Equipment Showcase

The 2017 North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) show took place Feb. 9-11, 2017, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees packed the massive hall, which was bursting at the seams with foodservice gear for every imaginable application – and then some. This year, there were more than 22,000 unaudited registrants, up 12 percent from the 2015 show, and a nine percent increase (totaling 600) in exhibiting companies. The show floor offered approximately 374,530 square feet of exhibit space, up 16 percent from 2015, making it the largest show to-date for the association.

“We attribute the increase in attendees and exhibitors to the fact that the industry is more aware than ever before of how important it is to be at a show where the business of foodservice equipment and supplies comes first,” says Kevin Fink, CFSP, Master-Bilt/Nor-Lake, Standex Foodservice Equipment Group companies, and NAFEM president.

“Not only did we have new exhibiting companies, but some of our long-standing exhibitors asked for bigger booth space. That tells us that our members see the value in showcasing their offerings and newest products live at the show.”

A highlight of The NAFEM Show was WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL!, a new product gallery that showcased 143 innovations including equipment and supplies that enable labor cost savings, global food foodservice productivity and more, and address trends such as health, wellness and flavors. In addition, technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in products. There also were several “Inspiration Station” breakout groups in the WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL! pavilion highlighting other unique products on the show floor.

Some exhibitors familiar to readers of Bakers Journal included Revent Inc., Hobart, JAC Machines Inc., Lockwood Manufacturing Co., Lloyd Pans, Erika Record Baking Co., LVO Manufacturing Inc., Globe Food Equipment, and LBC Bakery Equipment Inc.

Inspired by the Academy Awards, Globe Food Equipment rolled out the red carpet at its movie-themed booth, where it unveiled updates to its line of griddles and also launched a new line of slicers (see New Products section, page 65).

Denis Livchak, a manager with Food Service Technology Center, attended the show hoping to find the latest developments in energy efficient equipment.

“I like coming to The NAFEM Show because you get to see a lot of innovative products and actually use the equipment and talk to not only the sales people, but the engineers as well,” Livchak said.

The NAFEM Show returns to Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center Feb. 7-9, 2019. See more photos from 2017 show and keep up with the latest news at thenafemshow.org.