2005 Seafood Magazine: Download

HighBeam Research

Title: Blue Star Food Products: upscale fabric construction created excitement in dramatic, huge booth space.

Date: April 1, 2005 Publication: Seafood Business
Blue Star Food Products made a splash at IBSS with one of the biggest booths--2,500 square feet The circular space was defined by panels of sheer fabric hung from the ceiling. The shimmering material, printed with schooling yellowtail snapper, created a unique, underwater illusion.

In its upscale booth, the company featured chefs and many unique serving ideas for its crabmeat products.

Blue Star refrigerated pasteurized crabmeat was showcased in a new, state-of-the-art, 1-pound pouch with resealable ziplock closure. The Blue Star Crab Cake, featuring Blue Star jumbo lump crab, was introduced at the show.

The innovative pouch, which actually debuted at the 2004 show, is currently in distribution across the country for the foodservice trade. The advantages of the packaging are many, the company pointed out, including better product taste, no dangerous cans to open and the convenient, recloseable feature, which maintains product freshness longer.

Blue Star's management is hoping the warehouse dub segment of the industry will "find the value and excellent merchandising features of this unique new packaging," said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Steve Harmell, "The colorful graphics and delicious-looking on-package recipe ideas are very consumer friendly."

Blue Star wanted a new booth design for its first appearance at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, so turned to fabric to create a unique look.

"From what I understand from show management, I believe we're probably the first exhibit to use fabric," said Harmell. "It is a new and exciting material that large companies that exhibit in some of the largest trade shows in the country have used over the last five or six years. It shows very nicely, creates volume in your exhibit, is lightweight and provides a great graphic opportunity with which to present yourself."

Blue Star's new exhibit, Harmell emphasized, was very lightweight. "The biggest obstacle in the exhibit industry today is the cost of crating your stuff and the over-the- dock fees that these labor unions charge."

Blue Star also hosted Club Blue, a "very exclusive, invitation-only party" at Boston's popular 33 Restaurant Monday night. Invitations to the event were awarded through drawings at the booth during show hours Sunday and Monday.

company PROFILE Company name Blue Star Food Products Location Miami Type of company Importer/Producer (Asia) President John Keeler Jr. Exhibiting at IBSS 8 years

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