The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has a robust virtual program for the April 12-16 Fresh Week. Keynote speakers during Fresh Week include:
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Super Bowl Champion, professional football player, graduate in medicine. Duvernay-Tardif, a player for the Kansas City Chiefs, also studied medicine at McGill University and in May 2018 graduated with his doctorate in medicine. Duvernay-Tardif played university football with McGill University (2010-13) after his college career with the Phénix at Collège André-Grasset (2008-09). Previously, he played three seasons with the Richelieu Pirates in Beloeil. In February 2020, he was an integral part of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winning team. In the spring of 2020, he lent a helping hand during the COVID-19 pandemic by working as an orderly at a long-term care facility in the Montreal area. In July 2020, Duvernay-Tardif announced that he was opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19, becoming the first player of the 2020 NFL season to announce his decision to opt-out.
David Coletto
CPMA is partnering with national research and insights firm Abacus Data to explore the potential impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior — from grocery shopping behavior, to where we want to work, to what we will feel comfortable doing once the pandemic is over. Throughout Fresh Week, CPMA will conduct a three-part poll, starting April 13. Abacus CEO David Coletto will present the findings and offer insights on their relevance to your business. Coletto earned a PhD in political science from the University of Calgary in 2010 and is an adjunct professor at Carleton University. He is the host and producer of inFocus with David Coletto, a new podcast that explores the intersection of public opinion, politics, public policy and consumer behavior.
Education Sessions
According to CPMA, each day during Fresh Week will feature concurrent sessions focused on four education streams: product focus by category, food safety, regulatory issues and other topics that affect produce operators. These 45-minute sessions will be presented in recorded format and many of the speakers will be participating live via chat to answer questions.
Fresh Week also will feature two Town Hall discussions
The future of foodservice, April 14, at 1 p.m. Eastern: The town hall will look at how foodservice adapted to changing realities, what changes are likely to continue as the world emerges from the pandemic and how will these changes impact the produce supply chain;
Increasing your sales online, April 15, at 1 p.m. Eastern: The panel will examine the opportunities for online growth, marketing in a virtual world and what online sales mean for the future of brick and mortar retail.
Fresh Week also will include CEO Spotlight Fireside Chats, which are live virtual sessions for April 14-16.
Receptions and social events during Fresh Week include:
April 13, 7 p.m. Eastern: Women in Produce Happy Hour;
April 14, 3 p.m. Eastern: Young Professionals Reception;
April 14, 7 p.m. Eastern: Fresh Fun! Online Games Night; and
April 15, 7 p.m. Eastern: Choir! Choir! Choir! Social Hour.
