By Joe Hackett, Account Director
Every July, thousands of people, mainly food scientists, ingredient developers, and innovation teams, descend on Chicago for IFT FIRST. This year, I was one of them—walking the show floor as part trend spotter, part facilitator for clients, part cultural sponge.
Like many food expos, it was equal portions sales pitch and science fair, just with more branded tote bags and functional fibre samples. As the Account Director at Nourish, I wasn’t there to hunt for novel starch modifiers or protein delivery systems, though. I was there to do what we always do: listen, translate, and connect the dots between what’s being built upstream and how it shows up downstream in front of customers, be they consumers or other businesses.
Here’s what I saw: a lot of innovation. And a lot of messaging failure.
Too many booths weren’t built around a point of view—they were built like search engine results pages. Lists of capabilities, ingredients, certifications, markets served. The message wasn’t “here’s what we do best,” it was “we do everything.” If you have a problem (any problem!), they want to be your solution. No stories to tell or proven pedigree to offer. Just raw potential, waiting for relevance to walk by.
And even when there was a message, it usually got lost. You’d think a show like IFT—where every company is trying to make their mark on an ingredient list in a grocery store near you—would be a masterclass in clarity. But booth after booth was packed with walls of buzzwords, functional claims, and long sentences that said everything and nothing at once. “Proprietary multi-functional solutions for evolving formulation needs.” That was an actual line I saw. It’s technically true, I’m sure. It’s also completely forgettable.
On the other end, you had Kraft Heinz leaning hard into the theatre of food with giant cheese sculptures, primary colours, and an unmistakable energy. Was it subtle? Absolutely not. But it was clear. You didn’t have to ask what they were selling or why it mattered. They told you in big bold letters and bigger blocks of cheese.
Ingredient solutions provider Tate & Lyle went the opposite direction. Their booth was calm, modern, and built on a quiet confidence. “Science evolves. So do we.” That was the line. Not a paragraph, not a pitch deck. Just a sentence that made space for thought in a sea of noise. And when I stopped to watch people interact with their displays—touchscreens, texture samples, casual conversation with authentically enthusiastic mouthfeel scientists—I realized something simple: clarity is magnetic.
These were the exceptions. Walking the floor largely felt like being trapped inside a word cloud built by Regulatory while the Marketing team was out to lunch. Laundry lists of health claims. Taglines that could belong to any of 300 other vendors. And zero narrative. The eye just doesn’t know where to look in an overwhelmingly wordy sea of sameness.
And then there was… the treehouse.
Technically, it was a booth. Functionally, it was a surrealist installation. Moss-covered shingles, a man in a Willy Wonka outfit singing to no one in particular, and brochures filled with AI-generated imagery and copy that explained little. The brand? Unclear. The product? Unapparent. The impact? Temporary. This was a lost opportunity for a company that may, in fact, be very good at what they do. People snapped photos, raised eyebrows, and kept walking. Attention lost, just as quickly as it was gained, proving that even the most creative execution is meaningless if there’s no readily apparent message.
This all matters because these companies aren’t selling candy or any other finished products; they’re selling the components that power the next wave of food development. But if they can’t say what they do and why it matters simply, clearly, and with conviction, they’re losing the room before they even start the pitch, regardless of how cool their booth—or treehouse—is.
At Nourish, this is where we do our best work. Helping clients, be they ingredient brands, processors, or CPGs, turn complex, technical truths into meaningful, market-ready stories. We lead with research. We clarify the message. And we build the creative that actually carries it across channels, from trade shows to shelves. That means everything from booth design to collateral and prepping your team so your best foot is forward.
So if you’re getting ready for your next (or first) expo and want to do more than hang a banner and hand out business cards, let’s talk. Instead of creating empty photo ops and word salad signage, we’ll help you forge real connections.
