Oct 16, 2020

Virtual format unlocked new opportunities for Fresh Summit 2020

The first week of Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit 2020 has served as a fitting way to launch the month-long virtual experience.

According to a news release, the event, which opened to all registrants on Oct. 7 to explore and prepare has wrapped on three full days of educational content, community receptions and Marketplace meetings but Fresh Summit is not over yet.  The event platform, including on-demand educational content, attendee list, and Marketplace booths, along with all of the communication tools, will be available through Nov. 13, 2020.

Despite the change of venue, the event featured the hallmark components of the largest, yearly gathering in the produce and floral industries and even added some new experiences for registered attendees. Registration is still open, as the Marketplaces and on demand content remain available for the coming weeks.  

The virtual format unlocked new opportunities for the event, which included welcoming attendees from across the globe. In total, 64 countries were represented, with the highest representation from the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Peru and Colombia. With education content both closed captioned and with translation provided in 3 languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese, the globally minded and relevant insights from all speakers were more accessible and inclusive than ever before.  Additionally, educational content was broadcast twice a day before moving to on-demand to encourage maximum participation from the international audience. 

PMA traditionally provides industry education throughout the year at in person events, but pivoted in the face of the pandemic to provide regular and responsive content to help members navigate the changing environment. The event featured 31 speakers and 21 hours of educational content and Fresh Summit engagement is proof that the industry is still hungry for insights. General and Concurrent sessions like “Understanding the Consumer for Marketplace Success” which featured discussion of weekly consumer data collected over the past several months, saw audiences of almost 900 viewers. Cathy Burns, PMA CEO, delivered her State of the Industry presentation on Tuesday pulling in almost 2000 live viewers, exceeding the number of audience members in past years by several hundred. The content is still available for those who would like to revisit the recording or watch it for the first time.  

Each year when the education sessions end, the Fresh Summit crowd migrates to the show floor and this year is no different.  There were over 360 exhibitors spread across four different Marketplaces, including Produce, Complementary items, Floral and Solutions providers.  

The Fresh Ideas Showcase, featuring new and innovative products, had over 150 products represented. Reflecting the industry’s interest in building new connections especially in a year with limited face-to-face opportunities, there was a historically high number of buyers registered to attend the event. The registration processes allowed buyers to identify what Marketplaces they were looking to connect with during the week.  

On the final evening of an in-person Fresh Summit would find teams of workers breaking down booths and sweeping the show floor, Fresh Summit 2020 won’t close its Marketplace doors for 4 more weeks, extending exhibiting company investments and inviting more connections and meetings to take place. PMA is encouraging exhibitors to have at least one member of the team log in daily to check for meeting requests to avoid missing out on new potential business. Connections were a primary focus for the event which shows in the buyer to booth ratios.  For the Produce and Complementary Items Marketplaces, there were 9 buyers to every booth,  Floral saw 10 buyers for every booth, and the Solutions Marketplace saw 18 buyers for each booth.  

Fresh Summit has always been a reunion for the industry, and while no one is looking to replace in-person connections, it was clear from the live chats that accompanied the session broadcasts that people were excited to come together again.  While the platform is always active and engagement numbers are growing all the time, as of Friday morning on October 16, there were more than 77,400 messages exchanged and 7,660 meetings requested.  Buyers have initiated more than 4,540 of the meeting requests sent. 

“Based on feedback from our members and guests, we are beyond pleased with how the first 3 days of Fresh Summit have met their needs for compelling, differentiated educational content,” said PMA CEO Cathy Burns. “While the pandemic prevented us from getting together in person, the Fresh Summit platform extends the event beyond the limits of traditional calendar days to a full month of community and connections. With a high number of retail buyers actively participating on the Marketplace, we will continue to help facilitate connections across the global supply chain in the weeks ahead. Thank you to everyone who trusted in us to bring a virtual Fresh Summit to life!” 

While the business connections, education and insights, and the new product showcases are about looking toward the future of our industry, Fresh Summit is also a time to celebrate and reflect.  While this has been a challenging year, it has also been a year of tremendous leadership, collaboration, innovation and energy. While the industry as a whole has been incredibly resilient and creative in rising to each challenge, there were a few exceptional leaders recognized over the first three days of the event.  PMA and the Center for Growing Talent are honored to recognize the 2020 award winners recognized for their commitment and dedication to the produce and floral industries.   

• • • Robert L. Carey Award – Excellence in Leadership: Jin Ju Wilder, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Vesta Foodservice 
    • Bryan E. Silbermann Award – Excellence in Collaboration: Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director, Center for Produce Safety 
    • Floral Marketer of the Year Award: Debora Steier, Vice President of Floral, Albertsons Companies  
    • Retail Merchant Innovation Award: Scott Bennett, Produce Sales Manager at Jewel Osco 
    • Mike Tipton, VP Produce & Floral, Schnucks Markets, Inc.  
    • Bridget Bennett, Supervisory Category Manager (Produce) Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) 
    • Jeff Cady, Director of Produce & Floral, Tops Friendly Markets  
    • CGT’s Jay Pack Cultivating Our Future Award: Dan’l Mackey Almy, President and CEO, DMA Solutions, Inc.  
    • CGT’s Frieda Rapoport Caplan Women’s Catalyst Award: Kristen Reid, Executive Vice President, MIXTEC Group  

  Fresh Summit continues for four more weeks with all Marketplaces open and educational content available through Nov. 13. Registration is open.  

  Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is the leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global produce and floral supply chain. PMA helps members grow by providing connections that expand business opportunities and increase sales and consumption.

  For more information, visit www.pma.com.