The 1999 International Supermarket Convention and Educational Exposition May 2-4, 1999 McCormick Place, Chicago

PR9846E | Date: 1998-11-06

The 1999 International Supermarket Convention and Educational Exposition will be held May 2-4, 1999 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA. For the seventh consecutive year, the U.S. Food Export Showcase, sponsored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), will be held in conjunction with the Food Marketing Institute's (FMI) Supermarket Industry Convention and Educational Exposition.

A 4-member National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) delegation, led by Mr. Cary G. Peterson, President of the Association and also Commissioner of the Utah State Department of Agriculture will be visiting Taiwan on November 9-10 to promote this FMI/NASDA Show.

The delegation is visiting Taiwan to promote the 1999 FMI Convention and Exposition and the concurrently held U.S. Food Export Showcase. The combined event features more than 1,400 exhibitors of food, grocery and supermarket equipment and attracts more than 6,000 trade visitors from 120 countries.

The International Supermarket Convention and Exposition brings together everything for the supermarket, including food products, consumer packaged goods, as well as retail equipment, merchandising systems and services. The Show combines the industry's largest manufacturers of food and equipment with smaller companies, featuring innovative and one-of-a-kind products and services. FMI and NASDA serve the world together by offering exhibits, educational opportunities and international programs that are premier in the food distribution industry.

At the FMI/NASDA Exposition, you will see the highest quality and most up-to-date products the supermarket industry has to offer. The FMI Exposition will feature:

-- More than 1,400 exhibitors representing food & beverage, non-food consumer items, equipment, technology, service industries and more.

-- More than 30 seminars led by world-renowned experts in the food industry that will address you most important questions. The FMI/USFES event , for the first time, will feature simultaneous Chinese translation of the entire trace of internationally focused workshops.

-- The U.S. Food Export Showcase in the FMI/NASDA Show includes more than 400 companies displaying uniquely American food products not found at other trade fairs, as well as more than 40 U.S. State pavilions spotlight American regional specialties and creative foods.

-- The GlobalConnect International Business Center will provide international visitors with services which include international trade counseling, language assistance, and meeting area and business lounge.

The Food Marketing Institute is a non-profit trade association located in Washington, D.C. and is dedicated to serving the food industry in the United States and around the world. FMI's domestic member companies operate approximately 21,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of US$220 billion -- more than half of all grocery store sales in the United States. Its international membership includes 200 members from 60 countries.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is a non-profit association of public officials representing the commissioners of agriculture in the 50 states and four territories of the United States of America. NASDA sponsors the U.S. Food Export Showcase in cooperation with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through its offices in U.S. Embassies and Agricultural Trade Offices around the world, FAS organizes international buyer delegations to attend the show.

According to USFES Director Ashby, "FMI and NASDA recognize the immediate and long term importance of Taiwan as a major trading partner and appreciate the importance of Taiwan visitors at our annual event."

For more information about the Show, visit the internet websites, www.fmi.org and www.nasda-hq.org respectively or contact the Agricultural Trade Office of the American Institute in Taiwan:

Agricultural Trade Office
American Institute in Taiwan
54 Nanhai Road, Taipei
Tel: (02) 2305-4883 x 248
Fax: (02) 2305-7073
E-Mail: aitato@arc.org.tw