The Southeast Produce Council will celebrate the next generation of superheroes the first week in March at its annual conference and trade show, better known as Southern Exposure.

With people looking to reconnect with colleagues in person, and with COVID-19 numbers heading in the right direction in many parts of the country, the council is expecting attendance to approach pre-COVID-19 numbers at this year’s event, which will take place March 3-5 at the Swan & Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. This year’s theme is The Marvel of Produce.

“We’re going to be over the 2,500 mark for sure,” David Sherrod, the council’s president and chief executive officer, said the last day in January. “That’s a big number for us. And I think we will be over 500 on the buyers’ side. We’re really on record pace. The buyer-to-seller ratio is the best in the produce industry.”

The council is remaining vigilant and working hard to make sure that all those attendees and exhibitors will be as safe as possible with COVID-19 still lurking.

“We’re still going to be safe, we still have the health and safety protocols in place,” said Sherrod. “We’re asking people to respect each other and to respect each other’s space. If you need to wear a mask, wear a mask. At the same time, we know the importance of getting back together. We’ve tried to procure as much extra space as possible so that we can spread out a little bit more. We will continue to provide masks and sanitization stations for our attendees.”

Prior to the official opening of Southern Exposure, SEPC will start things off with the board of directors meeting on Wednesday, March 2. “We have our new board in place, and we’ll be going over our strategic objectives. I know that Raina is excited to continue her tenure as the chairman,” Sherrod said, referring to Raina Nelson of Westfalia Fruit USA, who became chairman of the board in September 2021 during Southern Innovations.

The VIP dinner will take place in the evening.

Thursday morning’s activities begin with the Tom Page Golf Classic, which is named for one of the founders of the council. A shuttle will depart at 6:15 a.m. from the Dolphin Hotel to take the golfers to the Champions Gate Golf Resort. “As we speak, we have 288 golfers signed up, and a few more on the wait list,” said Sherrod. “This tournament grows each year, and it is a prime networking opportunity for many.”

Committee meetings will be going on most of the day (and Friday, too); LINKS meetings will also be taking place on Thursday and Friday, both in person and virtually.

The STARS & STEP-UPP Dinner (by invitation only) will take place Thursday evening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for those involved in two of the council’s outstanding programs: the Southeast Top Agricultural Recruits Scholarship program and the Southeast Training Education Program for Upcoming Produce Professionals.

“A little something we’re doing differently this year,” said Sherrod, is that “in addition to the STARS and STEP-UPP groups, we’re going to include our Next Generation nominees. So, we’re expecting about 150 people to attend this dinner. This event is really about recognizing the next leaders of our industry.”

Friday, March 4, “is a big day, full of networking and educational sessions,” said Sherrod.

The STARS breakfast (by invitation only) will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Dan’l Mackey Almy, president and CEO of DMA Solutions, and Wendy McManus, executive leadership coach at Connect 2 Potential, are returning. They will be joined this time by panelists Meghan Diaz, East Coast senior market manager for produce and floral at Sprouts Farmers Market; Amanda Keefer, managing director at Healthy Family Project; and Matt Musgrave, category manager for value added produce at Food Lion.

“We’re having a panel discussion of people who are in our industry who will be speaking to the students and really giving them a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be in the produce industry,” said Sherrod. “We’re giving these students a look at how rewarding a produce career can be. These students are right in the midst of determining their next steps. We’re going to show them that there’s no better choice than the produce industry.”

Two educational sessions are scheduled for Friday.

The first is titled “Prepare for the Future: Building the Next Generation of Leaders,” from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. This session will be presented by Kim Lear, a writer and researcher who explores how emerging trends affect the future of the workforce and marketplace.

“Kim is an expert in showing companies how they should prepare for the next generation of leaders,” said Sherrod. “This is pertinent to our theme this year. Raina is so entrenched with making our STARS program world class, we think this session is a good way to highlight what she’s done with the STARS program and also what she’s passionate about: mentoring that next generation.”

