If you haven’t guessed from this blog already, I love food! Be it trying new stuff or experimenting in the kitchen, I love it all 😃 Thankfully, my kids have picked up on this and I don’t usually have many issues with them trying new things (eating on time is a different story tho O.o). Of course, buying a whole jar of something to find out the whole family hates it, can get quite expensive so going to The Food Show Auckland is the best thing ever!
So yesterday was the Preview Day for The Food Show Auckland, and leaving one monkey at school and the other with her Gran (thanks Ma!), hubby & I were off to taste test everything 😝 With only 4 hours to do it all (we had school pickup), we still managed to pickup a few things to take back home. If you’re off to The Food Show this weekend, here’s some survival tips we came up with :
Don’t set a time limit
We had only 4 hours to go around everything, and whilst we thought that would be way more than we needed unfortunately there are some things we didn’t get to see or try 😕 So expect to spend all day there – don’t make any other plans 😃
Get there early
Kinda goes hand in hand with #1, but getting there early works well when dealing with typical Auckland traffic. Also, parking was a breeze if you’re wanting something outside the venue 😉
Wear suitable shoes
Comfy sneakers would have been way better than the boots I wore, but you live & learn I guess 😝 Just because you walk in them for a wee while a day and they’re comfy, doesn’t mean they would be after 6 hours standing! Seriously, put those heels back ladies.
Stay hydrated
By this I mean water – coffee doesn’t count! Carry a bottle or two of water around with you. Not only so you don’t get dehydrated, but taking a swig of water after each sample you taste will give you a more accurate idea of whether you like the next one or not 😃
Carry a large bag
This one’s important even if you think you’ll walk away buying nothing (haha yeah sure). Each retailer will have their own bag for their product, but unless you want to be carrying a billion bags, save your poor hands/arms and grab even a backpack! If you do forget though, or like us if you fill the bag and still have more to buy, there are information desks around the show you can buy an awesome reusable rolling trolley for $25. That way you’re prepared for years to come, see? 😝
Carry a Pen
Not so that you can fill out competition entries, that’s all done electronically now, but because you’ll need to mark the map. When you walk in, grab a Food Show book. In the book there’s a map with all the exhibitors in there. As you walk around, if there’s something you want to come back to, mark it on the map. We thought we’d go back to certain cold food exhibitors, as we didn’t want anything to go off, but totally forgot about it in the rush at the end (no duck waaaa). So definitely don’t rely on your memory 😝
Going with Kids
Now I know I might say the obvious in this one, but it has to be said. Whilst the Food Show is definitely kid friendly ticket wise, and I’d love to take my kids, I know that neither of us will enjoy it 😛 Kids usually aren’t the most patient & there might be a lot of “can we go now”. If you are taking kids though, remember the smaller the stroller the easier it will be for you. Also, make sure kids know where to meet up if they get separated from you in the crowds. Even better if they have your name & mobile number on them somewhere.
So hopefully these few tips will help you have a great Food Show experience. Tickets can be purchased here if you haven’t already (shock! Horror!). Enjoy & try EVERYTHING! 😃
A huge THANK YOU to The Food Show for our Preview Day Tickets! We had so much fun 😃 Check out our instagram for more photos.
