New knowledge, new products and new business are three prevalent themes for the 1996 trade events scheduled by Center Store-related associations.
Conventions, seminars and other trade events are the most cost-effective and time-efficient vehicles for keeping up with what's happening throughout the Center Store area of supermarkets, association executives told SN.
Pat Kiernan, senior vice president of industry relations at the Grocery Manufacturers of America, Washington, used knowledge of Efficient Consumer Response, the industrywide drive to increase distribution and merchandising efficiencies, as an example of information learned at a conference that could help retailers pull ahead of their competition.
"Some retailers have been firmly in favor of ECR and can't get to the future fast enough, while others remain skeptical because they view ECR as a process that benefits the manufacturers only, which is simply not true. As we enter the third year of ECR, while we are not where we had hoped to be, clearly there are companies starting to see the benefits."
Helping others on both the retail and supply sides reap more ECR benefits will be the overriding theme of GMA's efforts in 1996, Kiernan told SN. Many of the programs will be built around case studies on category management, continuous replenishment, electronic data interchange and activity-based costing.
GMA stages several annual events. In 1996 its executive conference is set for June 8 to 11. A meeting on integrated logistics and information systems is planned for May 22 to 24. Its annual ECR conference is slated for March 22 to 24 and marketing conferences are set for July 14 to 16 and Nov. 3 to 5.
While GMA events will center around the ECR theme, the industry's private-label events will vary, much as the role of private label varies from country to country and store to store.
"Each event represents a different manifestation of the needs of that region," said Brian Sharoff, president of the Private Label Manufacturers Association, New York.
The big PLMA event for retailers is the annual trade show, to be held Nov. 17 to 20 in Chicago. In addition to seminars and talks by industry leaders, the show affords attendees a look at the latest private-label offerings. PLMA also conducts an annual leadership conference, scheduled in 1996 for March 24 to 27 in Tucson, Ariz. Among PLMA's other annual events is its Consumerama, set for June 26 and 27 in Los Angeles, which will deal with brand marketing.
In some cases, frozen foods in particular, industry events are crucial in doing business.
"It's where people actually come in and get a heck of a lot of business done in a very short period of time. We have people who write their orders for the whole year at this meeting," said Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the American Frozen Food Institute, McLean, Va., referring to his group's Western Frozen Food Convention. Retailers, he noted, make up an important element of the convention, scheduled in 1996 for Feb. 24 to 28 in Monterey, Calif. Much of the frozen food business activity that doesn't take place in Monterey takes place at the National Frozen Food Convention, co-sponsored by AFFI and the National Frozen Food Association, Harrisburg, Pa.
Like the AFFI Western, this annual convention does not have a trade show floor. Again, the schedule is filled with seminars, speakers, and time set aside for private meetings.
"One of the big opportunities when attending our events is to meet with the key executives of the industry in one spot," Nevin Montgomery, NFFA's president, said of the convention. Other AFFI events include an annual distribution and logistics conference, scheduled for June 9 to 11 in Chicago.
Other NFFA events include its fourth annual Retail Executive Conference, March 24 to 26 in Austin, Texas, and the National Frozen Food Month Kick-off Celebration, Feb. 29 in Cleveland.
Becoming familiar with new products is one of the key benefits to most trade shows. The American Wholesale Marketers Association's summer and winter conventions are a prime example.
"This is probably the most cost-effective way for retailers, as well as wholesalers, to see a lot of product they otherwise would not be exposed to," said David Strachan, president of AWMA, Washington. Bill Maloney, president of Interbev, a biennial convention sponsored by the National Soft Drink Association, Washington, said trade shows like his offer attendees one-stop shopping.
