ExpoDevCo Scoops Up 50 Percent Stake in New England Food Show
April 27, 2020
Exposition Development Company (ExpoDevCo) has acquired a 50 percent ownership in the New England Food Show, forming a partnership with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
“Along with the MRA Board of Directors, I could not be more pleased to enter into this partnership with ExpoDevCo in managing the New England Food Show,” said Bob Luz, MRA president and CEO. “ExpoDevCo brings a wealth of large national and regional trade show experience to the table with a strong niche in the foodservice segment. We look forward to continuing the future growth of the New England Food Show along with their talented team.”
ExpoDevCo is owned and managed by David Audrain and Stephanie Everett, who have more than 46 years of combined experience in managing, growing and launching exhibitions. Since its inception in 2012, the company has partnered on multiple new trade shows and joint venture launches, in addition to providing show management and consulting services.
“Stephanie and I are thrilled to have this opportunity to add the New England Food Show to the ExpoDevCo portfolio,” said Audrain, CEO and partner of ExpoDevCo. “The very first trade show I produced almost 30 years ago was in the restaurant industry, and I grew up in a family of foodservice industry suppliers, so this is an industry I feel very connected to.”
As the region’s largest restaurant and foodservice event serving both the foodservice and retail sectors, the New England Food Show showcases the industry’s latest products, services and technologies. In addition, the annual trade show and conference offers an education program designed to provide New England restaurants and foodservice establishments with tools to grow and improve their businesses.
With the industry facing intense economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 addition of NEFS stands to be the most important show in the association’s history, Luz said.
“Assembling the leading operators and business partners to collaborate on the products, innovations and ideas on how to continue to bring our restaurants forward towards the vibrancy both the industry and the American public desperately desires, is a piece in the roadmap to recovery,” he said. “Partnering with ExpoDevCo, with all of their experience from the largest of trade shows, to the needs of regional shows, along with their niche in the food show segment, could not be better timed to help us achieve these goals.”
The next edition of the annual New England Food Show will take place Feb. 21-23, 2021, at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. In March 2019, ExpoDevCo took over management of the event from the National Restaurant Association.
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