2024 Americas Food & Beverage Show Exceeded Expectations

The Miami Beach Convention Center hosted the 2024 Americas Food & Beverage Show & Conference (AF&B Show and Conference), a Global Marketplace that registered 7,000 attendees a few hours after the open ceremony. In its 28th edition, the show ran from September 16 to 18.

Organized by the World Trade Center Miami (WTCM), the trade show featured over 700 companies exhibiting, 900 stands, and over 20 international pavilions from nations across five continents.

Previously, the anticipated attendance was 10,000 buyers and attendees.

The 2023 show had a record crowd of 7,300 people, up from 4,700 who attended the 2022 show.

“We had a center stage where they are going to promote the products of all the exhibitors where they are going to have chefs coming, and they had demos from all over the world where they cooked their product or tasted their product. We also had a bar where companies that have alcoholic beverages presented their beverages during the show,” said Ivan Barrios, WTC Miami President and CEO, during an interview with Abasto Media.

The non-profit World Trade Center Miami has organized the Americas Food & Beverage Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center since 1999.


Americas Food & Beverage Show and Conference Country of Honor: Morocco

Morocco was the country of Honor for the trade show. Morocco FOODEX, Food Export Control, and Coordination Organization was created in 1986 and is a public structure under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests. It is dedicated to serving the Agri-food and maritime products sector, one of the country’s economic growth levers.

Ambassador Youssef Amrani of Morocco and Consul General Chafika El Habti highlighted the importance of Morocco’s participation.

“With its exceptional culinary heritage and growing export capacities, Morocco proudly showcases its agro-food and fisheries products at this prestigious global fair,” said Ambassador Amrani during the opening ceremony.


Global Marketplace

The trade show has been more regional, but organizers said the focus has been on making it more global over the last three years.

“Miami is a very sexy market, but also very interesting, diverse and strong. More buyers are coming from other parts of the world to whom the trade show offers the opportunity to have a presence not only in our market, but also in the U.S. and European markets,” said Alice Ancona, WTC Miami Chief Operating Officer during an interview with Abasto Media.

The 2024 AF&B show featured more than 20 pavilions from countries worldwide, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay, Thailand, and Turkey.

The trade show set in three exhibition halls, but for next year there will be four exhibition halls.

“Buyers come to the trade fair to see these small and medium-sized companies. Yes, obviously the Hispanic American companies come because they have more product diversification. Small and medium-sized companies are not only more diverse, but they also offer innovations that larger companies can’t offer. So, every year that they see the trade fair they are seeing something different, something new, something innovative,” said Ancona.

Related Article: Twelve Panamanian Companies Participated in the Americas Food & Beverage Show & Conference 2023


Food, Beverage and Hospitality

For 2024, there was also the first edition of the Americas Food & Beverage Show & Conference and Food Hospitality LATAM. 

“The hospitality element is something we were missing at the fair. They bring equipment, everything that is the hospitality elements. This is their first year this year, but we have a partnership that goes through 3 years,” said Ancona.

2025 Americas Food & Beverage Show & Conference

Save the date for September 10-12, 2025, and attend the Americas Food & Beverage Show & Conference at the Miami Beach Convention Center.