Convenience Retailing Show

Café+Live - delivering success on a plate

Whether your readers are new to the coffee and food-to-go markets and looking for inspiration or they already have an offer but want to improve it, Cafe+ @CRS is the exhibition for them. Big name suppliers will be on hand to talk about how they can help convenience store and café owners make their operations more profitable. Visitors will get to see the latest products and equipment and take advantage of exclusive show deals. Companies including Café Society, Coffee Nation, Coffee Treats, Simply Coffee and Tchibo will all be there.

In addition there's the Café+ Live area where visitors can hear first hand some of the big success stories in the food-to-go and coffee arena.

On Sunday March 21, the theme for Café+ Live is ‘Coffee from Convenience to Café'. This kicks off with market research company Him! talking about the branded versus unbranded offer plus its Top 10 list of dos and don'ts.

Leading coffee firm Melitta will then talk about the bean-to-cup solution followed by Café Torelli sharing its barista solution.

Other presentations include one from Technical Foodservices on the all-important issue of health and safety plus The London Tea Company getting retailers and café owners to think about their tea offer.

One presentation that should not be missed is from New Zealander Matthew Clark, one-half of the team behind the Sacred café chain. With its top-notch locations, Sacred really is a success story and retailers and coffee shop owners can hear that story from the horse's mouth at Café+Live.

The first jam-packed day at Café+ Live wraps up with a presentation from Foods for Life and a lively panel debate on ‘coffee and customers'.

Day two (Monday March 22) is no less eventful but this time focuses on sandwiches. Research company Him! will once again set the scene with a look at the sandwich market and buying behaviour. Then supplier Greencore will look at solutions for small and medium stores. There'll be another talk on health and safety plus a panel debate on sales and profitability.

Cuisine de France will look at the latest baked goods, Market Fresh will discuss ‘fresh ideas for food on the move', Electrolux will cover equipment and the day's programme will finish with a presentation from top high street chain Pret a Manger on delivering the perfect fresh sandwich offer.

Tuesday March 23 will cover product ranges and day-part planning. Him! will once again share its research while AlproSoya will look at the role of soya milk in hot beverages. Costa will then look at the growing breakfast occasion and share tips on driving innovation and raising standards.

After lunch, a manager from Cilantro will share their success story; Nestlé will advise visitors on how to improve their impulse snack offer; and Love Smoothies will look at the best way to deliver these healthy treats.

The programme for the final day (Wednesday March 24) has not quite been finalised but will include an enlightening presentation from Jill Willis from Taste UK on how to make the most of being an independent operator.

Show director Matthew Butler comments: "Café+Live 2010 really does have something for everyone - whether you are just starting out in food- and drink-to-go or whether you want to enhance your existing offer. And the best thing about all this - in these straitened times - is that it's all free. We've lined up some of the biggest names in the market - people like Costa and Pret - to share their expertise with retailers and coffee shop operators. We guarantee that visitors will walk away armed with information and tips on how to make their offer more profitable and how to make it more relevant to today's demanding consumers."

EDITORS NOTES

Café+ and Café+Live are co-located with no fewer than seven other exhibitions: Food & Drink Expo, Foodex, Baking Industry Exhibition, Convenience Retailing Show, International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show, Off Licence Show and the brand new Food & Drink Logistics Show, giving you an overview of the food & drink supply chain.

If you would like photos or more information contact James Barker on 01293610244 or email james.barker@william-reed.co.uk