Case Study: Around Noon sparks new leads at WTCE
This article is published in partnership with WTCE. PAX International is a media partner for WTCE 2025.
Around Noon products on display
Around Noon, one of the U.K. and Ireland’s leading food-to-go manufacturers, has revealed that the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) has helped it generate a host of new business leads in the onboard services sector.
The business, which started around the kitchen table almost 35 years ago in Northern Ireland, is a dynamic and fast-growing leader in the sector, proudly employing over 800 people. With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Newry, Slough and North London, it crafts top-quality sandwiches, salads, wraps and snack pots for esteemed retailers, airlines, coffee chains and contract caterers.
However, following COVID, Around Noon realized the importance of being in multiple industries and identified the travel sector as a vital area for expansion. The company’s solution for the travel industry involves offering bespoke packaging and products tailored to the unique demands of airline catering, such as maintaining flavour integrity at high altitudes. Its food-to-go products, thoughtfully developed to consider ingredient compatibility and the unique conditions of air travel, ensure that delicacies like finger sandwiches and pastries remain delicious and intact during flights.
Around Noon’s proactive approach extends to adapting swiftly to urgent changes, such as flight cancellations, by maintaining a dynamic supply chain. As a known supplier, the organization ensures secure packaging, addressing security concerns while providing bespoke solutions.
Preparation for WTCE involved strategic planning in order to showcase this adaptability. On site, the team engaged with existing and potential clients including full-service caterers and airlines, displaying the company’s range and capabilities. Throughout the event, the team successfully generated new leads and engaged with potential customers, capitalizing on the opportunity to connect with industry contacts and build relationships. Tools like WTCE Connect and the Lead Manager App facilitated meaningful connections, allowing the team to efficiently track conversations and leads.
Understanding that airlines plan their menu cycles well in advance, the company used this foresight to establish contacts for future collaborations. Overall, it helped Around Noon to bolster its market presence within the travel industry with the sector now accounting for around 20 percent of its business. It also enabled the company and key team members to build and solidify relationships, generating a host of new leads and potential new customers.
Shelly Levy, Senior Account Manager, Around Noon
"We have been delighted with the results following our participation in WTCE. Although it is located in Europe, it is very much a global event and all the airlines are there so the opportunities to meet senior decision-makers are huge. Our key objectives were to build relationships and increase brand awareness, and we certainly achieved them. Not only did we manage to spend quality time with existing clients, but we also met lots of new ones, securing follow-up presentations post-event too," explains Shelly Levy, Senior Account Manager, Around Noon.
“For us, the key to success was in the preparation. We made a conscious effort to stand out from the crowd, ensuring our booth was bright and inviting, providing enough space for visitors," Levy continues. "We also decided to be strategic with our advertising to avoid attracting people for the wrong reasons, such as freebies; our focus was on engaging the right audience. We took advantage of the digital screen placement opportunities throughout the event, meaning people were seeing our name as soon as they walked through the door."
Levy adds, “Finally, we made a concerted effort to use the WTCE Connect meeting scheduler and lead-scanning tools and both were invaluable to us. The scanner was easy to use enabling us to manage our leads effectively and take notes on discussions with each contact. We knew that every single one we had scanned was a potential new lead and client.”
Following the success of the 2024 event, the team has made some conscious changes for WTCE 2025 including opting for a bigger stand to showcase its broader product portfolio and investing in further sponsorship opportunities to ensure all new potential business leads are maximized.
WTCE 2025 will take place from April 8 to 10 at the Hamburg Messe, Hamburg, Germany. For more information or to register interest for the event, visit: https://www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/en-gb.html
