Grocers to Headline NFRA’s 20th Annual Exec Conference
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association’s (NFRA) 20th annual Executive Conference, slated for April 16-18 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center in Tempe, Ariz., will feature keynote presentations by Harris Teeter EVP Rod Antolock and Meijer COO J.K. Symancyk. The conference provides the most recent information on industry and consumer trends, along with an array of prominent speakers.
The event kicks off with the Greater Penguin Open Golf Tournament and the NFRA Fishing Tournament, with a welcome reception to be held later that evening, and closes with a final informational session reflecting on topics addressed throughout the conference. With attendance limited to 150 delegates, the conference offers a prime opportunity to network and connect with trading partners.
Antolock’s keynote address will open the Tuesday morning sessions, followed by a presentation by Brian Todd, president of The Food Institute in Upper Saddle Rover, N.J. Todd will discuss the current economic profile of the food industry and where it’s headed. Ken Harris, CEO of New York-based Kantar Retail, will discuss macro trends affecting shopper behavior and the importance of appealing to those valuable shoppers. Steve Horowitz, CTO of Mountain View, Calif.-based Coupons.com Inc., will talk about the changing digital landscape and how consumers are embracing it. Todd Hale, SVP of Consumer & Shopper Insights at Schaumburg, Ill.-based Nielsen, will conclude the morning sessions with findings from the NFRA/Nielsen State of the Industry Report on Frozen and Refrigerated Foods, with a focus on the current U.S. economic recovery, sales trends in the industry, the need to evolve due to population growth, and predictions for the future of retailing.
Tuesday’s afternoon sessions start with a keynote speech by Symancyk, followed by a presentation on the best practices in social media from manufacturer and retailer perspectives, employing real-world examples and a Q&A session to give attendees better insight into the social media networking world. A conference reception and dinner will take place later in the evening.
The conference wraps up early on the 18th, when Harris returns to analyze the significant large-scale trends in the industry and summarize the key takeaways from the previous day’s sessions.
Harrisburg, Pa.-based NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, the June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, and the October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. The organization also holds the annual National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in October.