Expo will be held October 17-18
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Thursday, October 12, 2017) The inaugural 2017 Pizza & Pasta Northeast Expo is set to make waves in Atlantic City, New Jersey, October 17-18, when more than 3,000 pizza and Italian restaurant professionals are expected to converge at the Atlantic City Convention Center. This new event will incorporate a blend of food demonstrations, contests and educational sessions to augment an exhibit hall showcasing nearly 150 top manufacturers and suppliers.
The 2017 Pizza & Pasta Northeast Expo is a one-stop shop exhibit hall where Italian and pizza-concept restaurant owners will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with leading national and regional industry suppliers. Attendees will also have access to top-shelf food demonstrations, competitions focusing on new and traditional Italian ingredients, and flavors and products that will allow attendees to stay on top of consumers’ growing desire for trend-forward pizza and pasta menu items. The educational program will spotlight current menu trends, as well as top-level business and marketing educational sessions. Furthermore, show organizers are integrating a strong pasta component as part of this groundbreaking experience, serving for both Italian restaurateurs and pizzeria owners/operators in attendance.
Atlantic City was chosen for several reasons including its central location on the East Coast, access to the largest concentration of pizzerias and Italian restaurants in the U.S. and a top-notch convention center. The New England region, combined with Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., is home to more than 28,000 Italian restaurants and pizzerias, making this the No. 1 region in the U.S. in terms of the total number of pizzerias and Italian restaurants. This means one-third of the country’s operators, generating 30 percent of the industry’s revenue, are located in one tightly condensed geographic area.
Local Atlantic City businesses are expected to greatly benefit from this event at the convention center over two days. The estimated economic impact is expected to reach more than $1 million. In addition, more than 1,000 hotel rooms have been contracted by convention center visitors.
Pizza in this country was born in the Northeast, so show organizers are proud to hold the 3rd annual U.S. Caputo Cup competition at our Pizza & Pasta Northeast show. Contestants are invited to compete in four categories: Neapolitan (STG), Traditional, Non-traditional and Gluten-free. “No trade show would be the same without world-class competitions,” said Pete Lachapelle, vice president and publisher of Pizza Expo and Pizza Today magazine. “We’re on a quest to find the perfect combination of pasta, sauce and unique ingredients that sets our signature pasta dish apart from the other entries.” The pasta competition is sponsored by Barilla USA, while Antimo Caputo and Orlando Foods, Inc. will sponsor the Caputo Cup pizza competition. The pasta cook-off will pit 20 of the world’s best pasta perfectionists against each other to find who’s the Best of the Northeast in the “Pasta Showdown.”
“This is in no way a replacement of the International Pizza Expo for East Coast pizzeria operators and their staffs, but more of an opportunity to let them be a part of this regional two-day experience,” stated Bill Oakley, group show director. “Most of our eastern U.S. attendees have two days of travel in order to attend Expo, making it difficult to attend the entire four-day show and keeps them away from their pizzeria for an entire week. This event is a natural progression, and one that we hope will provide more restaurateurs and pizzeria operators the opportunity to experience what they have been missing for years now at International Pizza Expo. Adding some new twists to this inaugural event should make it a very compelling show to attend.”
International Pizza Expo returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 20 – 22, 2018. For more information, please visit: www.PizzaAndPastaExpo.com.
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About Pizza Expo
Now in its 34th year, International Pizza Expo® is the world’s largest industry event with more than 1,200 booths, 500 exhibitors and 7,000 attendees.
Pizza & Pasta Northeast and International Pizza Expo are owned by Emerald Expositions, the largest operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States, with most of our shows dating back several decades. We currently operate more than 50 trade shows, including 31 of the top 250 trade shows in the country as ranked by TSNN, as well as numerous other events. Our events connect over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupy more than 6.5 million NSF of exhibition space. We have been recognized with many awards and accolades that reflect industry leadership as well as the importance of our shows to the exhibitors and attendees we serve.
About Meet AC
Meet AC, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) organization formed and funded as a public-private partnership by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) to create economic development through conventions, sporting events, film production and group tourism. Meet AC focuses on three primary objectives: sales, marketing and services.
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About Spectra
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services) and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at www.SpectraExperiences.com.
About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit www.njcrda.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/njcrda.
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Media Contacts:
Jessica Merrill
609-449-7147
jmerrill@meetac.com
Bill Oakley, Group Show Director
boakley@pizzatoday.com
502-736-9520