Fresh Produce Industry Readies for SXSW Debut

The 2019 South by Southwest Conference and Festival (SXSW) begins March 8 in Austin, Texas, and this year the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) will take the stage as a part of the educational programming. PMA Chief Marketing Officer Lauren Scott will be a panelist in the session “Tap Primal Instincts to Fuel Your Food Movement,” alongside Adam Cooper of The Wonderful Co., Lisa Cork of Fresh Produce Marketing, and Stephen Springfield of Sentient Decision Science.

SXSW is an annual event that draws half a million people each year. Initially, SXSW's draw was its music festivals, but the event, which began in 1987, has since evolved to include conference programming on all things culture, technology and entertainment. 

There are 25 conference education tracks and experiential components, including PMA’s Global Street Farm, which invites SXSW attendees to sample fresh produce and be styled with floral crowns and flower braids. The Global Street Farm will be back this year and will serve as a home base for the produce and floral industry members in attendance at SXSW. 

“The goal last year was to listen and learn,” said PMA CEO Cathy Burns, noting her organization's first attendance in 2018. “We learned a lot, especially that there were conversations about food and agriculture without anyone from the industry at the table. This year we’re looking to change that, and I couldn’t be more excited that our members will be there with us.”

Many who attended SXSW last year will be back as panelists, including Cork of Fresh Produce Marketing. “It was so insightful to come last year and better understand what nonindustry people think of our produce and floral world,” Cork said. “To continue to grow demand for produce and floral, we need to demonstrate our value to those outside of our industry. We have great products, but even more than that, we have a lot to say about topics like wellness, retail trends and global business. SXSW offers a perfect venue for us to establish ourselves as experts and leaders.”

All panels at SXSW are selected with a combination of community voting and input from SXSW staff and their advisory board. This year, in addition to the PMA submitted panel, there are two other panels that will feature other voices from the produce and floral industry sectors. Scott will participate in another panel, “Produce Matter: Why Eating More Plants is Key to Health," with Brighter Bites’ Lisa Helfman and P.K. Newby, also known as The Nutrition Doctor. As a part of the blockchain and cryptocurrency track, Andy Kennedy of FoodLogiQ will be a panelist during the session, “Revolutionizing Food Safety Eith Blockchain Tech.” 

Center for Growing Talent will also be on the ground at SXSW, bringing their yearly Executive Leadership Exchange (ELE) to Austin. Taking advantage of the world-class education, ELE attendees will participate in two days of curated sessions, with the final day spent as an immersion day with retailer H-E-B that includes structured activities and discussions. 

“There is an entire education track focused on food alone,” said Burns, explaining why it’s important for the produce and floral industry to be at events like SXSW. “It highlights the growing importance of the intersection between food and culture. It’s essential that PMA and our industry is not only better represented in the conversations about our industry, but ultimately that we’re leading them—not only within our industry but wherever important conversations about the world’s food supply are taking place.”