NEXT Foodservice + Hospitality Expo is three times the size of last year's inaugural show, purpose-built inside the largest convention centre in Western Canada, and positioned in the fastest-growing foodservice market in the country. Partnership opportunities are available across every level.

This is what the NEXT ecosystem looks like and how your brand fits inside it.

September 13 and 14, 2026. BMO Centre. Calgary, Alberta.

NEXT Foodservice + Hospitality Expo is growing to be three times the size it was at launch last year. With a predication of over 7,000+ attendees over two days. 950+ participating companies. 120+ hours of programming. The second largest foodservice expo in Canada and the only one built specifically for the operators, chefs, owners, and distributor teams driving business across Western Canada.

This is not a trade show that happened to land in Calgary. This is a trade show that exists because Calgary, Alberta, and the entire Western Canadian corridor demanded it.

Alberta crossed five million people in early 2025. For fourteen consecutive quarters, this province posted the largest net gain from interprovincial migration in the country. Between July 2022 and July 2024, Alberta added close to 378,000 new residents. That is more than twice the entire population of Prince Edward Island in two years.

Those people need to eat. They need restaurants, catering, delivery, prepared meals, and every product, service, and piece of equipment that supports them. Calgary alone has the highest restaurant-spending growth of any major Canadian market, with dining-out spending growing 7.5 per cent annually over the past five years. Calgarians spend 44 per cent of their food budget on dining out.

Canada’s foodservice industry is a $124 billion sector employing 1.2 million people. Commercial foodservice revenue was up 6.9 per cent in the first seven months of 2025. Traffic grew 3.2 per cent in the first half. Spending rose 5.7 per cent. But the pressures are real. Insurance costs up 14 per cent. Food costs up 13 per cent. Labour up 11 per cent. Nearly 80 per cent of operators say tariffs and trade restrictions have added to their inventory challenges.

Operators are not giving up. TouchBistro’s 2026 report found 82 per cent of operators remain optimistic. They are adapting, investing, cross-training, and looking for better products, better suppliers, and better partners. That is who walks the floor at NEXT. That is who your brand needs to be in front of.

The BMO Centre completed a $500 million expansion in June 2024. Over one million square feet of total event space. 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Capacity for 33,000 guests. This is a Tier 1 international convention venue and the largest in Western Canada. More than 500 conventions and events were booked before the doors opened. The projected economic impact on Calgary is $100 million annually.

This is where NEXT lives. Not a hotel ballroom. Not a converted arena. A purpose-built facility with the infrastructure to deliver a world-class expo in the heart of Stampede Park.

NEXT is not just bigger. It is fundamentally different. The 2026 expo is built with what we call the NEXT Immersive Experience Ecosystem. Every environment on the floor is designed to shape how attendees move, engage, learn, connect, and remember the brands they experience.

This is not a show where you set up a table and hope people stop. This is a show where your brand lives inside curated moments that drive real conversations with real operators.

Partnership at NEXT is not a logo on a banner. It is integration across a curated ecosystem of experiences that puts your brand where operators are paying attention. Whether you are a national distributor, an emerging brand, a tech company, or a regional supplier, there is a place for you inside this ecosystem.

The highest-traffic, highest-visibility platform at NEXT. This is where the room gets full and the phones come out. Keynotes, big-picture thinking, and the ideas shaping the future of food and hospitality. Available through presenting sponsorships, branded sessions, keynote alignment, and on-stage integration.

Live cooking, chef storytelling, and menu inspiration brought to life in front of operators who are looking for their next move. This stage gives them practical ideas they can take back to their kitchens immediately. Available through hosted demos, branded segments, ingredient integration, and chef-led storytelling.

Beverage trends, mixology, and bar innovation designed for operators, bartenders, and beverage decision-makers. Spirits, wine, beer, and non-alc. From trending cocktails to mocktails to scalable, profitable bar programs. Available through hosted demos, branded segments, product integration, and bartender-led storytelling.

A focused environment dedicated to emerging ideas, practical solutions, and forward-looking conversations shaping the future of food and hospitality. This is where operators explore what is next and how it can realistically work in their businesses. Available through product demos, solution showcases, strategic collaborations, and branded innovation sessions.

A premium, chef-led, small-group tasting experience designed to drive collaboration, menu adoption, and lasting brand relationships. Each session is limited to a small number of guests, creating an intimate, high-value environment where every conversation counts. Ideal for food, beverage, commodity, and equipment partners seeking direct menu influence and operator engagement.

A visually rich theatre environment designed for real conversation. Brand storytelling, facilitated discussions, and immersive visual experiences that help operators understand why products exist, not just how they are used. A rare, visually striking format that stands apart from anything you have seen at a traditional B2B trade show.

An invitation-only evening that brings together sponsors, speakers, chefs, and operators in a hospitality-driven setting. Day-one conversations turn into real relationships. Available through presenting sponsorship, hosted hospitality, beverage and food partnerships, and curated guest experiences.

A curated coffee and beverage ecosystem woven throughout the entire NEXT experience. Show floor lounges, roaming carts, curated stations, branded beverage breaks, and custom hospitality activations. Available as the Official NEXT Coffee Partner with category exclusivity and multi-zone presence, or through zone-specific opportunities.

Curated discussions featuring chefs, operators, and industry leaders focused on insight, lived experience, and practical takeaways. Available through session sponsorship, curated panel participation, and moderated brand-aligned discussions. Real stories, shared experiences, and practical insight. Not sales pitches.

Every partnership starts with a conversation. We align on your goals, your audience, and your priorities. From there, we build a customized program that matches your brand to the right environments, the right visibility, and the right level of integration across the NEXT ecosystem.

NEXT offers partnership tiers designed to fit brands at every level. From category leaders looking for full ecosystem access and exclusivity to emerging companies looking for focused visibility and floor activation. Every partnership includes platform access, brand listing, exhibitor profile, onsite partner support, lead capture, pre- and post-show communications, and event tickets.

Beyond the tier, partners can enhance their program with a la carte opportunities across Content and Media, Hospitality and Experiences, Visibility and Branding, Engagement and Lead Drivers, and Digital and Post-Show amplification. Custom and bespoke activations are also available.

Partnerships are designed around your objectives, your audience, and your growth strategy. Never pre-packaged templates. Every program is purpose-built.

Partners committing to multi-year agreements receive priority placement, pricing protection, and first-right access to premium activations.

Partnership inventory at NEXT is not unlimited. Premium placements, category exclusivity, stage integrations, and high-visibility activations are being locked in now. The brands that move first get the best positions, the strongest floor traffic, and the most operator exposure.

Alberta’s $28 billion food and beverage processing industry is backed at every level. The federal government just invested $1.5 million through the Regional Tariff Response Initiative to help Alberta food businesses adapt and compete. National chains are expanding into Calgary. Independent operators are pushing boundaries. The restaurant pipeline is stacked and the market is wide open.

Western Canada has never had a foodservice and hospitality expo that matches the scale of what is happening here. Until now. NEXT is built to connect brands with the operators who control purchasing, shape menus, and fuel industry growth across this region.

For food, tech, equipment, beverage, and service vendors, this is about access to a market that is growing when other markets are shrinking. For operators, it is about walking the floor and finding the products, the technology, and the partnerships that will make their next twelve months better than their last.

Three times the size. Purpose-built programming. A world-class venue. And a market that is not waiting for anyone.

See you on the floor.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Contact Domenic Pedulla to start the conversation.

EXHIBIT AT NEXT  →  nextfoodexpo.com

Standard Booth: $3,200  |  Bulk (4+): $3,000/booth  |  Complimentary Electrical and Wi-Fi