September 28, 2015, Toronto – The first day of Grocery Innovations Canada (GIC) has concluded after an engaging morning of speakers and presentations followed by an exciting afternoon of booth and product judging at Canada’s only grocery conference and trade show.
Keynote and Retail Panel The conference was kicked off with a keynote address given by John Herdman, head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team after which the Retail Panel commenced. This year’s panel coined, “East Meets West: A ‘Frank Discussion’” was comprised of Frank Lovsin (Freson Bros.) and Frank Coleman (Colemans) and was moderated by Ken Schley (Quality Foods). The panel of grocery veterans discussed their experiences, the challenges faced by today’s grocers and the future of the industry amongst other topics.
Check out Global Toronto’s Grocery Innovations Canada segment HERE
Workshops The concurrent workshops, led by the best and brightest in the industry covered a breadth of topics ranging from merchandising to loss prevention. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois (University of Guelph’s Food Institute) led the discussion on, “How to Compete as an Independent” while Bill Alford (International Lighthouse Group)conducted his workshop on “Loss Prevention” and how to protect your bottom line. Harold Lloyd taught grocers how to bring customers back to centre store through merchandising and Kirkland Morris of Interac Association spoke on, “Merchant Opportunities in Canada’s Evolving Marketplace.” For attendees looking to unlock snacking moments in their store, Robert Kolatschek of Mondelēz led his workshop, “Snack Attack” revealing key shopper and activation insights.
To Download Presentations go HERE.
Trade Floor Open To open the trade floor Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal cut the ribbon at the Choose Ontario Pavilion. This year’s trade floor was packed with more innovations than ever before, with 7 NEW Category Pavilions including: Health and Wellness, Global, Gourmet and Specialty, Halal Food, Local/Choose Ontario, Bakery and Confectionery, HMR and Foodservice, and for the first time ever, Craft Brewers. Also premiering this year, exhibitors and attendees were offered the OPTION to buy/sell from each other directly on the show floor.
Top 10 Most Innovative Products Competition Winners
The below are this year’s winners in no particular order.
1. Global Gardens Group’s Veggemo (Advantage Sales and Marketing) Booth 603 2. Natural Delights Date Rolls (Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association) Booth 1609 3. Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese (Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited) Booth 1118 4. Popping Pops (Nestlé Canada) Booth 803 5. Prema Chai Spiced Tea (Original Prema Chai Inc.) Booth 1826 6. Tandoori Lasagna (Tandoori Oven) Booth 1624 7. ChewSome Soft Candy (Redfrog Enterprises Ltd.) Booth 1814 8. Bottle Green’s Tonic Water (Tree of Life) Booth 1109 9. Coupgon App (Coupgon) Booth 733 10. Flow Water (Flow Water Inc. – Unique Foods) Booth 1809
GO TO GALLERY OF WINNERS HERE
TOP 10 On TV
See Global Toronto News at Noon Top 10 Most Innovative segment HERE.
Insights and Innovations Stage Demo Taking the stage first was Lorne Burnett of Burnac Produce Ltd. Lorne’s presentation focused on how to use innovations in packaging, off-shore offerings, ethnic products and organics to differentiate yourself from the competition and drive sales in produce. Next up was Harold Lloyd with “Supermarket Rules!” an in depth look at practical tips grocers can use to grow their business.
Go HERE to download presentations.
Best Booth Winners In one of the most anticipated competitions at Grocery Innovations Canada the winners of this year’s Best Booth competition are the following: Best Single (Wedderspoon Organic) Booth #1702, Best Double (Mill Street Brewery) Booth #741, Best Multiple (PTI Foods) Booth #1817 and Best Marketed (Weston Bakeries/Ready Bake Foods Inc.) Booth # 525.
Go HERE to Gallery of Best Booth Winners 2015
ABOUT GROCERY INNOVATIONS CANADA (GIC) Grocery Innovations Canada (GIC) is Canada’s premier grocery event developed by industry professionals, for industry professionals. It is the only event in Canada dedicated to the entire grocery industry and is the largest one of its kind. GIC is at the forefront of innovation, showcasing cutting edge products and services. The conference provides exceptional opportunities for networking and foresight into current and upcoming industry trends. Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | #GICshow2015
Nancy Kwon – nkwon@cfig.ca
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