PMA Fresh Summit to Feature ‘Communities of Interest’

Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2016 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo will deliver fresh produce and floral industry innovations, networking and professional education – plus the largest Fresh Summit expo ever – when it convenes Oct. 14-16, in Orlando, Fla. 

To help convention-goers get the most business-growing value from this year’s event, Newark, Del.-based PMA has again organized the event’s content into “communities of interest” designed to help attendees connect to others with common goals, including science and technology, industry talent, floral, issues leadership, and global connections.  

“Fresh Summit delivers a powerful global experience with a magnitude of resources available under one roof,” said PMA Fresh Summit Committee Chair Scot Olson, VP of produce and floral at Berkeley, Calif.-based Grocery Outlet Inc. “At the same time, it can also have a community atmosphere that invites people to connect, whatever their interests are.”

This year’s educational programming offers on-trend, up-to-the-minute general session and workshop topics designed to help attendees and their companies get to the next level. Expert speakers from around the world will draw from their professional knowledge and experiences to help attendees capitalize on current trends shaping the industry’s future. General session topics include innovation, personal branding and PMA’s annual "State of the Industry" address. Sixteen workshops will help attendees find solutions to industry challenges such as talent, developing effective marketing strategies to increase consumption, demonstrating best food safety practices, and using technology to increase transparency.

Floral attendees can again find offerings dedicated to their sector this year, including floral-specific workshops, floral buyer roundtables, an industry networking reception and the largest Floral Pavilion ever on the expo floor.

In addition to community-organized education events, numerous community networking receptions events are also planned.

Attendees seeking innovative ideas can visit the Innovation@work area outside of the expo hall, where a range of products and services will be displayed. Showcases here will feature products that fall into the following four categories: Just 4 Kids, On-The-Go, Certified Organic and Floral. Two of the categories are brand-new this year—Certified Organic and Floral. Also on display will be Sensory Experience Contest winners and packaging innovations from finalist companies in PMA’s 2016 Impact Award for Excellence in Packaging.

The 2016 Fresh Summit exposition will be the largest exposition to date, with more than 1,100 exhibitors across 300,000 square feet.

“The Fresh Summit expo is a great way to see what’s new and exciting in the industry, and one of the key places where buyers and sellers come together at this event,” says PMA Exhibitor Advisory Committee Chair Kevin Steiner, director of business development at Yakima, Wash.-based Sage Fruit Co.  “It’s a powerful way for attendees to gain inspiration for their businesses to stand out in this ever-changing industry.”

Learn more and register for PMA’s 2016 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo here.

2017 Scheduling Note: PMA's Fresh Summit Convention & Expo event days will change in 2017. Starting next year, the event will take place Thursday-Saturday (with the expo on Friday-Saturday) so attendees can be back in the office on Monday –  a critical day for the produce industry.