Event: Summer Fancy Food Show Heads to Washington, D.C.

The Summer Fancy Food Show, the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages in North America, is coming to Washington, D.C. this year. Now in its 57^th year, the show offers the exclusive opportunity to explore specialty products not seen elsewhere, discover the latest food trends and flavors, and interact with key industry experts.

The show will take place July 10 - 12, 2011, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. More than 24,000 buyers of specialty foods from around the world will flock to this influential trade show to source products for their stores and restaurants for the year to come. They'll find 180,000 products from more than 80 countries, including fine chocolate, artisanal cheeses, meats, confections, snacks, beverages, the latest in natural and organic products, and more.

Moving to Washington, D.C. from its long-time home at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center due to ongoing construction, the 2011 Summer Fancy Food Show in D.C. will feature:

• 180,000+ of the newest specialty food and beverage products from across the U.S. and abroad.
• 2,400+ exhibitors from 80+ countries including Italy, France, Germany, Spain, China and India, as well as recent additions Ecuador, Belgium and Jordan
• State Pavilions, where states such as Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and more will feature local specialty food makers.
• Signature Workshops: The Basics: The Business of Specialty Foods, plus market tours, tasting sessions, and seminars led by industry experts.
• Annual sofi™ Awards, presented for the outstanding specialty foods and beverages of the year at a gala red-carpet ceremony.
• Major food donation to D.C. Central Kitchen, leading area anti-hunger organization.

"Washington, D.C.'s thriving food scene and its diverse cuisines from around the world make it an excellent location for our internationally-driven trade show," says Ann Daw, president of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc., the show's owner.

Washington will also serve as host to the 2012 Summer Fancy Food Show. "We are pleased to bring the show closer to the great specialty retailers and foodservice professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region, while at the same time appealing to our thousands of attendees from the U.S. and abroad with this wonderful new venue,." Daw says.

For more information about the Summer Fancy Food Show, go to www.fancyfoodshows.com. Attendee registration is open. Online press registration will open in March. The show is for members of the specialty food trade only. It is closed to the general public.