan.com)
Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival
Celebrates Second Successful Year
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich) – It was an exciting weekend of wining and dining for the nearly 10,000 individuals who gathered in the Steelcase Ballroom at DeVos Place this past weekend for the 2nd Annual Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival.
“We had a 30% increase in the number of exhibitors and beverages and twice as many restaurants helping make this year’s event a success,” said Show Producer Henri Boucher. “Even with record number of attendees, the flow of traffic on the show floor was steady and even, providing a quality experience for everyone.”
Considered one of the largest events of its kind in the Midwest, the three-day, 19-hour festival featured close to 1200 wines, beers and spirits; more than a dozen area restaurants; a variety of food and beverage seminars hosted by leaders in the industry; and a marketplace of specialty and artisan food vendors.
“I had several new suppliers this year and they were blown away,” said Tom Zuiderveen, Wine Brands Manager at Kent Beverage. “Not only were they happy with the attendance, but we discussed bringing in winery principals for tasting and seminars.”
“The new Riverside Market was a great success,” Show Manager Cathleen McDonald said. “This is an area we’d really like to expand on in the future. People are very interested in learning about locally-made products that are emerging in the marketplace and we see real potential in bringing these items to the festival attendees.”
Nearly four years in the making, the Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival was launched in November 2008 with crowds of approximately 8000 over the three-day, 21-hour event.
“It was impressive to see how much the show grew in terms of exhibitors and attendees in just one year,” said Richard MacKeigan, SMG Regional General Manager and Executive Director of Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority. “This is a culinary community and we’re proud to offer a positive experience that allows us to showcase all that entails. We are thankful for the way the West Michigan region has embraced this festival and look forward to bringing it back year after year in the pre-holiday season.”
“The Wine and Food Festival has allowed Grand Rapids to tout itself as a city that understands the importance of cuisine and what to pair it with,” said Doug Small, President of the Grand Rapids / Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This festival, combined with a few other ideas being considered to further enhance this annual event, gives us some marketing tools to expand our presence in terms of destination appeal.”
In addition to being an entertainment experience, the festival also served as an educational experience for hospitality and culinary students from both Ferris State University and the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. Partnering students with exhibitors provides an added element of real world experience which ultimately serves the future of the respective industries.
“This is truly a world-class event – it convinced me I was in a large cosmopolitan city,” said Angus Campbell of the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education. “Grand Rapids has arrived!”
The 3rd Annual Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival will return to the Steelcase Ballroom at DeVos Place in November 2010. For future details, log onto www.GRWineFestival.com.
PRODUCED BY:
Wine and Food Festival, LLC
2121 Celebration Dr NE • Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525 • 616-447-2860 • FAX: 616-447-2861
www.ShowSpan.com •
Events@ShowSpan.com