Expectations are high for this year’s New York Produce Show & Conference, Dec. 4-6.

“The cocktail reception at the Sheraton Hotel on Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd streets in Manhattan will kick-start what will prove to be another outstanding show,” John McAleavey, executive director of the Eastern Produce Council, told The Produce News. “The reception starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, and we look forward to greeting all show attendees there.”

He noted that this year’s expo theme, “A View from America’s Gateway to the World,” is all about produce imports and exports, adding that a global symposium is planned for the Sheraton Hotel, also on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The produce industry in the eastern U.S. has strong involvement with offshore partners, and we are expecting some high-level people from other countries to attend,” said Mr. McAleavey.

The exhibition, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, will be held at Pier 94, located between 55th Street and the West Side Highway in Manhattan. More than 400 companies from all categories — producers, distributors, packers, shippers and service organizations in the produce industry — will be exhibiting their products and services between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“The number of exhibitors has increased by about 40 percent over last year,” said Mr. McAleavey. “The first year we held the show we had 200 exhibitors, the second year — last year — we had 300, and this year we will have more than 400. Last year we had about 3,000 visitors, and we predict an increase in attendance of between 30 and 40 percent for this year’s show.”

Mary Anastasia O’Grady, an editor for the Wall Street Journal, and a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board since 2005, will be the keynote speaker at the keynote breakfast Dec. 5, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Ms. O’Grady writes predominantly on Latin America, and is a co-editor of the Index of Economic Freedom. Rather than accepting a fee for her speech, she has asked the EPC and show sponsors to donate funds toward the fight to cure pancreatic cancer. A retail panel will also be on hand to respond to questions at the breakfast.

Mr. McAleavey said that the attention to the foodservice side of the produce business at both New York produce shows in 2010 and 2011, have been impressively successful, and will be highlighted again at this year’s show.

“Chef demonstrations, educational and micro sessions are planned for Wednesday from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” he said. “We have professionals from the Culinary Institute of America and the French Culinary Institute participating in the sessions. And numerous college professors and agricultural students will be participating at the show. Rutgers University, St. Joseph’s, Cornell University, Penn State University and the University of Delaware will all be represented at the show.”

On Thursday, Dec. 6, the New York Produce Show has a lineup of interesting tours to suit attendees. They include a Manhattan retail tour and a New Jersey retail tour, which includes a visit to St. Philip’s Academy in Newark, NJ, home to a hydroponic rooftop garden. Another tour that includes rooftop gardens is to Brooklyn, NY, retailers.

“We have offered a tour of Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market in the Bronx, New York, every year since the first show in 2010, and we plan to continue to offer this tour in the future,” said Mr. McAleavey, noting that as it is the largest terminal market in the world, many people appreciate the opportunity to visit it.

“Another tour will take participants to the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, with a stop at a Wegman’s retail store in Cherry Hill, NJ, which is hosting lunch for the tour group,” he continued. “And yet another interesting tour will go to Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, to Fresh Direct, a major online grocer in New York City, and to celebrity chef Mario Batali’s store and school, Eataly, also in Manhattan.”

Mr. McAleavey is also excited about the new venue at Pier 94.

“We decided to move the show from the Hilton Hotel this year for a couple of reasons,” he explained. “In the past two years the show has been held during the first week of November. But this year that interfered with Election Day. And, we wanted to move it further away from the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit, and so we decided to hold it in early December. The Hilton Hotel could not guarantee us the space we need, and with over 400 exhibitors this year, we feel we needed a larger venue. The pier is a really exciting place today, and we feel sure that the New York Produce Show and Conference will be a tremendous success this year.”