2017 Fresh Summit flashback — New vision cast at New Orleans Fresh Summit
NEW ORLEANS — With more than 1,000 exhibitors and a final attendee count of more than 19,500, the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit delivered global produce industry connections and fitbit scores on a big scale Oct 19-21.
In fact, the show floor was so big that some exhibitors said it took until the second day for some of their best contacts to make it to the far end of the show floor.
Exhibitors were pleased with the Friday-Saturday expo schedule, with some saying it created stronger traffic than having expo hours on a Sunday.
The 2018 Fresh Summit is scheduled for Oct. 18-20 in Orlando, Fla., which is again a Thursday-Saturday schedule, with the expo slated for Friday and Saturday.
Kurvin Soobrayen, marketing coordinator for Leamington, Ontario-based Amco Produce (booth No. 5219), said traffic actually improved the second day. The trade show layout started with booth No. 130 and ended with booth No. 6448.
“It’s been a lot better today, (traffic) is really picking up,” Soobrayen said the afternoon of Oct. 21.
Another exhibitor said Fresh Summit delivered a strong buyer audience. “All in all it’s been a very good show,” said Steven Dandrea, vice president of sales and marketing for Dandrea Produce, Vineland, N.J. “We are happy to be here.”
Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Association, said in a e-mail statement that Fresh Summit brought together the fresh produce and the floral industry like nothing else can.“When I see people making business deals, I realize again and again how important this PMA community is to individuals, their businesses and our industry,” Burns said.
New strategic vision
Jin Ju Wilder, PMA’s chairwoman and director of marketing for LA & SF Specialty, Los Angeles, outlined a new vision for PMA and the Center for Growing Talent by PMA in an address to the Oct. 21 morning general session.
The vision, she said, is “bring together the global produce and floral communities to grow a healthier world.”
In her address, Wilder said PMA’s mission remains the same, to connect, inform and deliver industry solutions to help members prosper. In addition, she said the Center for Growing Talent by PMA will continue to provide industry specific solutions to attract, develop and retain talent.
She said that the new vision will be expressed in several key areas in coming months:
- Demand creation;
- Technology;
- Sustainability;
- Talent;
- Global connections; and
- Science and safety.
Wilder said PMA will work within its membership and also with industry friends working for common goals. “PMA is a facilitator and convener for community in the broadest sense,” Wilder said.
Wilder said in an e-mail after the show that she was excited to present the PMA vision at Fresh Summit, which she said was the result of much work by many volunteer leaders. “They really put on their industry hats as they assessed the needs of members, deliberated about how our work can benefit everyone, and offered their insights about what lies ahead and how that will affect our members and our industry,” Wilder said. “This new vision calls on us to create more connections to the people, ideas, and insights that help our members and our industry grow.”
