SEPC Southern Exposure at a glance
Catch up on everything you may need to know about Southeast Produce Council's 2021 Southern Exposure April 6-8.
SEPC 2021: ‘Making the best of a situation that’s getting better’
The Southeast Produce Council is essentially putting on two Southern Exposure shows at once April 6-8: one in person and one online. The latter, conducted on the SEPC Virtual Garden platform, is almost more familiar these days. The former is the show that has attendees charged and eager.
“We have realistic expectations about the show and know attendance will be down, but we’re excited for anything at this point,” said Dan Davis, director of business development at Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash. “Normally it’s the highlight of our year.”
Making the SEPC Southern Exposure conference as COVID-safe as possible
Produce industry show organizers had tough decisions the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was so uncertain what was necessary to maintain health and safety.
In a way, that uncertainty has returned to what might be the other end, as more and more people receive vaccinations and quarantine restrictions lift.
People need people, and that’s especially true in the produce industry. And yet, no show organizer wants to indirectly cause a spike in infections, severe cases or death.
Read more about the precautions.
Creativity guru, former Disney exec to keynote SEPC conference
Marketing will no longer exist in a decade, said Duncan Wardle in a TED Talk. It will be replaced by the experience economy.
“Why? Marketing implies ‘at.’ I will communicate ‘at’ you. I will create content. I will disrupt my consumer,” said Wardle, former head of innovation and creativity at Disney and founder of iD8 & innov8.
A tale of two SEPC conferences, worlds apart
Wow. Just wow.
Our world went bananas between Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure trade show and conference in late February 2020 in Tampa and this next one coming up, the hybrid version April 6-8 in Orlando.
So. Much. Major. Change.
Forceful questions for industry stars
Southeast Produce Council’s Episode XVIII trade show and conference is one of the first major produce conferences to recruit in-person attendees again since the COVID-19 pandemic Dark Side spread its evil across the galaxy — or around the world, at least.
So, it seems fitting that this 2021 show should be called Southern Exposure: The Rise of Produce.
With Star Wars movies coming out from 1977 to 2019, it’s a multigenerational theme, said council president and CEO David Sherrod.
Read what attendees have to say about:
1. What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?
2. Who's your favorite or most despised character?
More SEPC speakers to grab your attention
Besides a great location, seeing familiar and new faces and gaining new business, conference attendees want to be entertained and educated. We want to learn something new, in a fun way.
Organizers of the hybrid Southeast Produce Council Southern Roots conference have provided just that with their lineup of experts, in addition to keynote speaker Duncan Wardle, a former Disney executive and creativity guru.
Check out the full line up here.
