Growing the Future
The future is now in the dairy, deli and bakery departments — and it’s young and demanding.
As research from the 2016 “What’s in Store” report from the Madison, Wis.-based International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) shows, the Millennial generation of consumers is keenly interested in where their food comes from, seeking out both recipes and grab-and-go solutions, and is significantly more likely to shop the prepared food department than Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.
To provide what this pivotal group of consumers wants — and simultaneously deliver on the evolving needs of all demographics — the industries will gather to share ideas, innovations and insights at the world’s largest show of its kind, the 52nd annual Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo, taking place June 5–7 in Houston.
“This year’s Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo theme is ‘Growing the Future’ because that’s what we’re trying to help the dairy-delibake community do,” says IDDBA President and CEO Michael J. Eardley.
The depth and breadth of offerings will reflect the different interests and needs of those in the dairy, deli and bakery industries, spanning supermarket buyers, merchandisers, directors and executives, brokers, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Attendees will gain insight from a diverse lineup of featured speakers, ranging from comedian Jerry Seinfeld to chef and raconteur Anthony Bourdain to Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, in addition to focused topics from several seminar presenters.
Dairy-Deli-Bake guests can get a start on the future by walking through the Show & Sell Center, which features the latest products and merchandising concepts designed to spur shopper sales and loyalty. At this year’s expanded IDDBA Expo, participants can view a plethora of foods, services and concepts at more than 1,900 booths.
In between presentations, workshops and booth visits, attendees can take advantage of networking opportunities at the event, both on the expo floor and beyond it, via the myIDDBA app, which connects professionals before, during and after the show.
Exploring and planning for the future comes at a time of definite dynamism within the industry. According to the “What’s in Store” report, total deli dollar sales grew 27 percent from 2010 to 2014, while the in-store bakery market is expected to skyrocket 45 percent from 2010 to 2020.
In keeping with that dynamic, Eardley expresses optimism about 2016 Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo. “Our show floor is sold out, and we’re on track for an attendance record,” he declares. “With the new products that our exhibitors will bring, the new merchandising that our Show & Sell team will create and the new ideas our seminar speakers will deliver, 2016 has all the makings of the best IDDBA show ever.”
Dear Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo Attendees and Exhibitors
Welcome to the show!
The George R. Brown Convention Center is an amazing venue. And since Texas is my adopted home state, I’m excited to see so many important people in Dairy-Deli-Bakery here in Houston. It’s a great city with great facilities. We’ve added a few things this year, so be sure to pick up your badge early and join us on Saturday for the IDDBA Welcome Party. Enjoy some food and drink while you meet with your colleagues to kick of this year’s show.
I believe promoting the growth and development of our products in the food industry is about education, and it is about building relationships. There is no better place to do both than Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo. We’re driving some important educational initiatives that show attendees can expect to see throughout this three-day event:
- ➤ Our Safe Food Matters! program on allergens.
- ➤ Exploring ways technology can help make omnichannel shopping easier for suppliers, retailers and shoppers.
- ➤ Leveraging the key connections between products throughout the store to increase sales in dairy, deli, bakery, cheese and foodservice.
- ➤ Developing initiatives to show career opportunities in our areas to a new generation of food lovers.
- ➤ Taking our show and using its strength to build a synergistic community of dairy, deli and bakery professionals committed to the future growth of the industry.
Expect to see these themes on the seminar stage, in the Show & Sell Workshop, and on the show floor. And don’t miss the New Product Showcase — the easiest way to see hundreds of new items in one place. We’ve worked to ensure all attendees have something directly applicable to their jobs to take away.
Be sure to use the myIDDBA app to access all show information, communicate with other attendees and even vote for your favorite cake decorator in the Cake Decorating Challenge. Giving you, the attendees, a voice will bring another level of excitement, interactivity and fun to the show.
One of the best things about IDDBA is the relationships it fosters between people. Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo is about buying and selling, but it’s also about teaching and telling. It’s about building a community focused on learning, sharing and growing.
Have a great show!
Michael J. Eardley
President and CEO, IDDBA
IDDBA’s Dairy-Deli-Bake 2016 Speakers
If the keynote presentations at the annual Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo are the meat in the sandwich of the event, 2016 is lined up to be another triple-decker with some real bite. This year’s presenters bring unique insights to attendees, given their expertise in a host of issues and topics that tie in one way or another back to the food industry. Leadership, creativity, hard work and a vision for growing the future are common attributes among the featured seminar speakers.
“The seminar portion of the event is about growth, both personally and professionally,” explains IDDBA President and CEO Michael J. Eardley. “We understand that our audience is not what it was a few years ago, and we’ve worked to develop a speaker lineup that will appeal to a broad cross-section of our evolving attendee base.”
This year’s speakers include:
Jerry Seinfeld
“So the Other Day I Went to the Grocery Store and … Yadda Yadda Yadda”
Some funny business is coming to this year’s Dairy-Deli-Bake in the form of comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The standup comedian and star of TV’s long-running “Seinfeld” show will share his own observations as a supermarket shopper and consumer. In between some from-the-gut laughter, attendees will learn from someone else’s gut feelings about buying from today’s dairy, deli, bakery and prepared food departments.
