Unitas outlines connect24 trade show and awards

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

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

This event builds on the 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, and ‘Stronger Together’ by working collaboratively with supplier partners.

connect24 has been designed to deliver opportunities for even further growth, including an enhanced out-of-home presence with 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 NPD and demonstrating the ‘perfect serve’. The expansion of the Local Living retail own-brand range will also be a key feature of the show.

The annual Unitas Member & Supplier Awards dinner will take place on 6 March.

John Kinney, MD at Unitas Wholesale, said: “As the name suggests, connect24 is going to place even more emphasis on strengthening connections and relationships, demonstrating that we are ‘Stronger Together’. 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 2.9 million 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.