Consumer needs and trends focus of PMA retail conference
Consumer needs and trends focus of PMA retail conference
Building on the consumer-focused programs it developed throughout 2004, the Produce Marketing Association is continuing that theme into 2005 starting with its Retail Produce Solutions Conference in Monterey, CA. The conference will be held June 2-4; previously announced dates were June 4-6.
The 2005 conference will begin with a special consumer panel general session featuring representatives from key demographic groups important to produce marketers, including Hispanics, Baby Boomers, dual-income families with children and single heads-of- household with children. Leading this session is Emmy-award winning journalist Meryl Comer, who will engage panelists in a lively discussion that will give attendees new insights into what customers really think, feel, want and expect.
Following this session, concurrent breakout series that include the consumer panelists from the general session and specialists (produce managers, public relations experts and market researchers) who cater to those segments will be held. The discussion between the consumers and the specialists will give attendees a three-dimensional look at the consumer segment by allowing them to listen to and participate in the discussion. Other customer-oriented sessions include:
? A presentation by futurist Ryan Mathews, who will help attendees learn how to better understand consumer trends, how to build a business model that deals with the possibility of the unexpected and how to make decisions about the future that are more than guesses.
? A presentation by customer-service guru T. Scott Gross, who will share with participants the key purchasing triggers for any consumer of any product, as well as teach attendees how to take that knowledge and turn it into service that exceeds customers? expectations.
After each of these sessions, insight forums will give attendees an opportunity to analyze and discuss the information presented to see how it applies to their own businesses. Those attendees who register as an organized team will work with their team during the insight forum. Those attendees who do not register as an organized team will be assigned to larger groups and led in their discussions by an industry leader. Following each forum, attendees will reconvene with the speaker during an extended question-and-answer session.
In addition to its long-time consumer orientation, the conference has also historically focused on building supply-chain relationships. The 2005 conference continues that tradition with a general session titled "Predictions on the Supply Chain of the Future," presented by University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension Specialist Roberta Cook. This session will feature a panel discussion between industry professionals that addresses the issues that are most important to a successful supply chain.
Closing the conference is a special wrap-up session with strategist Tony Jeary, who will challenge attendees to answer the questions: "What are you going to do with what you have learned at RPSC?? and "How will you apply lessons learned effectively when you get home?? Participants will learn how to put a plan together that builds on the momentum and lessons learned from the conference and discover how to translate the value of the conference into action plans that deliver bottom-line value to their businesses.
As it has in previous years, PMA will hold a golf tournament during the conference. A slight change for 2005 is that the tournament (benefiting the Produce for Better Health Foundation) will be held Sunday, June 5. It will be played at the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside, CA.
Prior to the conference, PMA will hold a RFID Fresh Produce Academy & Expo June 2 in Monterey, CA, at the Portola Plaza Hotel. This event will consist of educational sessions as well as a technology exposition, which will also be available on Friday for attendees to visit.
For more information about the 2005 PMA Retail Produce Solutions Conference or the RFID Academy, visit www.pma.com/RPSC.
The 2005 conference will begin with a special consumer panel general session featuring representatives from key demographic groups important to produce marketers, including Hispanics, Baby Boomers, dual-income families with children and single heads-of- household with children. Leading this session is Emmy-award winning journalist Meryl Comer, who will engage panelists in a lively discussion that will give attendees new insights into what customers really think, feel, want and expect.
Following this session, concurrent breakout series that include the consumer panelists from the general session and specialists (produce managers, public relations experts and market researchers) who cater to those segments will be held. The discussion between the consumers and the specialists will give attendees a three-dimensional look at the consumer segment by allowing them to listen to and participate in the discussion. Other customer-oriented sessions include:
? A presentation by futurist Ryan Mathews, who will help attendees learn how to better understand consumer trends, how to build a business model that deals with the possibility of the unexpected and how to make decisions about the future that are more than guesses.
? A presentation by customer-service guru T. Scott Gross, who will share with participants the key purchasing triggers for any consumer of any product, as well as teach attendees how to take that knowledge and turn it into service that exceeds customers? expectations.
After each of these sessions, insight forums will give attendees an opportunity to analyze and discuss the information presented to see how it applies to their own businesses. Those attendees who register as an organized team will work with their team during the insight forum. Those attendees who do not register as an organized team will be assigned to larger groups and led in their discussions by an industry leader. Following each forum, attendees will reconvene with the speaker during an extended question-and-answer session.
In addition to its long-time consumer orientation, the conference has also historically focused on building supply-chain relationships. The 2005 conference continues that tradition with a general session titled "Predictions on the Supply Chain of the Future," presented by University of California at Davis Cooperative Extension Specialist Roberta Cook. This session will feature a panel discussion between industry professionals that addresses the issues that are most important to a successful supply chain.
Closing the conference is a special wrap-up session with strategist Tony Jeary, who will challenge attendees to answer the questions: "What are you going to do with what you have learned at RPSC?? and "How will you apply lessons learned effectively when you get home?? Participants will learn how to put a plan together that builds on the momentum and lessons learned from the conference and discover how to translate the value of the conference into action plans that deliver bottom-line value to their businesses.
As it has in previous years, PMA will hold a golf tournament during the conference. A slight change for 2005 is that the tournament (benefiting the Produce for Better Health Foundation) will be held Sunday, June 5. It will be played at the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside, CA.
Prior to the conference, PMA will hold a RFID Fresh Produce Academy & Expo June 2 in Monterey, CA, at the Portola Plaza Hotel. This event will consist of educational sessions as well as a technology exposition, which will also be available on Friday for attendees to visit.
For more information about the 2005 PMA Retail Produce Solutions Conference or the RFID Academy, visit www.pma.com/RPSC.
