If you’re planning to exhibit at the CHFA NOW Trade Show, you’re in the right place. Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, this guide will help you squeeze every last drop of ROI from your investment—because let’s be honest, trade shows aren’t cheap, and your brand deserves to shine like a perfectly glazed donut🍩.
At NOVO MxC, we’ve worked with countless food and beverage brands to get them booth-ready, shelf-ready, and media-ready. Let’s dive into the most important ingredients to help you cook up a successful CHFA NOW appearance.
1. Set Clear, Measurable Goals (Before You Order the Swag)
Before you dive into printing banners or stocking up on samples, ask yourself: What does success look like? Is it 50 new leads? A meeting with a specific retailer? Brand awareness among dietitians? Sales?
📌 Action Item: Choose 2–3 primary goals and 1–2 secondary goals. Write them down, and build every part of your CHFA NOW presence around achieving them.
2. Give Your Booth a Makeover They’ll Remember
Your booth is your storefront for the weekend. Make it eye-catching, on-brand, and welcoming. Remember, your booth design and packaging are often the first taste attendees will get of your brand.
Make sure your colors pop, your messaging is clear, and your visual branding is cohesive across signage, packaging, and printed materials. (Yes, we do all of that at NOVO MxC… like the Casa Bonita trade show booth design image at the beginning of this article—shameless plug 😉)
📌 Action Item: Do a dry run of your booth setup two weeks in advance. Snap photos. See what needs improvement. Bring in a design expert if it’s feeling stale.
3. Packaging Matters—Even at a Trade Show
Retailers and distributors are scanning your product for visual cues that say: “Put me on a shelf!” Make sure your packaging communicates what your product is, who it’s for, and why it’s different. Bonus points if it photographs well for social media.
📌 Action Item: Bring your full product line, neatly displayed in both shelf-ready and open formats. If you’ve recently refreshed your packaging, prepare a “before and after” card to show your evolution.
4. Prep Your Pitch (And Train Your Team)
A strong pitch can open doors. Make sure your team can deliver a tight 30-second intro that’s energetic and easy to digest. Tailor it depending on who you’re talking to—media, buyers, retailers, or investors.
📌 Action Item: Schedule a pitch practice session with your team. Role-play different attendee scenarios. Bonus: Film it to identify improvements.
5. Create Crave-Worthy Marketing Materials
Don’t just hand out business cards—create brochures, one-pagers, and QR codes that guide people to take action. Include details like your brand story, ingredients, certifications, pricing tiers, and ordering info. And please—make it pretty.
📌 Action Item: Create a digital version of your info kit and host it on a landing page with UTM tracking so you can see who visited post-show.
6. Bring the Right Samples—And Enough of Them
CHFA NOW attendees are coming hungry—for both food and new business relationships. Make sure your samples are easy to try, individually portioned, and delicious. Avoid messes, spills, and hard-to-eat formats.
📌 Action Item: Prep 3–5 samples per expected visitor. Label everything clearly. Consider sample kits with a coupon code for post-show follow-up.
7. Promote Your Booth Like You Mean It
Start hyping your presence 2–3 weeks in advance on social media, email, and your website. Tease your booth number, new launches, giveaways, and what makes your brand worth a visit. And don’t forget LinkedIn—buyers and media are watching.
📌 Action Item: Schedule at least 5 posts leading up to CHFA NOW, 1 per day during the show, and a wrap-up post after. Use relevant hashtags like #CHFA NOW, #FoodInnovation, and #CanadianBrands.
8. Capture Content for the Long Haul
Trade shows are a goldmine for content. Film behind-the-scenes clips, interviews, live demos, and happy taste testers. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re looking for marketing content in November.
📌 Action Item: Assign someone to film short vertical videos each day. Capture testimonials, booth traffic, and product reactions. Bring a ring light and mic if you can.
9. Collect Leads Like It’s Your Job (Because It Is)
Lead capture shouldn’t be an afterthought. Use digital forms, QR codes, or business card draws to gather info. But more importantly—follow up while the connection is still warm.
📌 Action Item: Create a segmented email follow-up plan. Retailers get one message, distributors another, and media something different. Send your first email within 72 hours of the show.
10. Analyze + Improve (A.K.A. Don’t Just Pack Up and Move On)
After the show, debrief with your team. What worked? What didn’t? How many leads converted? What would you change next time?
📌 Action Item: Create a simple ROI report. Include leads collected, meetings booked, orders placed, and media coverage. Use this to guide your strategy for the next show.
Ready to Turn Heads at CHFA NOW?
If you’re prepping for CHFA NOW and want to make a serious splash, we’d love to help. At NOVO MxC, we specialize in helping food and beverage brands like yours stand out and scale up. From strategy and branding to packaging, website design, food photography, video production, and animation—we’ve got all the ingredients for your success.
Please give us a call at 416-892-2471 or reach out to us using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
✅ CHFA Trade Show Prep Checklist for Food Brands
Brought to you by NOVO MxC – Experts in Food & Beverage Branding
Print this out, stick it to your office wall, and check off each item as you get ready to crush it at CHFA!
🎯 Set Your Goals
- ⬜ Define 2–3 primary goals (e.g., collect leads, meet retailers, launch a new product)
- ⬜ Set 1–2 secondary goals
- ⬜ Share goals with your team so everyone is aligned
🎨 Design a Show-Stopping Booth
- ⬜ Ensure booth design reflects your brand
- ⬜ Use vibrant, cohesive colors and clear messaging
- ⬜ Do a full test setup two weeks before the show
- ⬜ Take photos and note improvements
📦 Perfect Your Packaging
- ⬜ Display both shelf-ready and open product formats
- ⬜ Ensure packaging clearly communicates product benefits
- ⬜ Bring “before & after” visuals if you’ve done a rebrand
🗣️ Train Your Team & Perfect Your Pitch
- ⬜ Create a 30-second pitch for different audience types
- ⬜ Practice responses to common questions
- ⬜ Role-play with your team to boost confidence
🧾 Create Branded Marketing Materials
- ⬜ Design brochures, product sheets, or one-pagers
- ⬜ Include QR codes that link to a digital info kit
- ⬜ Make sure all assets are beautifully branded
🍴 Plan & Prep Your Samples
- ⬜ Bring enough samples (3–5 per expected visitor)
- ⬜ Use individual portions and clean packaging
- ⬜ Clearly label all ingredients and allergens
- ⬜ Prepare sample kits for VIP contacts
📢 Promote Your Presence
- ⬜ Post on social media 2–3 weeks ahead of CHFA
- ⬜ Announce your booth number and any giveaways
- ⬜ Schedule daily posts during the event
- ⬜ Use hashtags like #CHFA #CanadianFoodBrands #FoodInnovation
📸 Capture Content During the Show
- ⬜ Film behind-the-scenes moments and demos
- ⬜ Collect customer reactions and testimonials
- ⬜ Take high-quality photos of your booth in action
- ⬜ Assign someone as your “content captain”
📇 Collect & Organize Leads
- ⬜ Set up a digital form, QR code, or giveaway box
- ⬜ Categorize leads: retailers, media, investors, consumers
- ⬜ Schedule segmented follow-up emails
- ⬜ Send first email within 72 hours post-show
📊 Review & Improve
- ⬜ Host a team debrief
- ⬜ Track how many leads converted to customers
- ⬜ Document lessons learned for next time
- ⬜ Create a simple ROI report
Need a Hand?
From branding and booth design to packaging and video content, we help food brands show up tasty and unforgettable. Let’s chat.
Call us at 416-892-2471 or reach out using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
