By Patrick Avenell
The Sydney Good Food and Wine Show has proven successful for Sunbeam, who used their stand at the show to sell a small range of products directly to consumers. Compared to other exhibitors at the show, the Sunbeam stand was hi-tech and colourful, with a team of service staff able to demonstrate and show off appliances whilst offering coffee prepared by a resident barista.
This is the first time that Sunbeam has used the exhibition at Darling Harbour to sell appliances directly. According to Sunbeam senior product manager (beverage and toaster products), Allison Cupillari, there were three major incentives behind the exhibition. “…the show is very much about increasing awareness of the range, answering questions and stimulating interest for our retailers,” said Cupillari.
Importantly for retailers, Sunbeam’s direct sales were not an attempt to reduce their sales or an effort to ‘take out the middle-man’. On the contrary, the show provided potential retail buyers with an intimate experience of Sunbeam’s range, as Cupillari explains: “[We gave] consumers the opportunity to touch and feel products, [such as] food processors, blenders and espresso machines.”
Exhibitions such as the Good Food and Wine Show often attract interstate and country visitors, drawn to the show to trial and taste a range of foodstuffs, potent potables and cooking equipment. The presence this year of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay ensured that that the exhibition would receive increased traffic as fans of the foul-mouthed foodie flocked to Australia’s premier city. Sunbeam was keen to leverage this increased traffic, focusing on visitors who may not be fully aware of the range.
“Items like the FoodSaver accessories were very well received, particularly by country visitors who sometimes have trouble getting the full range of add-ons at their local store,” said Cupillari.
Retailers are set to benefit from this exhibition as, despite the products being well-received, Sunbeam reported that, “sales off the stand were relatively small”.