Getting inspired for Christmas is what the Allerhande Christmas Festival is all about. The December issue of Allerhande, Albert Heijn’s magazine, is filled with recipes, tips, and menu ideas. All festive products for the December season available in stores are featured in this magazine. To give customers the opportunity to see and especially taste these products, the Allerhande Christmas Festival was launched in 2015.

The festival took place for the third time at the Railway Museum in Utrecht, a highly atmospheric location. Over the course of three days, 36,000 people visited the event.

What makes this festival so special is that the suppliers themselves are present at the stands, allowing visitors to ask very specific questions—such as how to prepare certain dishes—and receive answers directly from the source.

LUSH Events contributed to the organization of this fantastic festival three years in a row.

Vegetables and Fruit
Pauline was responsible for the coordination and production of the Vegetable and Fruit stands before and during the Christmas Festival. These were two of the most important areas of the event. The client’s requirements, set by Albert Heijn, were: fresh, tasting, highly visible, and informative about vegetables and fruit.

The Fruit stand was a 15-meter-long and 4-meter-high wall showcasing the beautiful colors of various fruits. In front of this impressive display was an 11-meter counter where fresh dishes were prepared and served for immediate tasting.

The Vegetable stand was the eye-catcher of the festival, featuring a wide variety of vegetables, its own herb garden, and a dedicated kitchen where Christmas dishes could be sampled.

The grower tells the story
To fill the empty crates in both stands, two full truckloads of vegetables and fruit were required. In order to keep everything as fresh as possible, products such as cauliflower, apples, tomatoes, and others were only processed into the stands one day in advance.

The vegetable stand included a large demonstration kitchen where chefs gave presentations on preparing various vegetable dishes. In total, around 20 people were continuously working at both stands to prepare and serve tasting portions to the public, which were very popular.

Growers and farmers were also present to tell visitors more about their products, including Tasty Tom tomatoes, herbs, and mushrooms.

Of course, none of the vegetables and fruit from the stands were wasted after the event. Everything was donated to the food bank, so many families were able to enjoy them afterwards.