It's not hard to come by a food-enthusiast in New York. After all, some of the country's best restaurants can be found in Manhattan or one of the city's other four boroughs.

That's what makes New York City a great location for the 2013 Summer Fancy Food Show!

The massive trade show, scheduled for June 30 - July 2, 2013, will feature more than 150,000 specialty foods and beverages from 2,000+ exhibitors from countries all over the world. According to the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, attendees will also have access to more than 15 educational seminars, tours and tastings. Wow!

While the show is not open to the general public, businesses within the specialty food industry are welcome.

To get a closer look at the Fancy Food Show, watch the promo video below:

If you're anything like me, you love all things peanuts! It seems like everything made from the lovely legume is delicious. Whether it's peanut butter or peanut brittle, you can bet it tastes good.

So when I found out there's a trade show specifically about peanuts, I was understandably very excited. According to the Alabama Farmers Federation, the Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show will take place Thursday, Feb. 7 in Dothan, Alabama. Attendees will have a chance to "hone their farming and business skills" during "a day filled with educational sessions," the organization reports.

WTVY News 4 reports that more than 70 exhibitors are expected to present products and services pertinent to peanut growers. The trade show will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Best of all, more than $25,000 in trade show contest prizes will be distributed. Whoa!

For more information about the Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show, contact Teresa Mays of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association (APPA) via phone (334-792-6482) or by email (teresa2@alpeanuts.com).

Over the weekend, residents and visitors to the Tri-State area were treated to something very special - a unique culinary tasting that, until now, only Southerners had the honor of enjoying on a daily basis.

There is no mystery as to what you'll find at the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival - there are dozens of Western and Southern recipes in practically every BBQ food one can think of. Additionally, there are unlimited beer and bourbon tastings. Your mouth is probably watering just thinking about it. But there is more to this festival than wolfing down delicious food. One can enjoy seminars from pit masters, distilleries, breweries and experts in the culinary field while at the BBB Festival. There is also a shop for BBQ accessories, hot sauces and much more. 

This year, the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival is hitting the road and could be in a town close to you. The Manhattan Festival sold out in advance. Expect the other dates to do the same.

Those near Atlanta, Timonium, Charlotte, Richmond, National Harbor, Cary, Reston and Nashville should mark their calendars. Each ticket includes admission to a session with many tickets including a promotional pub glass for bourbon and beer tastings.

The NHL Lockout has come to an end with the first of 48 games played over the past weekend. Nassau Coliseum is once again buzzing with excitement over the return of their resident team, the Islanders. Come spring-time, Nassau Coliseum will be the home of another great American pastime - beer.

The annual Spring Craft Beer Festival will be in town on March 9, showcasing some of the finest tastes 50+ brewers have to offer. The event is sponsored by the beer experts at Draft Magazine, imbibe Magazine and Superstar Discount Beverage. The event is also sponsored by WBAB, yelp! and others.

Once inside, you'll find 60,000 sq. ft. of beer gardens, free samples, promotional giveaways, food and demonstrations. Your ticket into the beer festival also includes a keepsake custom imprinted glass. Designated drivers can purchase a ticket at a discount. (no glass or samples)

The Spring Craft Beer Festival offers two different 3.5 hour sessions for added convenience. The afternoon session runs from 12:30-4:00 while the evening session runs from 5:30-9:00. Tickets are available for both sessions.

No one under the age of 21 will be allowed into the trade show so be sure to bring your ID with you and to carry it on a custom ID holder.

If you ask me, it's not surprising that a food and beverage trade show continues to break records each year. After all, who can say no to free food?

According to the Trade Show News Network (TSNN), Food Week Korea attracted more than 92,000 visitors during its five-day run this November. The event was divided into 10 different categories, including a cafe and bakery, premium agricultural products and an export zone. In total, the exhibit hall offered approximately 36,000 square meters of space.

Not only were Korea's best food businesses put on display, but representatives from Argentina, Ukraine, Turkey and Finland also showcased their custom food products. Doesn't that sound delicious?

In total, 712 companies exhibited their foods and beverages. I bet nobody went home hungry!

For the last couple of years, American Express has been the front-runner of boosting the local economy. They've created a shopping day that started off as a marketing ploy and became a day that has been supported by businesses big and small and government officials big and small.

