Specialty Food Association Pivots to Help Members through COVID-19: No Summer Fancy Food Show for 2020
NEW YORK, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Specialty Food Association's (SFA) 66th annual Summer Fancy Food Show scheduled for June 28-30 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York will not take place as planned due to events outside SFA's control - notably the national and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel restrictions, and the Javits Center's critical service in fighting the pandemic that impacts the facility's availability.
"As the leader in the future of food movement, our responsibility is to serve our members through good times and bad," said SFA President Phil Kafarakis. "Our legacy is one of connecting the global specialty food industry – makers, buyers and distributors – and we're assessing ways to create an engaging environment for that, outside of the Fancy Food Show."
The SFA is evaluating alternative formats for later in the year that would help its members maintain their business footing during these unprecedented times. "Our mission remains getting specialty food makers and their amazing products in front of buyers and consumers," said Kafarakis. The SFA is currently running webinars, including one recently on the CARES Act, in an "Ask-The-Experts" series. All webinar content is recorded and available on the SFA online Learning Center where an extensive library of tools for business continuity are available.
With the cancellation of their Summer 2020 Fancy Food Show, the immediate priority for the SFA is to guide member exhibitors and registered attendees through an efficient and seamless process of receiving refunds or credits for the Show. An extensive outreach campaign is underway to all exhibitor members and attendees.
The SFA is also further developing their Product Marketplace resource center of specialty food products that maker members and buyers use to connect. This is especially important as everyone works to maintain business continuity in these times of slowdown and shutdown. "We're a community beyond the Fancy Food Show," Kafarakis said. "We have a lot to offer our members and our industry."
Details on SFA's activities to support their members in response to the pandemic may be found in their online Learning Center at learning.specialtyfood.com.
About the Specialty Food Association
Founded in 1952 in New York City, the Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading advocate for the $148.7 billion specialty food industry. Representing makers, importers, entrepreneurs, retailers, distributors and others in the trade, the SFA aims to champion, nurture and connect its members to deliver traditional and innovative new products to consumers that expand consumption of specialty foods. With over 4,200 member companies, the Association helps its members through providing information, research, educational events, and celebrating the industry through its awards programs. The SFA is known for hosting the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.
SOURCE Specialty Food Association
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