Even before the Organic Produce Summit (OPS) officially kicked off on Wednesday this week, there already was a lot of activity at the Monterey Conference Center. Trucks with produce and booth supplies were coming and going in preparation for the trade show, the event's final act.
The official program of the 9th annual OPS started with Field Tours and an opening reception on Wednesday. Educational sessions and an afternoon trade show filled the program on Thursday. A little over 200 companies exhibited and had one afternoon to show their organic items.
Different layout
The layout of the show floor was a bit different this year. In addition to the regular two downstairs exhibition halls, a third upstairs hall also hosted close to 50 exhibitors. As a result of more exhibition space, attendees were spread out and there was more room to walk around compared to previous years. However, the feelings about the additional upstairs exhibition room were mixed. For some attendees, it took a while to find out there actually was an upstairs exhibition space and traffic didn't seem to reach the same levels it reached downstairs.
While the first hour of the trade show seemed relatively calm, traffic built up and it got a lot busier after that. Attendees were probably still enjoying their outdoor lunch in beautiful Monterey and got themselves a later show start as a result. Although the trade show officially continued until 6:00 pm, many exhibitors started packing up when the Happy Hour started at 5:00 pm, leaving their produce behind for local food banks.
Here's a sneak preview of exhibiting companies. Stay tuned for the full photo report that will be published on Monday.
© Marieke Hemmes | FreshPlaza.comTeam Giumarra.
© Marieke Hemmes | FreshPlaza.com
Mountain View Fruit Sales.
© Marieke Hemmes | FreshPlaza.com
Team California Giant at their home show.
