Marking the last issue of Fare Digest with news for the future
In these past few issues of Fare Digest, we’ve delivered our forecasts on the future of foodservice, from new-wave vending machines to the new consumer-brand dynamic. This issue brings you 2013 trends predictions from Technomic, the National Restaurant Association and others to help you to prepare for the months to come. It’s fitting we share these outlooks for the future as we close this chapter of Fare Digest.
Just as the October issue of Fare magazine was its last, this is our last issue of Fare Digest. But it’s not the end of our coverage of the industry. Foodservice at retail--which CSP was the first to categorize and target with valuable business-building information--continues to bloom. The greatest opportunity for operators, suppliers and consumers alike lies in the convenience-retailing channel, of which CSP magazine is already the leading resource with 16 issues annually, 118 pages of foodservice editorial coverage last year and a readership of more than 100,000.
Frankly, we realized that we are able to reach more people more often through CSP than we’ll ever be able to reach through Fare or Fare Digest. So we’re using CSP as the platform to deliver even more foodservice coverage in 2013, reaching readers 16 times a year instead of three.
And the Fare brand already exists well beyond the magazine and e-newsletter. Our annual Foodservice at Retail Exchange (FARE) grows every year in attendance and impact. It seems the importance of foodservice at retail education is best felt face to face. We’re already busy at work on our sixth annual conference, which will be back at the Renaissance Schaumburg just outside Chicago, June 18-20, 2013. Registration is open and our agenda is up: Check it out and register today at www.foodserviceatretail.com.
Stopping Fare magazine and Fare Digest also lets us direct more foodservice-at-retail news and solutions online—again opening the door to more frequent and bountiful idea exchanges. Expect major changes from us in terms of content and education online in the first part of 2013. We’re cooking up some great ideas for delivering signature content across the on-the-go channels.
Also, the minds behind Fare and CSP will collaborate on the annual CSP Foodservice at Retail Handbook. Published in June to coincide with the FARE conference and a continuation of this year’s State of the Industries, the handbook is the only resource for sales and consumer data across the foodservice-at-retail channels.
Fare also lives on in the editorial content of FoodService Director. As the non-commercial segment shifts more money and manpower toward retail operations, FoodService Director will continue to provide insights and best practices for making the most of retail.
We sought to do something truly different with Fare magazine and Fare Digest: Produce a horizontal publication that cuts across multiple channels in an effort to reflect the channel blurring happening in the greater industry, while creating a place for cross-channel idea exchange. This channel blurring continues to be the path the industry is taking, but we’ve realized there’s more opportunity outside the magazine and e-newsletter as it exists today. Through CSP, FoodService Director, upcoming online platforms and the face-to-face experience of FARE, we’ll continue to lead the industry in information and opportunities for foodservice at retail in a much more effective way.
Thanks for following Fare Digest through these past four years; we look forward to providing you with even more solutions in the years to come. And remember to check out the amazing education and networking agenda we have in store for FARE 2013. We'll see you there.
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