Trade show had it all
By Paul Vang
Montana Tavern Times
The trade show, as always, was one of the main attractions of the 2009 Montana Tavern Association Convention, as conventioneers made the rounds of vendor booths to find out about new products and better mousetraps.
While a freelance writer, such as this reporter, may have some different priorities while touring the show (the tasting opportunities were awesome), here are some of the things that caught my fancy.
The Food Services of America demonstration of the PFA Rapid Fry, or the “Perfect Fry Company,” seemed to have a continual crowd of people standing around, waiting for the chance to snack on various offerings, such as chicken wings, burgers, French fries, brats, cheese sticks, mushrooms, and potato chips.
The Rapid Fry is a self-contained, countertop fryer that cooks most anything you want to cook, going from frozen foods to steaming-hot food in minutes. The device is self-venting, pulling in air, running it through activated charcoal filters, and discharging it back into the room many times cleaner than it was when it went in.
The exhibitors suggested that the Rapid Fry could be an easy way for a bar to add a limited food service, or way for casinos to attract and keep customers in the house playing the machines instead of going somewhere else for lunch. It's yet another way to attract and keep customers after the smoking ban goes into effect.
Sophisticated, modern surveillance equipment is no longer something for the big Vegas casinos or government spy agencies. Troy Michaels of Advanced Enterprises of Big Fork demonstrated a couple different systems of providing surveillance over a wide area, either through multiple cameras or a strategically located single camera.
Their products seem like something from one of the TV shows, such as CSI or NCIS, with monitors showing multiple areas in the business, ability to focus in on a small segment of an area, and ability to monitor activities from the back office or from home. It creates a digital video recording for future playback. All that, and you can watch the football game on the monitor, too.
Bars and casinos, by virtue of their late hours of business, as well as numerous cash transactions, are frequently the target of criminal activity. A good system of surveillance and monitoring is likely your best bet for identifying and apprehending those bad actors - and as word gets around, it'll be your best preventive against further such activity.
Jürgen Knöller, founder and president of Bayern Brewing of Missoula, was on hand to offer samples of his latest brews.
Knöller was among the pioneers of microbreweries in Montana (“I was the last of the first,” he says modestly), and has been an inspiration and mentor to many of today's microbreweries in small towns and larger cities across Montana.
Looking back, 2008 was a “tough year” with skyrocketing prices on barley and hops. Still, he's optimistic about the future. “I'm looking for microbreweries to become more competitive in the tavern industry. I think the local breweries, with smaller transportation costs and products tailored to local tastes, will be the best bet.”
Another microbrewery, Big Sky Brewing of Missoula, was on hand to offer samples of their brews, including their iconic Moose Drool, but with a difference. This year, they're selling their products in aluminum cans produced in their new canning system which came on line this year, as well as in bottles and on draft.
Among macrobrewers, Jim Haney, who retired in late 2008 from his job as state representative for Coors, and then recruited to be a sales representative and contributor for the Montana Tavern Times, found himself back at the MillerCoors booth, as current MillerCoors state manager Greg Seiger was unexpectedly called out of town for a family emergency.
Kent Woodward of Anheuser Busch was on hand with a line-up of AB-InBev's latest products, particularly various versions of Bud and Bud Light. A new product just hitting the market the week of the trade show is Bud Light Amber Wheat. “It's a big hit,” he said. “Even people who don't like beer were enjoying it.”
There were celebrities at the trade show, too. Monte, the famed University of Montana mascot, made an afternoon appearance, arranged by Brian Shennum of Exact Image Promo Solutions of Missoula. Monte was accompanied by “Slash,” the mascot of the Missoula Maulers Junior Hockey team. Whether he was doing acrobatic stunts, just clowning around, or giving hugs to Gov. Brian Schweitzer, he was a major hit.
Besides beer there were other products to sample, such as corned beef sandwiches, candy, cookies and, of course, various spirits. A popular new product at the Jim Beam booth was Red Stag, a Jim Beam bourbon whiskey infused with black cherries. I think that's going to be one of this winter's favorite sipping whiskeys. I also found a few new (to me) single malt Scotch whiskies I'd like to add to my stash.
And if you're in the gaming business, you could see video machines and programs offered by five manufacturers, ranging from brand new ground-up platforms to new game suites not even released yet. The graphics, animation and audio, not to mention cutting edge cabinetry and slick game play and bonus features, were amazingly creative, just stunning.
This of course is just scratching the surface. Suffice it to say that there was a lot of activity going on at the trade show and on the second day of the show, most exhibitors I talked to were enthusiastic about the many new contacts and sales prospects they had lined up after the first day.
A typical comment came from Patrick Gent of Precision Pours of Plymouth, Minnesota. One of their products is Drinks Mate, an anti-hangover product. “Montana is the #1 state for our products. We have 400 accounts in Montana. We showed Drinks Mate at Great Falls last year and it just blossomed. We have 20 percent of the market. It'll blossom again this year.
“For our company, it's the best show for our buck.”