After a short break, “We’ll go right into this year’s Power of Produce 2022,” the second educational session, said Sherrod. This will take place from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Rick Stein of FMI is returning as moderator, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics LLC, is returning as co-presenter. They will be joined by panelists Jerry Callahan of Albertsons Cos., Robby Cruz of Target and Jim Hancock of Sam’s Club.

“The survey that FMI does every year is highly anticipated, and we’re excited that we’re still the place where we can debut the Power of Produce report,” stated Sherrod. “I don’t think anyone does a better job than [Rick and Anne-Marie] of working the data. I think it’s going to be a standing-room-only event this year.”

The Southern Roots luncheon (for women in produce) will take place 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Attendees will hear from Heather Chauvin, a leadership coach who helps ambitious, overwhelmed women conquer their fears and become leaders at work and home.

“She brings more than just a perspective of produce but really a perspective of life,” said Sherrod. “We’re excited to have her speak to our Southern Roots ladies.”

Noting that the Southern Roots event is sold out, the SEPC president said that “we have a record 280 registrants. We’re proud to provide this outstanding opportunity to so many ladies in our industry.”

Stars Cocktails & Careers will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. “These students are top of their class. We’re excited that this is another way that we can provide value to our membership,” said Sherrod. “We’re expecting between 15 and 25 companies to participate in this job fair format for future employment opportunities.”

As in previous years, there will be three receptions to welcome attendees to this year’s event. The Healthy Family Project Reception will take place 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the Retail & Foodservice Reception will take place (by invitation only) from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Opening Gala, which will run from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., will feature great music, delicious food, games — and superheroes.

“This will be a really good time to get back together,” Sherrod said with enthusiasm. “We have several fun games planned. We have a high-energy band, The Party Crashers. And I hear we’re going to have some superheroes actually visiting that night.”

He added, “We’re creating an atmosphere that is going to be exciting for everybody. We’ve got a large ballroom for everyone to be able to find a place where they’re going to be comfortable, with music and dancing near the stage and quieter areas to converse near the games. We’re really excited to have a dance floor back to get people dancing and celebrating together again.”

The Keynote Luncheon, from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., will kick off the full day of events scheduled for Saturday, March 5.

After Sherrod welcomes everyone to the luncheon, board Chairman Nelson will deliver the State of the Council address. This will be followed by the presentation of the 2022 Terry Vorhees Lifetime Achievement Award to Bobby S. Creel of L&M Cos.

Tim Tebow, a first-round National Football League draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner, will then deliver the Keynote Address. Tebow serves as a college football analyst for ESPN; before that he played three years in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets.

The expo will open at 12:30 p.m. and run until 6 p.m., giving attendees plenty of time to visit and enjoy the sold-out event. “We’re looking for good traffic flow right from the start, with people entering from both the Atlantic and Pacific halls,” said Sherrod. “We’re looking forward to a fantastic day of networking all the way to 6 o’clock.”

The Bright Ideas and Innovation Stations, conveniently located between the two halls, “are absolutely full of new products and technologies and services,” said Sherrod. “That’s going to be a great highlight this year, with 26 Innovation Stations and 45 Bright Ideas Fresh Arrivals showcases.”

This year’s expo will feature 275 booths, a number that has stayed fairly constant in recent years, in keeping with the SEPC’s goal of preserving the trade show’s personal and intimate atmosphere that the council’s members want and enjoy. There’s also a wait list of close to 100. “We made that decision a long time ago to keep it at 275,” said Sherrod. “We are going to look at some measured growth in the next year, but we’re talking about a very little increase.”

The Closing Reception, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Dolphin grotto and beach area, is always a great setting to relax and unwind after the long day.

“People can put their shorts on and take off their shoes, and we’ll relax for a while,” as Sherrod put it. “And then we’ll get ready for Southern Innovations,” which is scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN.

But for now, “We want to celebrate the next generation of superheroes,” concluded Sherrod. “We’ve got a strong cast of current superheroes to mentor these up-and-coming professionals, and this conference will highlight that theme as we all get together again.”