ECRM – The Candy Planning: Everyday & Summer Seasonal Session

 A WINNING FORMULA, GUARANTEED MEETINGS!

The Group Export Agri-Food, in partnership with ECRM (Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing), is offering you a unique formula for individual meetings with buyers in your product categories. You will benefit from one-on-one meetings with retail buyers in the United States and Canada. These meetings will last 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the chosen session.

Click here to see the confirmed buyers’ list for the The Candy Session.

How it works:

• You will be provided with a personalized program, tailored to your abilities and objectives. You will have access to buyer information through ECRM’s MarketGate software, enabling you to plan effective and relevant appointments.
• Consecutive 10- or 20-minute appointments are scheduled for 3-4 hours each day.
• You will also have access to these same notes for meeting follow-ups. What’s more, the RangeMe platform will put you in direct contact with buyers for sample requests, orders and ongoing conversations.
• An ECRM “Client Success Manager” will assist you throughout the program: from meeting preparation to meeting follow-up.
• A quality program, with individual meetings!

Innovation Pipeline

• Brands looking to grow distribution with buyers including national, regional and alternative channels.
• This formula is for 1 attendee, 10-minute appointments in a private 10 x 10 booth, hotel accommodations, meals, ECRM session services, networking functions and educational opportunities.
• Register an extra attendee for $US600 per person, per day.

Planning session

• Brands seeking strategic collaboration, distribution and planning with key buyers across all channels.
• This formula is for 2 attendees, 20-minute appointments, hotel accommodations, meals, ECRM session services, networking functions and educational opportunities
• Register an extra attendee for $US600 per person, per day.

Options

• 10 min – Innovation Pipeline (Early bird rate until July 1st 2024) : $6,900
• 20 min – Planning session (Early bird rate until July 1st 2024) :  $10,250
• 10 min – Innovation Pipeline :  $7,250
• 20 min – Planning session : $10,550

A minimum number of participants is required for this activity to take place and be subsidized.

Market data 

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada a Sector Trend Analysis – Confectionery trends in the United States presented that “Canada, being the top supplier of confectionery products to the United States, accounted for 36.3% of the total market share, followed by Mexico (24.6%) and Germany (6.7%) in 2022.”

Financial assistance for participants

50% reimbursement of one economy class airfare (2 per exhibiting company with a maximum of $650 per plane ticket);

• The company must imperatively provide proof of travel (e.g., an invoice of flight, train, bus, etc. with complete itinerary or receipt for the purchase of gas near the place of destination).
• In case of purchasing a higher class airfare ticket, you will have to present an economy fare travel estimate for the same route, date and flight in order to be reimbursed.
• Flight must have been paid for; redemptions of bonus points of any kind remove the right to this subsidy.
• The Group Export reserves the right to request any additional supporting documents.

​A financial assistance of 50% up to a maximum of $3,000 eligible expenses per company for the following items:

• Sample shipping costs (consolidation with Group Export if registration completed before June 1st);
• Additional setup costs (ex: fridge rental, etc.)

By registering to this event, you agree to complete and return the activity report which will be forwarded to you shortly. You will have 60 days following the event to send us back the completed report, otherwise you may be required to reimburse the subsidies received for this activity. The data that will be compiled is for the sole purpose of evaluating the economic benefits of this activity.

Cancellation Policy

The Group Export Agri-Food is a non-profit organization who manages export financial programs from the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec and from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

As a government program manager, Group Export has defined a general cancellation policy to follow when participating in a trade show. Policy’s details are as follows:

When a participation or registration form is signed by a representative of a company, this company becomes liable to the Group Export Agri-Food, as this form is a contract between the company and the Association.

• 1. In the five days following registration, the company must pay, as a deposit, 50% of participation fees. This amount can be paid by check, direct deposit or credit card by contacting Group Export’s financial department at 450-649-6266. Direct deposits are preferred.
  2. The remaining 50% of participation fees must be paid at least 60 days before the activity.
  3. If the company does not respect these terms, Group Export Agri-Food has the right to cancel the company’s participation.
  4. When a company is cancelling its participation:

• • If the company or the Group Export Agri-Food finds a replacing participant, the full amount will be reimbursed, except for a $200 administration fee, as soon as a replacing participant has paid in full the amount due.
  • In case a substitute cannot be found, all other incurred charges, including 100% of the invoice for a space reservation, would be charged to the company.

All cancellation requests must be made in writing and be addressed to the person in charge of the activity, whose name appears on the participation form.

This policy was ratified by the Group Export’s Board of Directors on February 14, 2008.

Eligibility for participants

To qualify as a participant, the company must:

• Meet all eligibility criteria for provincial and federal subsidies applicable to this activity.
• Hold a license number from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) or demonstrate that it is not required for its type of business.
• Have a registration number with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

The Group Export reserves the right to refuse any registration for this activity.