Small Business Saturday has been on the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the last two years. With $5.5 billion spent in local businesses on that day alone, it might not be too long until this shopping holiday becomes a Federal holiday. 

Sadly, I wish there was more than just one day to get some great deals from small businesses. Luckily, for those close to Colby, Kansas, there is the Five Weeks to Christmas at Smoffee's. Smoffee's is a local coffee joint and bakery but is best known as an active member of the community. Each weekend since Thanksgiving and concluding with the weekend before Christmas (December 21-23) Smoffee's sets up space for local vendors to sell their items. Vendors will be on-site selling candy, candles, jewelry, electronics, ornaments, toys and much more.

The people at Smoffee's understand that it takes more than one day to build up the local economy. For more information on how you could see the local vendors or get in on the action selling your promotional items, please visit the Smoffee's website. 

Caffeine junkies across America, rejoice! Coffee Fest -- a trade show dedicated to specialty coffees and teas -- is coming to your neighborhood soon.

Since 1992, Coffee Fest has been giving coffee and tea retailers a first-hand look at the world's best coffees, teas and related products. According to its website, "If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee, goes well with coffee or is coffee you will find it at Coffee Fest." Each year, the trade show floor is filled with everything you'd expect to see in your favorite local spot, including logo coffees from brands like Ghirardelli and Caffe D'Amore.

Perhaps more importantly (for baristas, at least), are the classes and workshops open to attendees. The courses cover everything from managing a retail coffee shop to latte art training. (That's right -- they'll actually teach you how to create deigns out of steamed milk!)

Coffee Fest's 2013 schedule looks like this so far:

New York: March 08 - 10, 2013 at the Javits Center
Chicago: June 07 - 09, 2013 at Navy Pier
Seattle: October 04 - 06, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center

From my experience with many promotional products trade shows, I feel that the display plays a very important role. Your trade show exhibit says alot about your company and how you choose to represent yourself. A great display represents cleanliness, knowledge and experience. In my opinion the display must captivate and engage the client to visit your booth. There are many creative and unique ways to set up a tradeshow display. Pop up booths, table top stands, banner stands, full floor kits, tents, and signs, these are just a few of the tradeshow materials that can greatly assist you with standing out in the crowd at a tradeshow. How do you want to portray your brand?

If you are in the bar or restaurant business be sure to clear your schedule on June 26th and 27th. The hugely popular Bar and Restaurant Show returns for its 13th time! The show chooses to open again in NYC, and specifically the Javits Center for a reason.

As mentioned on the shows website, "there are more establishments that serve and sell spirits beer and wine, within 2 hours of the Jacob Javits Convention Center, than any other place on earth!" Wow.

The Bar and Restaurant Show features hundreds of interactive exhibits which deal with every facet of the industry. From classic, well-known vendors to new, innovative approaches to the industry, this is the show to be at. Features include conventional products as well as addressing lighting and sound, promotional ideas, and security improvement.

Attendees can also look forward to educational programs for professionals addressing issues of growing a business and staying relevant and noticeable in the digital age. There are also cooking and pairing presentations, as well as world class mixologist raising awareness of the newest cocktail trends.

As an additional bonus to this great event, feel free to enjoy the custom food product samples from popular companies and those who are growing their business in the area of spirits, beer and wine. There are plenty of samples and activities to take part in, so pace yourself and enjoy!

I couldn't be more excited about the fact that natural products are in again.  Gone are the days when mystery ingredients and fake sugars dominated store shelves.  The trend that's entering the natural products world?  "What's old is new again."

That's according to one reporter for the Miami Herald after attending the increasingly popular Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California.

What were most popular at this year's show, which ran from March 8 - March 11, 2012, were foods and products your grandparents would remember.  Products on display ranged from organic promotional products produced by local farmers to natural sunscreen.

One stand-out item was Broo Craft Beer Shampoo.  That's right; one exhibitor showed off a natural shampoo that's made from not much more than a standard six pack.  The Miami Herald reports that the product was inspired by "women in the 1960s, including Jackie Kennedy, [who] rinsed their hair with beer."  It will be available in select Whole Foods stores this April.