Opinion

Joe’s experiences and takeaways from the IFPA Global Show

Before we get into the Thanksgiving rush, let’s reflect on all that was at the first-ever International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show, held in sunny Orlando, Fla., Oct. 27-29. After two years of no October show (PMA Fresh Summit) and three years since we last convened in Anaheim, Calif., all the indicators said that this would be one show to remember. And it truly was.

Arriving in Orlando

The week began with committee and council meetings involving hundreds of industry volunteers and their IFPA liaisons. The in-person meetings were an opportunity to update the volunteers on much of the work that is ongoing here at IFPA and what projects and initiatives are being planned for 2023 for each segment of the supply chain. The opportunity to meet with volunteers who give their time and expertise to support and guide the work of each committee and council is an invaluable to IFPA. It is just one of the ways that members can give back to the industry, by wearing their industry hats to assist in bringing solutions based on each business segment’s needs.

The first day also brought retail tours to Orlando, including more than 90 industry participants and a delegation from Brazil who toured several retail members in the Orlando area. Special thanks to Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods, and Freshfields Farm for hosting our tour this year. The contributions and hospitality were greatly appreciated and set the stage for the rest of the week.

Education and networking

Thursday was a fast-paced, robust day beginning with the State of the Industry address by IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. Cathy updated more than 1,300 people at the general session on our “moonshot” and the ongoing work of IFPA and our members to put fresh produce and floral at the center of the plate and table with consumers. Included in the session was the amazing work of the IFPA government relations and advocacy teams, focused on creating awareness with elected politicians and government agencies on the need for more support of the fresh produce and floral industry. The work is ongoing and well on its way to bringing more attention to the critical needs of our industry.

The education festival was a series of 30-minute sessions in which industry experts delivered valuable content impacting our industry, such as trends in sustainability, retail, floral, supply chain, government relations and advocacy, and food safety and technology.

The day ended with two receptions, beginning with the VIP Retail Reception where more than 350 attendees joined us for an hour of connecting with retailers, Global Show sponsors and volunteer committee members. There were a lot of happy faces, handshaking and the occasional hug. It was an hour well spent!

Capping off the day was the Opening Welcome Reception. I don’t know the final count, but the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel was packed corner to corner. The food stations and bars stayed busy throughout the two-hour reception, and I cannot count how many longtime friends and acquaintances I saw and had a chance to catch up with. It was an amazing evening.

Day 1 of the expo

Friday kicked off with a general session from chef-entrepreneur José Andrés. What an inspiring session it was, really setting the tone for the two days to follow. His message was clear: “How do we change the world through the power of food?” José had audience members on the edge of their seats with his direct, engaging and powerful style of delivery. His message is what we all should be asking ourselves.

Immediately after the chef’s talk, a wave of people made their way to the expo. The doors opened at 10 a.m., and right away the floor was packed — corner to corner and aisle to aisle. As I walked the show floor, connecting with exhibitors and buyers alike, there was one prevailing theme: It was so great to be back together again.

But that alone does not make for a successful event.

I spoke to exhibitors who told me they were so busy that at times they could not visit with all the buyers who came to their booths. And likewise, buyers said the activity at the booths was so busy, sometimes they had to leave and come back. As we would say in retail, that’s a good problem to have.

It is not a stretch to say that I cannot remember a time when at the end of the day of the expo, attendees had to be shuttled off the expo floor. That is exactly what happened on Day 1. It was a great feeling that so many people were getting strong value from the event, and I do believe there was a lot of catching up, as well as business being done.

I had the express pleasure to stop by The Packer and PMG booth to watch my friend, Chris Miller from MOM’s Organic Market, receive PMG’s 2022 Produce Retailer of the Year award. He was clearly over the moon, and rightly so. Chris was well deserving of the recognition for all that he does as an industry leader for his business. Congratulations to Chris!

As we closed out the day, there were several community receptions for floral, talent and food safety technology. These receptions were meant to gather leaders in these business segments to let their hair down, grab a drink and connect with their peers. There was also the Retail Merchant Innovation Award Reception, where five retail leaders were presented with the 2022 award, based on the company’s store count. We are so excited for each of them.

Day 2 of the expo

Saturday began with the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Breakfast. As I made my way to the Valencia Ballroom to check on the session before it began, everyone was wearing flowers in their hair, both women and men. It seemed like a bonding session with happy smiles all around. The audience heard from Academy Award-winning actress and activist Marlee Matlin to set them off on a great day.

As I approached the show floor moments before the doors opened, there was still a lot of excitement and anticipation from the exhibitors hoping to connect with the buyers they may not have seen the prior day. This was my opportunity to ask the question of the exhibitors: Who have you not seen that you would like to see? If I was able to help make those connections, I did so.

As the day wound down, 11 exhibitors won Best in Show and other “Best in” awards for their booths, product presentation and innovation. I had the privilege of presenting one such award. To see the surprise and excitement on their faces was worth the trip. Exhibitors put so much effort into making the best presentations possible each year, and this is one way of validating their effort. Well done by all the winning exhibitors.

What we learned

In 2022, we came back together after a long break (too long). There was a need, a strong desire — and, of course, a business reason — for being together again, and, I might add, a psychological reason as well. Reconnecting was top of mind for many. But, also top of mind was identifying business opportunities and forging new relationships. We spent most of the past two years in a virtual world, and I heard more than a few times that it is time to move past virtual.

Time will tell, but the sentiment I heard loud and clear is that it is time to get back to normal — the former normal.

As the tens of thousands of attendees return to work to recap their learnings from the Global Show, we are hopeful that what each person took home was that:

Our industry is sound.
We are together.
We are better together.
We are in it together.

If you missed out this year, we hope those who didn’t attend will reconsider in 2023, when we return to Anaheim, Calif., at the end of October 2023. We (our industry) needs you there!

As 2023 fast approaches, all around the industry, business plans are already in the works. We, too, at IFPA are doing the same, planning to bring you the best value possible, all year long.

This column is part of a series by Joe Watson, who spent 30-plus years as the director of produce for Rouses Markets and was named Produce Retailer of the Year and honored as one of The Packer 25, both in 2014. Joe now serves as a vice president of retail, foodservice and wholesale for International Fresh Produce Association.