LACA – The Main Event 2015
It was an exciting and busy week for Jellybean and clients last week as the annual LACA Main Event and conference came to the UK’s second city. Up bright and early, I jumped on the train and headed north to see our wonderful clients, Hobart UK, Tilda Foodservice, Dr Oetker, Pritchitts and Aviko UK who were all exhibiting.
For those that aren’t aware, The Main Event, aka the Education Catering Exhibition, is the only show in the UK which is dedicated to the school meals market. Not only does it offer visitors the chance to meet with companies in this all-important sector, the exhibition also offers the following features:
· Finishing Touches – 10 classes for school caterers to compete in and two for students
· Innovation Zone – coveted product awards for exhibitors to enter and delegates and visitors to vote for
· LACA Demonstration Theatre – sponsored by our very own client, Hobart Cooking Solutions, where live demonstrations take place each day
So, for visitors and delegates alike, the Main Event provided a host of spectacles and networking opportunities.
But what about Jellybean clients? What were they up to this year?
Well, Hobart Cooking Solutions sponsored the Demonstration Theatre and supplied a Bonnet Precijet 6 Grid and a set of induction pads for chefs to cook on. One particularly exciting session was with School Caterer of the Year, Kate Davies who cooked up a firecracker chicken curry, with help from the Bonnet equipment.
Tilda Foodservice had development chef, Simon Hall on stand to tingle visitors’ taste buds with a delicious chilli and Tilda Brown ‘n’ White rice dish. The Brown ‘n’ White was a hit, and check out the burrito in the picture – plenty of serving options for school caterers to delight their students with! This, along with the pre-launch of the Tilda Together schools campaign, saw their stand buzzing.
Dr Oetker and Chicago Town, positioned by the Demonstration Theatre were in the midst of action. The Stuffed Crust Ham & Pineapple Pizza was a delight. And who would believe it complies with school meal guidelines when it tastes so good? Who knew a reduced salt, reduced fat (to the minimum!) pizza could be just as good as the ones in the supermarket! Looks like they are on to a winner with this new addition to the range.
Pritchitts captured the interest of passing school caterers with its extensive product line up on stand: the education sector’s favourite milk range, Viva Flavoured Milk and Modern Milk – the new flavoured milk for over 16 year olds – as well as new Millac Gold Single a school friendly cooking cream (with only 15% fat). The newly launched Viva Weekly Win campaign also caught the interest of visitors with a weekly prize of a pair of Beats headphones up for grabs to students!
And finally, Aviko – it was almost impossible to get to the front of the stand where they showcased Aviko’s latest range of gluten-free and FSA salt compliant options for school caterers. Delicious!
Having taken in the whole show it was clear that the exhibition itself had a great feel to it; everyone was energised and excited to showcase and learn about the latest trends, products and services the school meals market had to offer.
I travelled home with a belly full of food and the knowledge our clients had a great show. Well done to the team at Dewberry Redpoint on another successful year.
