Converting trade fair traffic into R$16.5 billion in business at the largest food and beverage fair in the Americas

The APAS Show brings together supermarket leaders, food and beverage brands, technology providers and service partners from across Brazil and the wider Americas. The ambition was to evolve from a large-scale trade fair into a complete innovation ecosystem that drives tangible business results, knowledge exchange and social impact for the entire food retail chain. This required seamless operations across disconnected pavilions, tailored experiences for a large VIP audience and clear pathways for qualified networking among thousands of participants. At the same time, APAS wanted to deepen its role in themes such as digital transformation, leadership, sustainability and social responsibility, while ensuring continuity and year-on-year improvement for exhibitors, visitors and partners. 

MCI Brazil partnered with APAS as an integrated strategic and operational team across the fair and Congress. The team coordinated every aspect of the onsite operation, including accreditation, exhibitor service centre, logistics, stand build and all special projects. They managed connecting transition spaces between the blue and yellow pavilions by designing and delivering a dedicated tunnel, ensuring intuitive flow across the venue. A large VIP programme for more than 1,000 guests was created with differentiated spaces, buffets and services to support high-value networking. Business Connection, APAS Show’s strategic matchmaking tool, structured pre-scheduled 30-minute meetings between suppliers and qualified buyers, guided by detailed registration profiles and a participant catalogue. Parallel to this, the Congress was shaped around the theme “Update-se: a new leader for a new retail”, with 54 sessions, six thematic auditoriums and more than 100 expert speakers, placing leadership, innovation and shopper behaviour at the centre of the experience. 

APAS Show 2025 consolidated its position as the largest food and beverage fair in the Americas, bringing together 900 exhibiting brands, including 250 international exhibitors from 22 countries and 78,000 qualified visitors across four days. R$16.5 billion in business deals was facilitated by the event, with each Business Connection meeting offering targeted opportunities for portfolio expansion and strategic agreements. The Congress hosted 112 lectures and 231 experts on topics such as the future of consumption, new shopper behaviour, ambidextrous leadership and digital transformation, reinforcing APAS Show as a learning and knowledge-exchange hub. Social responsibility was equally prominent: a campaign with 36 contributing companies and onsite collections across four days resulted in 76.85 tonnes of food, hygiene and cleaning products donated to organisations throughout Brazil, supported by 296 volunteers and technical partners. APAS confirmed MCI’s involvement for a third consecutive edition, recognising the partnership as a driver of continuous improvement in participant experience. 

“At MCI, we found a company that is a strategic partner, bringing the best in event development strategies [with] a very human vision. We are from the retail sector, and we like to have that warm, relationship-building aspect. That allows us to reach this stage of success for the APAS Show.” 
Carlos Correa – CEO, APAS