During my attendance at Vitafoods in Geneva, Switzerland in May, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Lee.

 

Health E-Insights: As director of the Vitafoods show, how do you keep the show vibrant?

 

Mr. Lee: It’s not an easy task in such a creative, innovative industry, believe me. But this is the 14th installment of Vitafoods Europe and we have built up a fantastic network of industry contacts that help us ensure we keep the show as progressive and forward-thinking as possible. A show would be nothing without its visitors and exhibitors, so we keep in close communication with them to ensure we are pushing the right buttons when it comes to the event itself— we are always seeking feedback from them on show-related issues. And of course there is our steering committee, which provides us with invaluable advice and guidance on the direction of the show. We meet with the team, made up of international industry experts, journalists, association members and exhibitors on a regular basis and they help us to ensure our ideas, thoughts and suggestions as well as progress is on the right track. For us, it is important to make sure we have our fingers on the pulse when it comes to the latest industry issues and developments, so we focus on keeping our show features as new and fresh as we can. For the last couple of years we have made a sustained effort to introduce new show features to keep our visitors engaged and it is important that we continue doing this to ensure the event does not get stale. On the conference side, we work very closely with Leatherhead Food Research to ensure that we continue to secure the industry’s finest minds to take part and provide the delegates with the most informative, educational content we possibly can. 

 

Health E-Insights: Do you plan to expand the show to other parts of the globe?

 

Mr. Lee: Yes. We launched Vitafoods Asia at the Europe show in May this year. We had been researching the possibility of introducing a new addition to the Vitafoods portfolio for some time and our extensive research revealed that there is startling potential for growth in Asia. So, the event will be at the AsiaWorld Expo in Hong Kong, September 7-9, 2011, and will be the first of its kind to attract a completely pan-Asian visitor audience and global exhibitor base that is wholly dedicated to the nutraceuticals, functional foods, functional drinks, dietary supplements and nutricosmetics industries. Taking place over three days, Vitafoods Asia will give exhibitors exposure to thousands of potential customers and partners from across the continent. So suppliers of nutraceutical ingredients, functional foods and drinks, pharmaceutical products and nutricosmetics need to have a presence at the show if they are serious about developing their business in this potentially lucrative market. We are naturally extremely excited about launching Vitafoods Asia. It presents a huge opportunity to bring together a pan-Asian audience to do business under one roof in a market that is growing extremely fast. For companies that want to explore multiple markets in one go, discover new business opportunities, meet quality contacts face-to-face, find new partners and ultimately launch new products to a broad Asian audience, we would highly recommend booking a stand as soon as possible.

 

Health E-Insights: How do you ensure that your organization and its activities are aligned with your core values?

 

Mr. Lee: I am extremely passionate about what I do. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do a job that I didn’t enjoy so our activities and my core values have been aligned from the start. For me, there isn’t any point in doing a job if you’re not going to give it your all and do your best. And that’s what we as a team, and indeed a company pride ourselves on. Everyone in the team knows our objectives for the shows, and each and every person is driven to achieve them. That enthusiasm and true passion for what we do is quite unique to IIR Exhibitions and something I feel very strongly about.

 

Health E-Insights: Because trade shows are hard work, how do you handle stress and pressure?

 

Mr. Lee: Having a great team around me is the key to running successful trade shows like Vitafoods Europe and Finished Products Expo. With a well-organized, professional and passionate team, I find I rarely have stressful moments these days. Those who work with me on both shows are all experts in their respective fields and although it may sound like a cliché, it is most definitely the team behind you that makes the difference.

 

Health E-Insights: What motivates you?

 

Mr. Lee: What motivates me the most is the thrill to succeed. Every morning I get up and think how I can make today better than yesterday, and look to the future to make tomorrow an even better day. But, in my day-to-day job, seeing shows like this year’s Vitafoods Europe and Finished Products Expo achieving such success is a great motivation for me. There’s nothing better than seeing the visitors queuing up outside on the first day and the exhibitors coming to me at the end of the three days to tell me what a great show they have had. Also, the challenge of being part of the team behind the first ever Vitafoods Asia and making a success of such a big and well-established show on another continent is a brilliant source of motivation for everyone involved.

For more information and interview consideration, contact Sheldon Baker at sbaker@bakerdillon.com or visit his website at www.bakerdillon.com.