NEW ORLEANS -- Though the rise of the regional trade show remains an undeniable trend, there is also no doubt that the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit remains as relevant as ever as more than 18,000 attendees walked the show's floor during the two days of the trade show.

During this year's show, which was held Oct. 18-20, here, aisles were crowded and both attendees and exhibitors were seemingly all smiles as both new and old relationships were Bill Schuler, president & CEO of the Castellini Group and past chair of PMA’s Board of Directors, presented the Robert L. Carey Leadership Award to Jay Pack, who has been instrumental in launching and funding the PMA's effort toward attracting industry talentforged and strengthened. It is this relationship bond that many point to when discussing the value of the industry's largest national show.

Jim Scattini, vice president of sales and marketing at Sambrailo Packaging in Salinas, CA, said it was a very good show, though he added it is always difficult to judge in terms of return on investment.

"How do you put an ROI on the solidification of a relationship?" he asked. "It is difficult to do that, but we know it is there."

He added that at the end of the show, the company has always made new contacts with firms it wouldn't have otherwise become acquainted with. "And for us, this gives us a great opportunity to see many companies that we do business with in just a couple of days -- especially many of the Mexican companies."

Don Murphy, director of produce and floral for the Grocery Outlet chain of stores, which are located mostly in California, Oregon and Washington, said he always expects to come back home with two or three new contacts to do business with, and he did accomplish that this year. He also said that putting faces with names that he has done business with for years is another huge advantage.

In fact, while discussing this with The Produce News, he was talking to Linda Feather, who is in sales and marketing with The Los Angeles Salad Co. in Los Angeles. The two have been doing business together for 11 years, but had never met prior to the New Orleans show.

Don Ed Holmes, owner of The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, was exhibiting in the Texas Town pavilion this year for the first time in at least a decade.

"We really like the location," he said. "Being in the middle of the country, you get people from both the west and the east. We've seen many of our customers."

Speaking about day one of the trade show, Holmes said, "We were busy all day long greeting people we do business with. It was great."

Loren Queen, marketing and communication manager at Domex Superfresh Growers in Yakima, WA, was also extremely complimentary of the two-day trade show portion of the PMA convention. "We've seen lots of folks and have had great traffic at our booth."

Being a mature company in a mature commodity, he said it is more about having meetings with current customers and introducing them to the company's newest products. This year, for the first time, Domex Superfresh Growers was sampling its proprietary Autumn Glory apple. But Queen added, "I always leave the show with new contacts."

On the other end of the exhibitor spectrum was Noah Barnes, who runs Capay Organic in West Sacramento, CA, with his two brothers. Though the farm is more than 35 years old and Barnes is a second-generation farmer, this was the first time exhibiting or even attending the PMA convention. He said the firm has achieved all its food-safety certifications, "and we are ready to put our toe in the national pool of produce shippers."

Exhibiting in the First Time Exhibitors Pavilion, Barnes called the show a "real eye opener." He said the company does ship across the country so he was able to see many of his customers, "and I met many new potential customers." He is planning on exhibiting next year, when the show will be held in Anaheim, CA.

The two- day trade show was preceded by a full day of educational sessions highlighted by PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann's annual State of the Industry address.

Silbermann pointed out several opportunities the industry has, especially in the realm of the foodservice sector, marketing and in the talent arena. In that last sector, he gave a whole-hearted endorsement for hiring more women and placing them in leadership roles.

The PMA chief executive spoke at the general session, held on Friday, Oct. 18. That session also saw the awarding of this year's Robert L. Carey Leadership Award to Jay Pack, an industry entrepreneur and philanthropist who has been instrumental in launching and funding the PMA's effort toward attracting and retaining industry talent.

Pack, who formerly owned Standard Fruit & Vegetable Co. Inc. in Dallas, was the founding sponsor with his wife, Ruthie Pack, of the Pack Family Career Pathways program. In the past decade, that program has seen 364 students get a hands-on look at the produce industry. Many have made careers of the industry with several of them moving into top leadership positions. It also was the foundation for the PMA's expanded effort in providing career development to the industry.

In fact, career development has become one of the pillars of the PMA effort and includes many outreach programs throughout the year on both a regional and national level.

Evident at this convention was the PMA's concerted effort to define itself as more than just the industry's largest trade show. That theme was emphasized time and time again, including during outgoing Chairman of the Board Jan DeLyser's reflections on her past year in office, delivered during the Saturday, Oct. 19, general session. She said there was a time that Fresh Summit defined PMA, with many people using the two interchangeably in references such as "I'll see you at the PMA."

DeLyser, who is also vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission, said the industry and the Produce Marketing Association have evolved tremendously in recent years to meet the challenges that need to be confronted.

She called this new iteration of the trade association "PMA 2.0," referring to an oft-repeated label used in the technology world. That reference is no accident, as the PMA is redefining itself as a leader in fulfilling the science and technological needs of the industry.

That is one of the four focal points in the association's new strategic plan, according to DeLyser. The other three are the aforementioned effort to attract, develop and retrain industry talent as well as to be the conduit for global connections and a leading voice in issues management.

DeLyser said the overarching drivers of PMA 2.0 is to increase demand for fruits and vegetables and to reduce the barriers to increase that demand.

As the CAC executive move to the immediate past chairman position on the PMA Board of Directors, she has been succeeded at the helm by Tim Riley, president of The Giumarra Cos. in Los Angeles.