We’re going to one of the largest industry food conventions, and you’re coming with us!

SIAL America is a “global food marketplace,” and it’s the most comprehensive buyer-to-buyer and beverage event, and it’s making a debut in America with its first show being in Las Vegas. Join us as we take a look “behind the curtain” when it comes to the food and hospitality industry, which is a large part of Vegas‘ economy.

This conference is simply more than a trade show. This convention aims to connect industry professionals together while creating dialogue among important topics and discourse that affect more than just “industry” workers.

Covid-19 completely changed businesses and its revenues; how did Vegas and the food industry respond? How will the import of food change in the next five years? These are the types of questions that SIAL America aims to answer through its speakers and seminars.

Food is part of humanity because we simply can’t live without it. It’s essential for survival, and our society has created a trillion dollar industry surrounding the experience, transportation, packaging and much more regarding food and drinks.

Las Vegas is known to be a place of excess, especially when it comes to our food scene. Whether you’re in a casino, a strip mall lining the street or simply just walking around your neighborhood, you’re bound to run into a restaurant. Let’s explore this convention while observing possible new food, economical and industry trends!

We talked with Colleen Truman, the vice president of Global Food Group at Emerald, who gave us insight about SIAL America and what makes Las Vegas a prime place when it comes to this trillion-dollar industry.

• Question #1: Can you explain what SIAL Food Convention is to the normal person?

  “So SIAL actually is a global food marketplace that’s what it means in French,” Truman said about the convention. “It has over 50 years of experience and like you said, it’s hosted around the world, so we’re very excited to bring it to Las Vegas.”

  From dairy to meat and fresh produce, this trade show will have it all. Truman said this convention show encompasses all aspects of food and is a generalist show rather than a specific niche one.

  “This first rendition in the U.S., we’re really excited because it does have the 10 world-class food events really in one (event). And so it (SIAL America) has a long standing reputation as a premier host.”

• Question #2: In the eyes of an individual who’s in the food industry and seeing these food trends first-hand; What makes Las Vegas a premiere food destination?

  “Wow. I mean, all the hotels and restaurants if you just walk into them, right? Coming down the escalator in the airport, you can just see all the signs and it’s a world-class food destination,” Truman said.

  She further said many people who are local to Vegas will be at the show, and Emerald has a great relationship with the city.

• Question #3 What are some unusual exhibitors consumers may not expect to at SIAL America?

  “We have about close to about 200 domestic and international exhibitors,” Truman said.

  One company Truman highlighted is called Primary Colors, which focuses on snacks and candy for children.

  “They make snacks that feature a kid’s favorite characters. So you think of Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol for all those people that may have little kids out there,” she said. “But they make those snacks so that’s cool and interesting. You walk down the grocery store and you don’t think about where those come from, the distribution and who makes it.”

  PreGel America is another company that Truman highlighted. This company’s focus revolves around ice cream, gelato and pastry bases. She also said staple brands like See’s Candies, Star Snack, Butterball and more will be at the convention.

  “And of course we have great representation of big exhibitors and pavilions from Turkey and Argentina, Morocco, Brazil, Poland, France, Canada, so there’ll be a lot of represented there,” she said, “So as you walk the (convention) aisles, you will see some unique and interesting ones (booths) that you just don’t think of as you’re walking down the aisles in the grocery store.”

• Question #4: With the SIAL convention and your predicted trends, do you see the Vegas job market expanding in the food industry? Will we see a diversification of jobs within the market?

  Since this is SIAL‘s first year in America, Truman said they couldn’t speak on that particular. However, this industry isn’t independent from the our everyday lives.

  “But definitely there’s a potential impact. Just the food and beverage industry alone is valued at $1.5 trillion, which is hard to even even imagine, it’s massive. It touches every part of our lives.”

• Question #5: How do we see the food industry adapting to the ever changing geopolitics and world events?

  “We’re seeing a lot of — and we have part of our seminars and our educational series around — plant-based trend, so that’s really what we’re seeing,” Truman said. “And that’s what SIAL is all about and what their long history is about is trends and innovations as well. What’s happening? What are different things that the food industry is doing? Whether it’s on sustainability, different types of diets.”

  Another discourse that Truman has seen is sustainability.

  “As people are worried about, rightly so, sustainability in making sure they know where their food comes from, processes, and how we use and bring our food to market. you’ll see that in (SIAL’s) education, too. So, year in year out that’s really what SIAL and their global brand is known for is bringing those trends and talking about the trends and innovation that’s coming forward in the food industry.”

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