Episode 240: What Buyers Really Want from You at Trade Shows

The Portland Good Food Mercantile is coming up soon and we know that tons of tasty food brands will be attending. As you prepare for this trade show and other trade shows, you might wonder…what do I really need to BE prepared for these shows?

That’s why we’re revisiting this episode with Joyce Attar. Joyce is the Director of Operations and member of the family that owns and operates Barbur World Foods, World Foods, and Ya Hala in Portland, Oregon. She’s also a member of the Good Food Merchant Alliance! She joins Alli to discuss…

🗣️ Where you can find a list of retailers that are values-aligned

🗣️ What BUYERS do to prepare for trade shows

🗣️ Why knowing your end customer and store audience is critical

🗣️ What piece of information not to miss in your buyer followup email

🗣️ We can’t wait to hear which piece of Joyce’s advice that you’ll implement first in your next trade show. DM us on Instagram or LinkedIn to let us know!

📨 Find the Food Biz Wiz team on Instagram or LinkedIn here!

SPONSORED BY: OUR MASTERCLASS!

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MEET JOYCE ATTAR:

Joyce Attar is the Director of Operations and member of the family that owns and operates Barbur World Foods, World Foods, and Ya Hala in Portland Oregon. 

Born and raised in Portland, Joyce comes from a family of entrepreneurs who immigrated from Lebanon and opened a small market with a vision to create access to hard-to-find international foods. Today, that business has grown into a dynamic restaurant and two-location grocery chain that carries a wide selection of local and international products as well as a unique deli that proudly highlights their Lebanese culture. In 2014, Joyce joined the business, where she works alongside her family to expand the company and grow the brand.

Joyce's passion for business led her to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of Portland. She later earned her MBA from Willamette University, where she honed her skills in strategic planning, operations, and marketing.

In addition to her work in the family business, Joyce is an avid traveler and foodie who loves to explore food culture around the world. She is a member of the Good Food Foundation, an organization that celebrates artisanal food producers, and serves on the Associate Board of SMART Reading, a non-profit that promotes literacy among children in Oregon.

Find them at @worldfoodspdx | www.worldfoodsportland.com

FIND MORE ABOUT THE GOOD FOOD FOUNDATION:

The Good Food Foundation connected us with Joyce Attar and we are so happy to share the interview above. The Good Food Foundation exists to celebrate, connect, empower and leverage the passionate and engaged, yet often overlooked, players in the food system who are driving towards tasty, authentic and responsible food in order to humanize and reform our American food culture.

Through five key programs – Awards, Guild, Alliance, Mercantile and Fund – they build widespread support for the growers, ranchers, makers and merchants stubbornly swimming upstream to create and share the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. The Portland Mercantile will be happening on April 28th, 2024 and will feature over 30 tasty food and beverage brands. This year, they’re doing something new: the general public will be able to attend the final hours of the show to meet and to love the brands attending!

You can find out more about the Good Food Foundation at their site here. Find the Good Food Merchant Collaborative here as well for a list of incredible retailers who work with brands to provide consumers with delicious, values aligned brands.