Annual Meat Conference 2008

SUNDAY, MARCH 9

8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Pre-Conference Event — Meat2Meet
One-on-one sessions between retailers and suppliers

2:00-2:15 p.m.
Opening/Welcome
Luke LaPerriere, VP, meat/casement sales and procurement, Harris Teeter; and Jim Schloss, corporate VP, marketing and sales, Smithfield Foods

2:15-3:15 p.m.
General Session — The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty
Rick Barrera, president, Overpromise Inc.

3:45-5:00 p.m.
The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty: Business Trends
Rick Barrera facilitates a discussion on business trends in the meat and retail industries

5:30-7:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception

MONDAY, MARCH 10

8:00-9:15 a.m.
General Session — The Power of Meat
Anne-Marie Roerink, director of research,Food Marketing Institute

9:30-10:45 a.m.
Energy, Economics and Impact
Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics

9:30-10:45 a.m.
Animal Welfare and Activism
Phillip Lobo, communications, Animal Agriculture Alliance; and Janet Riley, senior VP of public affairs, American Meat Institute

9:30-10:45 a.m.
Grilling: It's not Just for Summer Anymore

10:45-11:45 a.m.
Tech Fair
Retailers meet with suppliers on the newest technology to facilitate meat market operations

1:00-2:15 p.m.
Regulatory Compliance Workshop: COOL and Other Issues
Mark Dopp, senior VP, regulatory affairs, American Meat Institute; and Deborah White, senior VP and chief legal officer, Food Marketing Institute

1:00-2:15 p.m.
Environmental Sustainability
John Thorne, partner, C&M Capitolink

1:00-2:15 p.m.
Electronic Marketing at the Meat Case
Frank Beurskens, CEO, ShoptoCook; Chaz Fritz, CEO, NeoMedia Technologies; and Brad Long, director of sales, Yotta Mark

2:45-4:00 p.m.
Kids These Days: Recruiting and Retaining Service-Oriented Associates
Andrea Fredrickson, VP of operations, American Institute of Management

2:45-4:00 p.m.
Health, Wellness & the Meat Department: Turning a Negative Rap Into a Good Wrap!
Mary K. Young, executive director, nutrition, National Cattlemen's Beef Association

2:45-4:00 p.m.
Meat Case Dynamics: Turning Information Into Sales
Michael Uetz, principal, Midan Marketing; Randy Irion, director of retail marketing, National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Jerry Kelly, national coordinator, RTE, Cryovac Division of Sealed Air Corp.; Jarrod Sutton, director of retail marketing, National Pork Board

4:00-7:00 p.m.
Product Tasting Reception

TUESDAY, MARCH 11

8:00-9:15 a.m.
Stealing Meals Back From Food Service Providers
Nancy Kruse, president, The Kruse Co.

8:00-9:15 a.m.
Meat Case Dynamics: Turning Information Into Sales (repeat of Monday's session)

8:00-9:15 a.m.
Industry Update Session
Part 1: E. coli Surveillance and Prevention, Randy Huffman, VP of scientific affairs, AMI Foundation
Part 2: U.S. Ethanol Policy and Its Impact on the Meat and Poultry Industry, Thomas E. Elam, principal, Farm Economics

9:45-10:45 and 10:45-11:30 a.m.
Bringing It Home: Idea Exchange
Attendees discuss industry issues in this open-format session moderated by Michael Sansolo, founder, Sansolo Solutions