Hosted by the United Fresh Produce Association, the United Fresh Convention will bring together growers, producers, shippers and wholesalers showcasing the newest trends in food, technology and business. This year, the show starts off with two education conferences: FreshTEC and FreshMKT from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 13. Following the two expos, the opening party will be held at the Shedd Aquarium at 6 p.m.
The FreshMKT Conference will feature Ready Pac Food CEO Tony Sarsam as the keynote speaker. The FreshMKT Conference is designed for produce and fresh food buyers, executives and trading partners in retail and foodservice channels. Included in the All Access Package and Conference Package, attendees will focus on consumer trends, foodie culture and growth opportunities of fresh foods.
Interested in walking the FreshMKT Expo show floor? Attendees will be able to do so while exploring the new Organic Showcase, a FreshMKT Learning Center and voting for the United Fresh Innovation Awards. Attendees and exhibitors can meet at the MKT X-Change while discussing topics such as organics, branding, merchandising and product development. Educational presentations will give attendees the opportunity to hear directly from the experts in their fields about current topics.
FreshTEC is designed for operations executives and managers. Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor will be the keynote speaker and attendees will be able to learn all about pre- and post-harvest automation, food safety in packing and processing operations and controlled growing environments. Attendees will also be able to attend the FreshTEC Expo and walk the show floor while visiting with exhibiting companies. The expo will feature the new Food Safety Pavilion, a FutureTEC Zone that’ll display start-up companies and a FreshTEC Learning Center that will present educational presentations on the show floor. The FutureTEC Zone start-up companies will share their experiences in 5-minute TEC Talks, according to the FreshTEC Expo website.
Looking for educational sessions? United Fresh will have floor learning centers exclusively for attendees. Attendees will learn about business and customer insights while also gaining knowledge on consumer trends, business strategies and marketing solutions for their businesses. More educational sessions will be focused on food safety, technology, logistics and more.
There will be two co-located expos happening at the same time: Global Cold Chain and International Floriculture. The Global Cold Chain Expo is focused on the cold chain industry and brings together processing buyers, retail and grocery, wholesale, foodservice and fresh produce decision-makers together. The International Floriculture Expo brings together retail buyers, florists, suppliers and other industry professionals to talk about floral and horticulture products.