IGA, NGA Co-Locate

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

CHICAGO — IGA here will hold its 2012 annual global rally in conjunction with the annual convention of the National Grocers Association, IGA officials told SN last week.

The joint event is scheduled for Feb. 12-15 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

The IGA rally, which encompasses seminars and a dinner honoring IGA's retailers of the year, has been a free-standing event for the last decade after being held in conjunction with the annual Food Marketing Institute meeting for the prior 10 years or so, Mark Batenic, IGA chairman, said.

“Combining our rally with the NGA meeting is another way to reach out and give our domestic and international members an opportunity to learn more,” he told SN. “NGA is devoted to independent retailers and the wholesalers and distributors who serve them, and we think it's the right venue for us.”

According to Peter Larkin, president and chief executive officer of NGA, “IGA's members represent independent grocers from all over the world, and being able to attend our show will allow them to share and benefit from the educational seminars we offer, so it's a win-win for everyone.”

Batenic said IGA and NGA officials met here last week to work out some of the details. “We will have our awards dinner on a night when there are no NGA events planned,” he explained. “We will also allow our members to attend NGA workshops while having some workshops at the same time as NGA workshops for our members only.”

IGA held its annual rally at the end of March in Vancouver, British Columbia, he added, “and we had record attendance from around the world as well as from the U.S.”