ADJUSTING THE AGENDA

DAVID ORGEL

WASHINGTON -- The theory of evolution is more than just a concept as the Food Marketing Institute sets its 1999 trade-show agenda.

The FMI here is tweaking -- and occasionally transforming -- its events to meet the needs of retailers and adjust to consumer trends.

"When you look at the industry, you notice endless evolution," said Michael Sansolo, the FMI senior vice president. "If you go back five years, you really notice how much things have changed. FMI is moving forward on this evolutionary cycle" in charting its trade-show course, he said.

Highlights of the FMI's direction for next year include the following:

The fresh-oriented MealSolutions show may be redesigned with a solutions selling theme directed at all parts of the store -- possibly without a trade-exhibit component.

The May annual convention will move its Wednesday session program to Tuesday afternoon, thus eliminating the final day of the event.

The MarkeTechnics Show will attempt to direct focus beyond the year-2000 issue, with themes including loyalty marketing and electronic commerce.

MealSolutions will probably be the most altered show for next year, said Sansolo, referring to the three-year-old trade event.

MealSolutions was born in 1996 as a response to the growing opportunities in prepared meals and the increasing challenges from restaurants and other operators. The show -- which has included seminars, a trade exhibit floor and idea centers to display new concepts -- was a wakeup call to supermarkets about this sector of the business. However, Sansolo said, the industry is recognizing that prepared food is only one tool to provide solutions for consumers. The FMI is now reconsidering the direction of this show. While the specifics aren't finalized, the general direction is formulated.

The focus will be on storewide sales, particularly cross-departmental efforts and solution selling. The FMI envisions having stores send teams of retailers representing various departments. So executives from the grocery and nonfood departments might join their fresh-foods brethren in seeking out more information about cross-selling opportunities. Eventually the name of the show may change to reflect the new emphasis, Sansolo said.

"MealSolutions was the right idea for 1996," Sansolo said. "Now we must broaden the topic, and create partnerships in store.

"This year we hope to emphasize solutions and de-emphasize meals," he said. "We're hoping to move to a solution selling aspect. Maybe there's an entry of Whole Health Solutions into the show.

"The consumer has certain needs, so how will the store evolve to match those needs?"

Sansolo said the changes will recognize that an emphasis on in-store prepared foods is not necessarily right for every retailer. "Consumers want us to save them some time, but there are different ways of getting there," he said. "Solution selling speaks to the convenience aspect. But it's not just prepared foods."

It's too early to know the effect of all these considerations on 1999's MealSolutions, which is scheduled for Sept. 26 to 28 in St. Louis, Sansolo said. He noted the trade-exhibit component may give way to a show floor that offers educational exhibits or an expanded idea-center approach.

The FMI's biggest show, the annual Convention and Educational Exposition, will also undergo a major change. The show, slated for May 2 to 4 at Chicago's McCormick Place, typically runs Sunday to Wednesday, with a Wednesday closing session that places the supermarket industry in the larger global business context. That session will now be switched to Tuesday afternoon, cutting the convention short by one day.

"We've had about 700 people stay each year for the closing session, but we'll have even a larger crowd on Tuesday afternoon," Sansolo said.

The varied slate of workshop sessions at the convention will be highlighted by human-resources issues, including how to find and keep good employees. There will also be technology-oriented sessions focusing on electronic commerce, data mining and launching Web sites. Other sessions will explore demographic and merchandising trends, such as the emerging Latino market in the United States and solution selling techniques.

This year's event will also see the passing of the FMI chairmanship to a new executive, who will hold the post for two years, in addition to announcements of new vice chairpersons.

The FMI's MarkeTechnics event will have an opportunity to broaden the discussion this year, Sansolo said. It is scheduled for Feb. 26 to 28 in New Orleans.

"The 900-pound gorilla has been the year-2000 issue," Sansolo said. "We've had Y2K featured in each of the last three years. Now we must examine what comes after Y2K."

Among the speakers will be Martha Rogers, Ph.D., co-founder of 1:1 Marketing Inc., who will address the topic "Taking 1:1 Marketing One Step Further."

Michael Hawley, assistant professor of media technology at MIT Media Lab, will speak about "Counter Intelligence," or MIT's research into how everyday items will be affected by technology trends. "The show's topics will help attendees get a further understanding of emerging technologies and how they will be used to sell more food," Sansolo said.

The show's exhibit floor will again include a technology demonstration area.

The invitation-only Midwinter Executive Conference, scheduled for Jan. 24 to 26 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will be chaired by Steven Burd, who is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif. The agenda includes an American politics focus led by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard. J. Walker Smith, managing partner at Yankelovich Partners, will keynote a session about Generation Y, or the Echo Boom.

Bruce Tulgan of Rainmaker Thinking will address the subject of Generation X, and FMI president Timothy M. Hammonds will host a special panel on the topic of nutraceuticals and bio-engineered or genetically modified products. Economist Lawrence Kudlow will offer insights on the new economy.