Conversations worth having at Vendex

Described as ‘The best one day vending shows in the UK’, each year exhibitors come away from Vendex North and Vendex South pleased with their return on investment. Commenting on the Vendex South show, Organiser Phil Reynolds said: “The feedback from exhibitors has once again been extremely positive. Everyone was happy with the quality of the visitors and the stands were busy throughout the day. We had worried that an industry golf day and the beautiful weather may have kept people away, but these factors appeared to have a minimal impact. In fact, exhibitors commented that the show provided them with an excellent forum to do business in a relaxed way and many reported new business being written on the day and others confirmed new contacts had been made to follow up afterwards.

“Vendex continues to attract the real buyers to the show. Something that the exhibitors appreciate as they need to make their investment in time and money work for them at any exhibition. Vendex continues to hit the ‘sweet spot’ by being the most cost-effective vending show to exhibit at, and is still a popular format for visitors who appreciate the free parking, no hassle entry, the free lunch and the relaxed and easy way to get around the whole show in one day. What more can anyone ask from a trade show?”

Alistair Price, Managing Director, What Price Solutions Ltd agrees, he told Vending International: “This is the second time WPS Ltd has exhibited at Vendex Twickenham. Whilst we felt visitor numbers were down  we had a steady flow of people on our stand until the last hour, which certainly gave us the opportunity for ‘proper’ discussions, without feeling we had to move on quickly to the next visitor.

“We represent suppliers that don’t have a Sales Manager for the sector, which gives visitors a wide variety of ideas and lines to consider when visiting the stand.

“We had interest in all we showed – notably Thirsty Planet charity water, Go Ape Juice Drinks, Coburg Own label roast and ground coffee, and Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookies.  

“Although we are not yet representing them, we also showed GO Coco Nut Water and a new range of standard and fair trade Flapjacks, Muffins and Cakes from Handmade Speciality Cakes, to gauge interest and feedback. 

“In summary, a good and cost effective vending exhibition and I am glad we were there.” 

Becky Love, Warburtons’s Regional Account Manager – Snacks, said: “Warburtons exhibited at Vendex for the first time in 2012 in order to promote the launch of their range of Baked Pitta Chips to the world of vending. The product was available for sampling on the stand and response from visitors was very positive. Prospective clients were particularly interested because the Pitta Chips are zero-rated for VAT and offer a tasty alternative to traditional vending machine snacks. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and are now looking forward to following up with all the great leads we captured!”

Dave Willis of Salty Dog Brands added: “This was the first time Salty Dog had exhibited at Vendex and we had a really positive response from people. There was particular interest in our latest new product, gourmet savoury Popcorn. We will be launching it next month in Salted and Sweet & Salty flavours, with Strong Cheddar & Onion to follow shortly. Our bags will be the same size as our crisp bags, which will make them ideal for vending.”

Rob Clarke, Sales rep for the South of England and South Wales at Cummins Allison, had this to say: “Vendex South was a very good one day show for Cummins Allison. It was well attended and a majority of the attendees were buyers and decision makers, making the leads that were generated high quality. We look forward to following up the enquiries over the next couple of weeks and hopefully converting the enquiries into orders.” 

Chris Compton of Sun Valley enjoyed a successful show also: “The Vendex show gave us the perfect platform to launch our new NATURE range into the Vending arena. This range offers 3 variants and uses quality fruits & nuts as a base for each recipe and then adds Chocolate, Yoghurt and Seeds to produce a burst of ‘Naughtiness’, ‘Sweetness’ and ‘Goodness’.

“Based on feedback from visitors, this range fills a gap in this arena offering both vendors and consumers a great tasting alternative to the standard snacking fare.”

Douwe Egberts meanwhile, is delighted to report another successful appearance at Vendex South. This year’s exhibition saw Douwe Egberts unveil the latest addition to its vending range, the milk granule product, Café Blanco. A high quality milk granule made from 100% pure skimmed milk, which has simply had the moisture evaporated off, the Café Blanco is easy-to-use with the added benefit of containing all the nutritional value of fresh milk.

Alongside the Café Blanco, Douwe Egberts showcased its Espresso Bar concept – the industry’s first gourmet vending option fully endorsed by a major branded coffee roaster – and freshbrew range at Vendex 2012.  

Paul Freeman, Marketing Director, Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems, said: “We had a great response to our range at this year’s Vendex show, which is a key calendar date for us. It provided the perfect opportunity to launch our latest product, Café Blanco, as well as engage and educate customers on our vending ranges.” 

Leading British equipment manufacturer DarenthMJS once again enjoyed a highly successful Vendex. The DarenthMJS stand showcased a wide selection of machines including the highly impressive Roma Bean to Cup range, which now includes the simultaneous twin dispense Roma Duo. Also attracting a great deal of complimentary attention on the stand was Darenth’s new concept In-Cup machine, scheduled for launch early next year. 

“We simply love the Vendex shows,” commented Mark Simpson, DarenthMJS’s Managing Director. “The quality of visitors to our stand this time around was particularly good and we are already following up on several new and exciting leads. We also had a fantastic opportunity to showcase our brand new website, www.darenthmjs.com, and it was extremely rewarding to receive so very much positive feedback in regards our continued determination to innovate and help drive our industry forward.”

Crane Merchandising Systems was delighted with the visitor response to the Media BevMax and Media Merchant at Vendex South. The machines received a really positive reaction from visitors to the stand, especially with regards to the enhanced retail opportunities and consumer experience. Crane received excellent customer feedback on the VOCE Bean to Cup and Roast & Ground models on theirs and Douwe Egberts booths with a large number of quality coffees consumed by all who came to visit. 

“It was great to see many of our customers at Vendex and to see some new faces too. CMS hope that you en
joyed your visit to the show and look forward to helping you win more business in 2012 and the future,” said a spokesperson.

Kraft’s Kenco Millicano, the product that is revolutionising the instant coffee category in retail, was launched to Vending at Vendex South. Kenco Millicano is now available to operators in 300g vending bags for use in free standing and table top dispense machines; and comes with a support bundle of branded cups and decals and fascias.   

This innovative product combines a blend of premium freeze-dried instant coffee with finely-milled roast and ground coffee beans. Its availability allows operators to enhance the taste and quality of their coffee offering, without compromise to convenience; and with the benefit of lower operational cost than bean to cup.

Vendex is back again at Manchester United on November 13. Check out www.vend-ex.co.uk for further details.