Attendees at the East Coast Produce Expo will come together from across the country and world for two days in Adventura, Fla., to celebrate produce. To be held Jan. 12-13 at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, this is the first major fresh produce trade event of the year.
Heather Sterrett, director of events and expos for Farm Journal, joins “The Packer Podcast” for a special episode to preview the event.
“It’s a nice way to kick off the year and just start,” Sterrett says. “Who doesn’t love going to Florida for a couple of days in January when you’re someplace cold? It’s a good way to start off the year and a nice warm destination.”
Networking and Activities Lineup
The event kicks off with a pickleball tournament, golf tournament, a poolside event and a tour of Little Havana in Miami.
“It will be super exciting go down into Miami and little Havana and get a tour of some really cool restaurants and places and get some food samples,” she says. “We also added pickleball, so if you’re not a golfer but do want to do some type of activity physical activity, you can do the pickleball tournament.”
Chair massages and networking will be key highlights of the Produce Pool Day.
The Olympic-Themed Opening Reception and Keynote
And the official opening ceremonies of East Coast Produce Expo kicks off with the Opening Reception. Known for its fun themes, this is not to be missed. Sterrett encourages attendees to come dressed in attire fit for an opening ceremony. There will be pineapple bowling, curling and, of course, other special surprises.
“We’re going to do a USA Olympics theme and that ties into our keynote speaker, who will be speaking on Tuesday morning: Dominique Dawes, who is a former Olympic gymnast. She’ll be speaking Tuesday, so wear your red, white and blue and come all decked out in USA Olympic attire on Monday.”
Dawes will close out the education sessions and presentation with her talk “Success is a journey, not a destination.”
“She will do photos afterwards too, so if you want to get your photo with an Olympic gymnast, you’ll have that opportunity,” Sterrett says.
Want to register? Visit EastCoastProduceExpo.com to learn more.
