Foodie Con: $7 Plates
Thousands attended Foodie Con in Hawaii under the ‘$7 Plates’ theme, a festival designed to showcase affordable local and international dishes and drive high‑volume sampling among visitors (hawaiinewsnow.com). The event is a useful barometer for price‑sensitive culinary tourism and experiential food programming. (hawaiinewsnow.com).
Organizers listed more than 200 booths at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, with roughly 100 of those booths devoted specifically to food vendors. (pacificexpos.com) The expo ran across two days — March 28 and March 29 — with public hours Saturday 10 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and move‑in beginning Friday, March 27. (pacificexpos.com) The producer required every open food vendor to offer at least one $7 mini‑plate to encourage sampling across booths. (eventbrite.com) Organizers projected about 10,000 visitors over the weekend and set day‑of admission at about $6.50 for general entry, with reduced rates for military and seniors and free entry for children 12 and under with an adult. (pacificexpos.com) Saturday programming included a 3 p.m. Hawaiian Hot T’s hot‑sauce face‑off and a published floorplan naming vendors such as Twisted Sweets on the show map. (hoodline.com) The event page listed sponsor opportunities, exhibitor rules and logistics including requirements for a Special Events Permit, certificate of insurance, and 10'x10' booth pricing (inline booths around $490, corner booths around $593). (pacificexpos.com)
