This year’s Washington Conference from the United Fresh Produce Association will be“live and in-person” Sept. 20-22 in Washington, D.C.
“After a year of virtual events, we’re thrilled to bring our industry back together in person for one of the most important events of the year – our opportunity to explain our challenges and voice our concerns with the nation’s top elected leaders,” United Fresh chairman Danny Dumas, president of Courchesne Larose USA, said in a news release.
“And, with our new alignment with the Produce Marketing Association coming in 2022, we welcome all PMA members to come experience this unique event at the United Fresh member rate.”
The 2021 event will be hosted at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
For more than 25 years, the annual Washington Conference has brought industry leaders to meet with members of Congress and cabinet officials throughout the administration, according to the release.
“From Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, every president’s administration has heard directly from produce leaders during this annual event,” Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United Fresh, said in the release.
The Washington Conference also includes a Produce Advocacy Bootcamp for those attendees new to communicating with Congress, workshops detailing the most critical public policy issues facing the industry, general sessions with top national leaders and networking opportunities, according to the release.
The 2021 conference will once again include face-to-face Congressional meetings as permitted in September, as well as a series of online meetings following the conference.
“We’re looking now at how we can get our members together with the most members of Congress, whether on Capitol Hill, at nearby facilities, or even in the hotel,” Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for United Fresh, said in the release. “We’re also looking forward to new opportunities to deliver the Washington, D.C., experience to first-timers and all of our attendees who have missed in-person gatherings this year.”
Registration is now open, with a member rate of $795, non-members at $995, and discounts available for multiple registrations, including member rate access for Produce Marketing Association members who are not members of United Fresh.
For more information and to register, visit www.unitedfresh.org. For questions about the event, contact Angela Tiwari, United Fresh director of grassroots and political action, at atiwari@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3416.
