Called Off Licence Live, it is the place to go to pick up free advice, hints and tips on boosting your off licence business. Plus if you don't already have an off licence but are thinking about getting one, there are sessions that will help you too.

The packed programme includes Legal Masterclasses where experts explain the key issues for drinks' retailers while leading research company HIM! will give an insight into what off-licence shoppers really want.

In addition, experts will offer advice on key categories. For example, industry consultant and former Somerfield wine buyer Angela Mount will discuss selling wine. There are also sessions dedicated to selling beers and spirits.

Obviously selling alcohol carries great responsibility so Philip Loring of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association will discuss ways retailers can work with other businesses and the authorities to tackle alcohol disorder in their neighbourhoods.

Affiliated categories are not forgotten either. There is a tobacco workshop with an update on all the legislation that's affecting stores as well as advice on selling snacks.

Finally, property expert Christie & Co will discuss how to buy an off licence, explaining the pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Entrance to all these sessions is free but available on a first come, first served basis.

The Off Licence Show takes place at the Birmingham NEC from March 21-24. For more information log onto www.offlicenceshow.com

Well-known brands from every part of the food and drink sector will be in Birmingham from 21-24 March 2010, demonstrating the very latest products and innovations at each of eight specialist food and drink events, which make-up the largest shows in the sector for 2010. Over 1,100 exhibitors will fill halls 1 to 5 at the NEC, offering solutions for every aspect of food production and distribution as well as showcasing a host of new food and drink ideas.

Food & Drink Expo plays host to 600 exhibitors, including top brands such as Mars, Britvic, Dawn Foods, Tudor Tea & Coffee, Kerrygold, Tulip International, Bel UK, Pidy UK and Lee Kum Kee. It covers every category, including bakery, dairy, meat and fish, soft drinks, beer, wines and spirits.

Convenience Retailing Show (CRS): Visitors will find 200 stands featuring some of the biggest names around, including Nestlé, P&G, Allied Bakeries, Coffee Nation, Hovis Bakeries, E Jordon (Refrigeration), Musgraves, Pepsico, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Torex, Unilever, and Warburtons.

Café + @ CRS focuses on the food-to-go and café culture with Costa Coffee, Nestlé and Pret A Manger offering insights into this fast expanding sector.

Off Licence Show @ CRS will include a range of industry experts to help retailers improve their beers, wines and spirits (BWS) offer.  Already signed up  are Australian Vintage; Broadland Wineries; Diageo; BWS distributor Euro Wholesale; Global Brands which makes VK vodka; online ‘Beer at Home' company Highgate & Davenports Brewery; and mineral water company Isklar.

International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show is the event for those who want to make more profits at the pumps. This year's line up includes Car Wash UK, Catalist, Convenience Distribution Group, Dresser Wayne, Garage Watch, GB Oils, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Gulf, Harvest Energy, Pace and Wilcomatic.

Foodex, previously called Foodex Meatex, has been re-branded to better communicate the broad appeal of the show from meat and poultry, on to fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables, drinks, confectionery, cereals, organics and ready meals. 
This year over 200 standholders, including 80 first time exhibitors, include Reiser, Handtmann, Ishida Europe, Interfood Technology, Formax, Bizerba, Unitech, Marel, Proseal, Espera Scales, and Ulma

Baking Industry Exhibition (BIE) covers the complete range of production including industrial, craft baking, bake-off and packaging. Technologies for processing and packaging, as well as ingredients and materials will be demonstrated.
A strong exhibitor list features Britvic, Benier UK, Dawn Foods, DCL Yeast, Double D Engineering, Kern, PFM, Raque Food Systems, Reiser, Rondo Doge and Tom Chandley.

The new Food & Drink Logistics Show has had enthusiastic response from many well-known names in the world of logisitics such as Cert Octavian, CEVA, Culina Logistics, DB Schenker and Norbert Dentressangle, together with companies like LXE UK, Knapp, Dematic, Izuzu and Toyota Material Handling UK. The focus is on food and drink safety, sustainability and security as well as data management.

All eight events have a strong line up of features, presentations, demonstrations and lectures where industry experts will be on hand to discuss the latest issues and show off their skills. Plus a full set of competitions will test the talents of both experienced and up-and-coming talents.

A visitor Discount Voucher book is available across all the shows, helping those who make purchases during their visit to save thousands of pounds.

"We chose CRS 2009 to officially launch the brand into the retail sector and the show was fantastic for us," commented Matt Williams, Director of Off Trade for Pussy Drinks. "Pre-show we were really well supported by the organisers; they were friendly and helpful, and really understood our needs as a small company. They also gave us some good advice along the way," he added.

A clear benefit of exhibiting at CRS was the high quality of visitors attracted to the show; "the calibre of visitors to the 2009 shows was great for us. Our objectives were to build the brand through sampling and we managed to sample over 1,000 people across the four days. We picked up new customers from independent retailers to wholesalers and major national chains.

We have clearly been able to see the business generated from the show in terms of both new wholesalers working with us and increased volume and distribution  through Booker. This was mainly due to our entry into the 2009 CRS Visitor Discount Booklet.

We chose Off Licence Show 2010 because it's a great opportunity for us to show that our brand isn't just a (natural) energy drink but also a great mixer which works well in off licences as it can be drunk with an array of spirits as well as champagne. It will allow us to target these customers specifically but still be exposed to retailers, wholesalers and forecourts. The co-location of Off Licence Show with CRS, IFFE, Café+ as well as Food & Drink Expo is also really important as it gives us an opportunity to reach far more potential customers.

If I had any advice for a smaller company looking at taking a stand, I'd say - do it! I had no idea what to expect and thought if I could generate enough leads and sales through Booker to pay for the show then it was money well spent. By the time OLS 2010 comes around, we will have paid for it 50 times over if not more in terms of sales generated through contacts met and independents on board. If you've got a product you believe in then it will sell itself and the show will bring you more than enough contacts and leads to achieve or at least help you achieve what you need as a small company."