Sep 19, 2016

PMA Fresh Summit Offers Expanded Programming

The mass-market floral supply chain will see three days of floral-specific programming when Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2016 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo convenes Oct. 14-16, in Orlando, Florida – including educational workshops, more floral buyers, a networking reception, the Floral Marketer of the Year leadership award, and the largest expo and Floral Pavilion to date.

This year’s Fresh Summit takes place a week earlier than usual, attendees should register before Sept. 30 to receive their badge and other information in advance, and to avoid registration lines on-site in Orlando.

Growers, retailers and solution providers are encouraged to tap into Fresh Summit’s Floral Community of Interest to learn and network with other industry professionals. Communities of Interest are designed to help Fresh Summit attendees find content and connections related to their priority business interests; other 2016 Communities of Interest include Global Connections, Industry Talent, Issues Leadership and Science & Technology.

Oct. 14 will include a full day of workshops of interest to the floral community:

• Rabobank floral analyst Cindy Van Rijswick and a panel of floral experts will evaluate global floral trends, and what they mean for floral businesses
• Visibility coach David Avrin will explore floral marketing, and how to increase exposure and sales for floral
• Floral industry consultant Stan Pohmer and consumer trends specialist Shawna Suckow will unpack findings of a joint PMA-Food Marketing Institute survey of mass-market floral buyers, and consider how its findings aligns with today’s consumers

Fresh Summit is an open show; pre-approval is not needed to attend. This open policy helps to attract industry members from across the floral supply chain. As in years past, PMA has recruited floral buyers as well as vice presidents of produce and floral. Buyer Roundtables designed to bring floral buyers and sellers together for brief meetings – akin to business speed dating – sold out quickly.

To learn about PMA’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo and floral offerings, and to register online, visit www.freshsummit.com. The deadline to register in advance is Sept. 30; on-site registration is available.