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Ms Sayer says retail “boomed” because “we were all at home” and foodservice “absolutely died”. “Anyone in our industry who predominantly focuses on retail has done very well during Covid,” she said. “Those that have massive exposure to foodservice have been really challenged, and those that export have had their ups and downs. Every business is different because they have a different business model, a different distribution model.” Through its ‘Eat Local’ database, Food SA encouraged its members to sell online direct to consumer. “We created a mini portal within our Eat Local website and our Food SA website,” Ms Sayer said. “It wasn’t overly pretty, but it was very functional, and you could see spikes of online sales just going through the roof.” And despite the unusual circumstances of 2020, Food SA went ahead with its Food Summit last June. The organisation, obviously, had to adapt the summit’s format, presenting it as a virtual conference. “This was something we’d never done before, but it went really well,” Ms Sayer said. Food SA was also very fortunate with its Food Awards program, she adds. “We started off saying everything would be virtual in terms of the judging process,” Ms Sayer said. “Things in SA got a whole lot better, though, compared with other places in Australia and the world. So we were able to quickly adapt to doing – instead of virtual site visits for the judging – actual on-site visits, which was great. “We did that, and then we held our dinner, and the week after that we went into lockdown. So, our timing was impeccable.” The need for state-based associations In terms of the SA industry being well connected, Ms Sayer pinpoints the importance of a state-based group. “Without being at all arrogant, without an organisation like us to originally bring people together, no one would know each other,” she said. “There are lots of people around this room that would have known each other for 20 or 30 years, and I don’t see that in other states. “To have a state-based association with a commercial focus is different to what happens in other states.” When asked whether other states should follow suit, Ms Sayer says this would be “amazing”. “I think government departments absolutely have a role to play, but to be an association that’s not government gives you a lot more flexibility to be nimble, connect, make decisions and do things,” she said. “I just think it would be fantastic if there was a state-based association in every state. And then those groups \\\[would\\\] come together to become the Australian group.” The year ahead With 2020 behind us, many have accepted the new normal we now live and operate in, approaching this year with optimism and an agile plan and mindset. This is much the case for Food SA. “I think where we sit now,” Ms Sayer said, “particularly in South Australia, we’re able to have an event like \\\[the Food-Beverage-Tech Trade Show\\\]. “We’re able to engage and do face- to-face activities, and we just have to be really able to manage remote communication, which is why we’re focusing on quite a lot of digital elements for the show. \\\[The trade show is\\\] not just the two days; it has longevity and had we not had Covid, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. So, as terrible as it’s been, and it really has been bad, there are some pretty positive \\\[lessons\\\] that we’ve got out of it as well, in terms of communicating.” Taking its insights from 2020, Food SA is presenting this year’s Food Summit in a “hybrid” manner. “People love networking,” Ms Sayer said. “So, we really want people to come along, but we also want to give those people in regional areas, who can’t get to Adelaide, or even those who are interstate or overseas, the opportunity \\\[to attend virtually\\\]. The program is shaping up to be fantastic.” Food SA is now gearing up for the Fine Food Sydney event in September. “The feedback from this trade show has been overwhelmingly positive about being able to meet and talk to customers face to face,” Ms Sayer said. “We’ve all missed this over the last year, and there’s no doubt that the face- to-face element adds something very important to the trade show experience for both customers and exhibitors. “I think the combination of attending shows in person, plus ensuring brand exposure through virtual platforms, is the way forward for food and beverage businesses that want to be smart about their sales growth strategies.” This year, Food SA is also working on what Ms Sayer describes as “quite a big digital project”. She says the organisation wants to ensure its members and the wider industry have “really good quality” digital assets. “I think that’s a real gap in our industry,” she said. “We haven’t actually had that quality. The important thing is to skill up our industry so they’ve got good digital assets, so that when they’re playing on these platforms – whichever ones that they choose to participate in – they’ve actually got the assets to cut through and actually get their message across. You’ve got to have that before you can really embrace all the online platforms.” “I think the combination of attending shows in person, plus ensuring brand exposure through virtual platforms, is the way forward for food and beverage businesses that want to be smart about their sales growth strategies.” EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW APR, 2021 RETAIL WORLD 23