Year in Produce No. 6 — Disruption in industry events, associations
At first, COVID-19 canceled or rescheduled meetings, trade shows and conferences.
Then, the live, online and recorded events began.
Some organizations even offered hybrid events, a schedule mixing online sessions with in-person, outdoor activities.
Oct. 19
Cathy Burns: Create extraordinary produce future
By Tom Karst
Instead of pining for the “good old days” before the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathy Burns invited the industry to a “new extraordinary” in her State of the Industry address at the Produce Mar-keting Association Fresh Summit.
Through the first two days of the show, PMA said there were more than 61,000 visits to the Marketplace pages, home to the virtual booths.
About 800 video meetings occurred and 40,000 messages were exchanged. Buyers initiated more than 60% of the meeting requests sent, according to PMA.
Sept. 21
Sustainable Produce Summit makes its debut
By Ashley Nickle
Produce industry members will convene virtually Sept. 22-24 for the first Sustainable Produce Summit, presented by The Packer and Farm Journal initiative Trust in Food, in partnership with Apeel Sciences.
The event features perspectives from industry leaders on sustainability best practices and what comes next.
July 13
United Fresh goes LIVE 365! for Washington Conference
By Tom Karst
The success of United Fresh 2020 LIVE! laid the groundwork for the United Fresh Produce Asso-ciation to use the virtual platform for other events, including the association’s annual Washing-ton Conference in September.
Now known as United Fresh LIVE! 365, the platform will be a year-round online marketplace and educational resource, according to United Fresh.
July 6
PMA’s Fresh Summit will be virtual
By Tom Karst
The Produce Marketing Association’s 2020 Fresh Summit Convention and Expo will be offered online.
The COVID-19 crisis still inhibiting U.S. travel and cases in Texas (where the event was sched-uled) are rising, according to a June 30 announcement.
Instead of an Oct. 15-17 onsite convention in Dallas, Fresh Summit will be online from Oct. 13-15, according to the release.
June 22
Exhibitors share United Fresh LIVE! experiences
By Ashley Nickle
Fresh produce companies exhibiting at the United Fresh LIVE! virtual trade show praised the organization for adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a positive experience despite having to hold the event online.
Mayda Sotomayor, CEO of Vero Beach, Fla.-based Seald Sweet and a board member of the United Fresh Produce Association, said the virtual show was a hard sell initially but that United Fresh broke new ground by finding ways to emulate key aspects of traditional trade shows, along with adding new tools.
“When Tom (Stenzel) and the team told us about this, we were just shaking our heads, saying ... ‘No, there’s no way, we can’t imagine,’ and now it’s a for-real thing, and I think we’ve made history,” Sotomayor said.
May 11
PMA delivers with digital foodservice conference
By Chris Koger
The Produce Marketing Association is cancelling its annual foodservice show in its traditional format, moving to PMA Foodservice: Delivered, a digital event July 20-24.
The “innovative and immersive digital experience” is designed to connect the people and ideas to help the foodservice industry on the road to revitalization, according to a PMA notice to ex-hibitors and attendees who registered for the event in Monterey, Calif.
April, 6
United Fresh cancels in-person show, goes LIVE! with online event
By Tom Karst
The United Fresh Produce Association has swapped its traditional trade show planned for San Diego in June for an online event.
The virtual event will be free and allow exhibitors to connect with customers, suppliers and members of the industry the week of June 15, United Fresh leaders said.
March 16
Coronavirus forces industry to change events
The Packer Staff
The new coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to alter plans for produce industry organizations, with the Produce Marketing Association, Texas International Produce Association and others postponing events.
The PMA’s Fresh Connections Retail and Women’s Fresh Perspectives events, originally set for March 25-26 in Philadelphia, and April 26-28 in San Antonio, respectively, have been postponed.
The Texas International Produce Association’s Viva Fresh Expo, set for April 29 to May 2 in San Antonio, has also been cancelled. PMA and TIPA had not rescheduled the events as of March 12.
