Retailers: Be there (at Fresh Summit) or be square

Right about now, we were all supposed to be in Dallas, which was set to host for the first time the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit conference and expo.

It takes the better part of a year to plan for the largest produce and floral industry event in the western hemisphere, but due to the pandemic, as with other industry events this year, the plan has changed, from in-person to virtual.

Some say a virtual event is easier to execute; to that I will say, “You have never done a virtual event, have you?”

What we have learned this summer while planning the virtual Fresh Summit is that creating opportunities to connect buyers with sellers in a virtual environment is a much more daunting task logistically than delivering similar opportunities throughout an in-person event for 20,000 people.

The focus element is one example; for a buyer, traveling to a destination to attend an event means you are invested, you are there physically to do a job. Your main priority for those few days is to connect with suppliers, find new products and learn about the latest trends impacting our industry. All those activities provide value for the time investment.

The question on everyone’s mind is how to replicate an in-person event virtually, and the simple answer is that it is impossible. What PMA has done with Fresh Summit, however, is provide the industry at large an opportunity to reconnect and reenergize relationships that have been on hold for the past seven months.

The “doors” are open

Now that the virtual Fresh Summit platform is open and registered attendees have access, now is the time to get your plans together. The platform will help you build your checklist so you do not miss a moment of the experience.

The checklist for registered buyer attendees – retailers, wholesaler grocers, distributors – should include:

• Log into the platform and set up your profile.
• Set up your schedule and availability for meetings and networking using the “My Event” tab.
• Begin visiting exhibits to find products and services of interest.
• Bookmark companies for quick access and follow-up.
• Invite others to connect through the “My Connections” tab.
• Schedule meetings using exhibitor marketplace pages and send messages to company representatives.

Registration is complimentary and open for retailers and wholesale grocers. 

Time to explore

As a buyer attendee, remember that – unlike an in-person event – you have no walking to do and far fewer interruptions on the “show floor,” which will maximize your time on the platform.

The majority of buyers indicate that 2-3 hours a day on the platform is a realistic expectation. A large portion of the scheduled events outside of the marketplace are available on demand, so you can bookmark sessions you want to come back to watch and do so at your convenience.

Now here’s the challenge – in the course of any given day, unexpected situations arise that a buyer has to address. To help combat this scenario and make sure they can still unlock the maximum value of Fresh Summit, many companies have registered as many as three times the amount of people who would normally attend the in-person event.

This allows companies to split up the time commitment for greater coverage of the platform, both of the exhibits and of the educational content that will be available during the three days of Fresh Summit. This is a great utilization of resources and brings others into the Fresh Summit experience for exposure to a broader perspective of what the industry has to offer.

Listen and learn

Speaking of educational content, you won’t want to miss the State of the Industry address Oct. 13 by PMA CEO Cathy Burns. There will also be sessions focused on consumer data and the implications for produce, on selling based on the health attributes of fruits and vegetables, on the mindset necessary to navigate unprecedented change, and more.

We’ll also have networking receptions designed for different communities within the industry, and we’ll present the 2020 Retail Merchant Innovation Awards. You can see the full schedule here.

After Fresh Summit

I believe you would be hard-pressed to find one person who does not share in the hope that 2021 will allow us to convene again at industry functions as we are so accustomed to doing. In-person events are where countless relationships have been established in our industry over generations.

Connecting our industry has possibly never been more important to both the supply side and buy side than it is now. The future is yet to be known on the longevity and value of virtual events – or hybrid events, for that matter. But what is known is that Fresh Summit over 70-plus years has a legacy of being the starting point for generating relationships and sharing innovations that become broad industry trends.

Fresh Summit 2020 will deliver an experience different than it would in person but still valuable by once again bringing our industry together to grow a healthier world.

Have a great Fresh Summit!