For Deirdre Flynn, CFSP, Executive Vice President of NAFEM, the 2027 gathering arrives at a time when the foodservice equipment and supplies industry has regained much of the energy that defined the marketplace before the pandemic while simultaneously confronting an entirely new set of operating challenges.
Those solutions increasingly revolve around some of the industry’s most persistent challenges: labor management, cost effectiveness, rising costs, speed of service and the need to continue attracting customers. At the same time, manufacturers continue to build around the fundamentals that have long defined the NAFEM marketplace: innovation, durability, efficiency and quality.
What has changed dramatically is the role of automation, robotics, data and increasingly sophisticated multifunction equipment. “It’s not going to take away the human connection and human interaction that is foodservice, but it’s going to help control costs,” Flynn added. “It’s going to help balance and manage labor more efficiently. It’s going to speed service.”
That ability to see and evaluate solutions firsthand is one reason Flynn believes operators — along with dealers, consultants, designers and other equipment and supplies decision-makers — should make room in both their schedules and budgets for NAFEM.
Because the show is held every other year, it fits naturally into longer-term capital planning rather than simply addressing an operator’s immediate equipment needs. “It plays to the need for capital investment,” Flynn detailed. “It plays to the need for looking ahead at what somebody might not need immediately but might need two years down the road.”
The show also creates an opportunity that can be difficult to replicate through online research or individual sales meetings. Engineers, product specialists, company presidents and CEOs can all be accessible in one place. “It’s an opportunity to have the right kinds of conversations, kick the tires on the equipment and supplies, see how they work, compare one to another, and look at what you currently have and where you could take it in the future,” Flynn outlined.
NAFEM’s equipment-and-supplies-only focus is also significant. Rather than trying to address every component of running a restaurant or foodservice operation, the show enables equipment buyers and specifiers to concentrate on capital investment and kitchen performance.
The 2027 show floor will be supplemented by an array of educational, culinary and networking programs.
@CenterStage, NAFEM’s educational theater, will return with three to four attendee-focused sessions per day covering issues impacting today’s foodservice marketplace. The WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL!® new product gallery will once again showcase products and prototypes designed to improve operational performance, efficiency and cost effectiveness. The U.S. Culinary Open will also return following its inaugural 2025 event. Chef Nick Barrington of Atlanta will be back leading a competition featuring 12 chefs from around the world, with NAFEM expanding the viewing experience so attendees can get closer to the culinary action.
Networking will remain a major part of the week. With the show moving to a Thursday-through-Saturday format, the Kick-Off Party will take place Wednesday evening, February 10th, at the convention center, followed by the traditional NAFEM Party Friday night. FCSI will also bring its symposium back in advance of the show, giving foodservice consultants an opportunity to arrive early for education and networking before moving onto the NAFEM floor.
Perhaps the most anticipated new wrinkle for 2027, however, will be the inaugural collaboration between NAFEM and Fiera Milano’s HOSTMilano. Flynn said the organizations had discussed working together for close to a decade before formally announcing their plans at HOST in 2025. “We both have a very good and deep understanding of the needs of the industry and why people come to both of our exhibitions,” Flynn said. “They come looking for products, they come looking for solutions, they come looking for new ideas, because they’re all looking to expand and grow.”
The result is the debut of Host America, a dedicated presence bringing additional international manufacturers and product categories to Orlando, with particular emphasis on areas that historically have been less represented at NAFEM. Among those categories are tabletop, furniture, bakery and gelato equipment. Flynn said attendees can also expect representation from Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Greece, South America, China and other global markets.
For dealers and consultants, the combination provides an opportunity to study emerging solutions that could influence future specifications. For operators, it expands the range of ideas available as they rethink kitchens, menus, labor models and guest experiences. Ultimately, Flynn sees the collaboration as another extension of what NAFEM has always tried to accomplish: bringing manufacturers, operators, dealers, consultants, reps and designers together around better foodservice solutions. “It allows us, for both exhibitors and attendees, to give people the biggest picture of what the possibilities are for their operation,” Flynn concluded.
Restaurant and foodservice operators, dealers, consultants and other industry professionals interested in attending The NAFEM Show, February 11–13, 2027 in Orlando, can find registration, exhibitor, hotel and show information at www.thenafemshow.org.