Lidia Bastianich
“Lidia Bastianich & Eataly: An Experience of Italian Food and Culture”
Chef and cookbook author Bastianich, who has become synonymous with Italian cooking both at home and away from home through the Eataly concept combining in-house restaurants and markets, will explore and explain ever-popular Italian cuisine. Workshop participants will get her take on how that, too, is evolving with the times, guided by consumers’ palates.
Phil Lempert
“Focus on Allergens: A Matter of Trust”
Phil Lempert, also known as The Supermarket Guru, will discuss the crucial issue of consumer trust in supermarket deli, bakery and prepared food departments, particularly and specifically when it comes to concerns about food allergies. In this session, he will provide insight into consumers’ views on whether their stores’ allergy-free claims inspire confidence. A prolific author and speaker with 25 years of analyzing industry trends and consumer behaviors, Lempert is a trusted source for customers and supermarket leaders alike.
Sherry Frey
“Merchandising, Marketing and Innovating for Entertaining Occasions”
As SVP at Nielsen, Sherry Frey specializes in understanding products and their relationships with consumers. In this session, she shares ideas based on years of gleaning shopper intelligence on what types of products appeal to shoppers buying for special occasions, whether for a Fourth of July backyard bash, holiday celebration or small dinner party with friends. She will provide tips on how to merchandise and market for occasions throughout the year.
Lori Greiner
“Imagination and Innovation: Cultivating the Ability to Create”
Lori Greiner, an innovator, author and star of the popular show “Shark Tank,” knows a good idea when she sees one. Her ability to recognize the power and potential of a new product or concept stems from her own background as an inventor — over the years, she has created more than 400 products and holds 120 U.S. and international patents. In this session, Greiner will share her belief in honing instincts to determine what customers want and how to give it to them.
Harold Lloyd
“Ready? Set. Goals!”
After meeting retail managers who can’t seem to get enough things done on time, author, educator and presenter Harold Lloyd developed a system to help teach them how. Lloyd’s defined set of goals, dubbed S.M.A.R.R.T.E.S.T., is designed to help managers provide tangible takeaways to improve performance and enhance productivity. The prolific writer and speaker — he has created 30 top-rated seminars and penned two Amazon.com “5 Star”-rated books — has been a popular draw for Dairy-Deli-Bake attendees for more than 20 years.
Michael J. Eardley
“Growing the Future: What’s in Store”
IDDBA President and CEO Michael Eardley, whose supermarket industry career began in third grade at his family’s grocery store, is adamant about the importance of staying current and raising expectations to the highest level. Through personal observation and discussion with other leaders, Eardley has identified six key influencers that make a difference in the industry. In this session, he’ll discuss the influencers of food safety, technology, people and community.
Anthony Bourdain
“Bourdain: In His Own Words and on His Own Terms”
Host of the popular program “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” the chef and author will share some of the candid, witty and insightful stories that propelled him to fame in his books, TV shows and writings, and talk about how to connect with today’s consumers and their almost insatiable taste for new eating experiences.
Eat, Browse and Learn at the Show & Sell Center
What if almost all industry innovations could be under one roof, with those on hand who can speak to new products, merchandising ideas, live demonstrations, takeaway tools and research? For the most part, they will be at the 10,000-square-foot Show & Sell Center at 2016 Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo.
The Show & Sell Center is a hub of activity, akin to a grown-up show-and-tell for dairy, deli, bakery and prepared food professionals. Attendees will gain a variety of new ideas for merchandising cheese, cakes, bakery, deli and meals, from the role of cakes in life celebrations, to the focus on ancient grains, to the view of cheese as a comfort food, among other topics. The future of meals available in supermarkets will be highlighted, including grocerant piazzas, ethnic-inspired rotisserie meals, sous vide solutions and blast-chilled entrées.
The 2016 slate of Show & Sell Center workshops runs the gamut of subjects, with presenters diving deep on various issues and topics, including detail-important regulations and big-picture prognostications.
IDDBA’s 21st annual Cake Decorating Challenge is part of the Show & Sell Center as well. Flour, fondant and frosting will be flying as three supermarket decorators go head to head — or spatula to spatula, as it may be — to compete in a three-day contest that includes the decoration of a production case, wedding cakes and a trio of specialty cakes of their choosing that in some way reflect the show theme of “Growing the Future.”
There are some changes to the 2016 Cake Decorating Challenge according to IDDBA’s president and CEO Michael J. Eardley. “This year, we’re giving our attendees a voice,” he says. “We’re still working with our terrific professional judges, but we know that everyone who stops to look at the amazing cakes our contestants produce has an opinion. So if attendees have the myIDDBA app or go myIDDBA.com they can vote for their favorite. It will bring another level of excitement and interactivity to the Cake Decorating Challenge.”