Unitas prepares new-look annual trade show

Unitas Wholesale has unveiled a fresh new look, feel and name for its annual trade show, taking place in Liverpool on 6-7 March this year: connect24.

connect24 will focus on the importance of connecting Unitas members to their supplier partners, providing invaluable opportunities to build and develop relationships that will drive growth throughout 2024 and beyond.

This event builds on the successful Unitas Conference held in September, where delegates heard how the Unitas membership is “Growing Faster” than the wholesale sector, “Reaching Higher” with their continued investments to accelerate growth further, and “Stronger Together” by working collaboratively with supplier partners.

connect24 has been designed to deliver exciting opportunities for even further growth, including an enhanced out of home presence with leading foodservice suppliers such as Premier and Unilever chefs showcasing their NPD and product sampling. A new attraction this year is the introduction of the On Trade bar area, sampling exciting NPD and demonstrating the “perfect serve”, plus the expansion of the Local Living retail own brand range will be a key feature of the show.

The annual Unitas Member & Supplier Awards dinner will take place on Wednesday 6 March, this prestigious evening event will highlight the outstanding achievements among Unitas Membership, recognising their remarkable successes and the excellent support provided by their valued supplier partners.

“As the name suggests, connect24 is going to place even more emphasis on strengthening connections and relationships, demonstrating that we are Stronger Together,” said John Kinney, MD at Unitas Wholesale, said: We’ve listened and adapted to ensure we’re bringing members and suppliers together in an even more mutually beneficial format, our app will allow members and suppliers to book dedicated meetings during the show, which alongside the exclusive deals, informative presentations, and evening networking, will make this a key event to drive growth in 2024.

“We have a few surprises up our sleeve, and with approximately 200 suppliers in attendance, plus a record number of members attending, connect24 is set to be our biggest and best trade event to date, beating last year’s 2.9m cases sold.”

The event will commence on Wednesday morning with the Unitas senior management team presenting to both suppliers and members with an update on the Unitas strategies and activities that will provide further opportunities for mutual growth in 2024.