DALLAS — Food Marketing Institute will relocate its 2013 Future Connect leadership development conference to Orlando, Fla., FMI said. It is slated for April 30 to May 2.
The conference, which rotates on an alternate-year basis with the traditional FMI Show, was held in 2009 and 2011 in Dallas. In addition, the FMI Show that had been staged in 2008 and 2010 in Las Vegas will relocate to Dallas in 2012 as previously reported. FMI will partner for that show with the American Meat Institute and the United Fresh Produce Association.
“The focus of this conference is education and development, and we brought people who we thought would benefit from that,” Ed Crenshaw, chief executive officer, Publix Super Markets, told SN at Future Connect.
Publix brought about 42 people, he said, from store managers all the way to top officers of the company.
“It's also a great networking opportunity.”
John Mayer, vice president of sales, grocery market, for the J.M. Smucker Co., said his firm brought about 10 employees. “We're here for education and industry insights,” he told SN. “Our people are looking at what the challenges are in retail.”
Tres Lund, chairman and CEO, Minneapolis-based Lund Food Holdings, said his company brought about 24 people to Future Connect this year — “an absolute cross-section” of employees.
“Everyone chose their tracks to follow, and we had a plan coming in,” he said. “Our folks are jazzed up about the experience of being here, and they are meeting others in the industry and making new friends.”
