It’s March, and dare I say it, the New York snow piles may have melted for the last time. On Sunday, the first day of spring, I’ll be headed to the International Boston Seafood Show. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to welcome warm days with talk of sea creatures.
As I just joined the SN editorial team in November, this is my first time covering IBSS, and I’m excited to navigate the expo floor, to get to know some new trends, and to jump into the show’s retailer, manufacturer, sustainability and foodservice sessions that run the seafood gamut, touching on topics such as the diets of farmed fish to traceability standards to rebuilding consumer confidence in Gulf seafood.
The Monday panels promise to be especially retailer centric with “Supermarket 2011: Looking Ahead at Seafood Retail Performance & Consumer Trends”; “Educating the Educators: Increase Seafood Sales by Properly Training Employees”; and “How to Sell During the Great Recession.”
If you’re a fan of the television series M*A*S*H, you’ll be interested in this year’s keynote address by Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John. In the keynote “It Is Time to Make Your Own Rules: A Renegade Guide to Unconventional Success,” Rogers, who is also an entrepreneur and Fox Business News Commentator, will share his experience and tips for nontraditional business success.
Expect an update on the new “game lounge” in booth 2081 that the IBSS website promises will have refreshments, soccer, hockey, ping pong, and other games. If there’s a foosball table, watch out, I’m playing to win.