SIAL Canada CEO Tony Melis speaks with Grocery Business about the SIAL Canada trade show and conference in Montreal
What’s new at SIAL Canada 2024 in Montreal?
When I took on the CEO role, I looked at the show and examined why exhibitors exhibit and visitors attend a unique event like SIAL Canada.
We’ve made a few changes, like introducing a new biennial competition, the “Best Canadian Cheesemonger,” where the winner will become the Canadian representative for the Mondial du Fromage in France in 2025.
The enthusiastic response to our return to Montreal has led us to secure two floors at the Palais des Congrès, making this 2024 edition the largest SIAL Canada event ever held in Montreal. In this spirit of change, we’ve worked on the conference’s programming to offer 10 thematic forums featuring inspiring keynotes and expert panels delving more deeply into key topics of our industry. 2024 also marks the 60th anniversary of the SIAL network brand! Stay tuned for special initiatives as we celebrate this remarkable highlight in the history of the SIAL network.
What are some must-attend events that will be best suited for grocery retailers?
SIAL Canada is a unique food show because it represents all industry sectors and allows attendees to see innovation from different market segments from all Canadian provinces and 44 other countries. To showcase these segments, the team worked on rebranding our SIAL Cheese sector as SIAL Dairy to better reflect the broader sector and include more products such as ice cream, butter, and yogurts. We are also excited to share our new SIAL To Go space, which offers retailers a new immersive activation dedicated to ready-to-eat offerings, highlighting future trends, innovations, and successes that are steering the food trade toward a multi-platform sales strategy.
We recommend that retailers stop by to see products from the SIAL Innovation competition, which offers a showcase of global trends and innovations in food and beverage less than a year old, as well as our well-attended SIAL Pitch Competition, our renowned contest designed for start-ups.
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SIAL Canada Montreal At-a-Glance
Dates: May 15 – 17, 2024
Location: Palais des Congrès, Montreal, Que.
Approximate No. of exhibitors: 1,000
Expected attendance: 20,000+
Details and Registration: sialcanada.com
