Guide
Food & Drink Expo and Farm Shop & Deli Show 2027: how a food exporter should prepare
Two of the UK’s food trade shows run together at the NEC in Birmingham. If you want to sell into British delis, farm shops, grocers and wholesalers, here is when they are and how to make three days count.
When and where
Food & Drink Expo 2027 and the Farm Shop & Deli Show run together from 12 to 14 April 2027 at the NEC in Birmingham. The organiser, William Reed, lists the halls as open from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 April, and from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesday 14 April. Read on foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk in October 2026.
Five shows share the venue that week: Food & Drink Expo, the Farm Shop & Deli Show, the National Convenience Show, the Forecourt Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions. The organiser’s page lists more than 30,000 visitors and more than 1,500 exhibitors across them, without saying which year those figures describe.
Which one is for you
The Farm Shop & Deli Show is the one for speciality and premium food: the buyers are independent delis, farm shops and fine-food retailers. Food & Drink Expo is broader: the organiser describes its visitors as buyers and suppliers from retail, wholesale, foodservice, manufacturing and hospitality. One badge, one building, so plan both.
Getting in
The organiser says it is a trade event and that nobody under 18 is admitted. Its page offers a free pass when you register to visit; confirm the terms when you register.
Six to eight weeks before
Pick twenty companies, by name. UK importers and wholesalers who supply delis and farm shops, and the retailers you would most like on your list. One line on why each one fits.
Write to them before you travel. Say you will be at the NEC, why you think there is a fit, and ask for fifteen minutes. With five shows in one building, name the hall.
Prepare what a UK buyer asks for. Spec sheets, certificates, shelf life, minimum order, and how quickly you can deliver into the UK. Small shops buy small quantities, so say how they can order a few cases rather than a pallet. If you already hold stock in the UK, say so early.
Check your email arrives. A note in a spam folder looks exactly like a note that was ignored. Our guide on why buyer emails go to spam covers the three records to check.
During and after
Write on the back of every card that evening: what they asked, what you promised, and one detail that will remind them who you are. Keep the price for a written follow-up. Then send what you promised in the first few days, and one or two more notes over the following weeks, each with something new to say. Our trade show follow-up guide has the plan and three short notes you can adapt. IFE in London is the week before, from 5 to 7 April 2027; our IFE guide covers it.
The short version
Food & Drink Expo and the Farm Shop & Deli Show are 12 to 14 April 2027 at the NEC, Birmingham, trade only, with a free pass. Pick twenty UK importers, wholesalers and shops, write to them first, show how a small shop can order, and follow up within the week.
Next: How to follow up with buyers after a food trade show
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