Intimate Format Displaces Traditional Tradeshow Model The 47th FoodOvation Exchange opened Sunday at Sun Valley Resort, bringing together culinary and purchasing leaders from Technomic's Top 500 restaurant chains with 23 sponsoring food and beverage suppliers for two days of focused menu development work. The event, produced by Portland-based Revelry Agency, runs through Wednesday, September 23. Unlike traditional industry expos, FoodOvation operates without an exhibit hall or booth traffic. Instead, each supplier team sits down with one operator for a 45-minute working session—typically in a kitchen setting—with the explicit goal of developing a menu concept the operator can implement.
Supplier Roster Spans Foodservice Supply Chain This year's sponsors include Kraft Heinz Away From Home, Nestlé Professional, The Hershey Company, Danone, King's Hawaiian, BelGioioso Cheese, Bush Brothers & Company, Lee Kum Kee, Pilgrim's, Maple Leaf Foods, Trident Seafoods, and 12 others. Operators attend as guests and are not publicly listed, though several have posted about attendance on social media. A kitchen operations leader from The Cheesecake Factory confirmed participation. Trident Seafoods planned to meet with national accounts on wild Alaska seafood, while J.T.M. Food Group focused on pitching kettle-cooked items for limited-time offers and everyday menus. By the second day, participants reported "back-to-back meetings from sunup to…well, still going," according to Alan Britz of broker partner Britz Food Group.
Preparation and Scheduling Compress Sales Cycles Revelry's model relies on advance preparation.
Before sessions begin, the agency prepares menu and operational briefs on each operator so supplier chefs arrive with concepts designed for that chain's equipment, labor model, and price points. By scheduling culinary, R&D, marketing, and procurement leads together, the format compresses what would typically require months of follow-up calls. Frank Alfaro of BelGioioso Cheese previously described two days at FoodOvation as equivalent to getting through the first six sales calls. Claire Brandenburg of KFC noted that attendees leave with ideas rather than brochures. The format has a documented track record: a 2022 session between Hershey Foodservice and a fried chicken chain produced a Reese's shake that launched nationally in 2024.
Location Extends Networking Beyond Kitchen Sun Valley Resort, located in a town of roughly 1,700 people, serves as more than venue. Revelry schedules the exchange around hikes, bike rides, and group dinners to encourage conversations outside the kitchen. Attendee posts from this week show the integration of outdoor activities into the formal program.
Calendar Expands Into 2027 FoodOvation 47 is Revelry's second Sun Valley exchange of 2026, following FoodOvation 46 in early June. A non-commercial edition, FoodOvation 48, returns to the resort October 25 to 28. The 2027 calendar opens with exchange 49 at Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina in February, followed by stops in California, Idaho, and Texas. Suppliers interested in participating in a 2027 exchange can contact Revelry at info@revelryagency.com. Food & Beverage Magazine will feature menu concepts from FoodOvation 47 in its October issue.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
