Over the past few years, there has been a shift in food and beverage (F&B) marketing trends toward personalization. This trend began with small businesses but has since been adopted by major corporations. Personalization enhances connection by providing each trade show guest with a unique experience.

There are many ways to personalize a food or beverage product. One way to implement personalization is to print names or photos onto individual packaging or even the product itself.

Implementing an effective F&B marketing strategy can help increase the success of your event. When trade show guests receive personalized products or participate in a personalized experience, they are much more likely to share it on their social media channels and with friends and families. This, in turn, can drive more traffic to your trade show booth and increase the likelihood of participation.  

So, how do you use what you know about personalization and put it into action?

When it comes to event marketing, a few key strategies can help you get more personal. 

1. Research your target audience 

It’s important to research your target audience and understand how your food and beverage brand fits into their everyday lives. This will help you develop a booth that reflects the lifestyle of your target audience. You should analyze various factors of your target market, including demographics, psychographics and behaviors.

Use these factors to determine what population you can organically attract to your booth. Analyzing this information can help refine your business plan, decide which marketing channels will be most effective when advertising and create an eye-catching booth.

2. Use your research to create personalized displays 

Create a personalized display that attracts your target audience. A great example of this would be Wendy’s, which partnered with ASV to create a floating barge restaurant to appeal to its ideal customer: a loyal, young (or young-at-heart) sports fan who would “sailgate” (tailgate by boat) at the game and enjoy nuggets, fries and a free frosty off the barge. By implementing a display that truly reflected the lifestyle of its target audience, Wendy’s was able to attract customers and create an association between its brand and a positive, joyful experience for customers.

Read a case study or a video and more pictures from the Wendy’s experience here.

3. Develop personalized sampling

To get people interested in your product, try bringing it to life. This can be done in a variety of ways. You could bring in additional staff to walk a customer through a sampling journey, explaining your company's origins, products and ingredients. Or you could take a more playful approach and develop a quiz that tells your customers which one of your products they are like and why. These are great ways to make the sampling experience more memorable.

All of these personalization trends present opportunities for businesses, especially those within the food and beverage industry. If you can effectively capitalize on these trends, you’ll be well-positioned for success in the coming years. Trade shows provide a great opportunity to showcase new products and practice personalization. By exhibiting at food and beverage trade shows, you can reach a wide audience of potential customers and partners, helping you to gain exposure and grow your business.