Fresh Produce Association Rebrands Events to United FreshTEC and United FreshMKT
November 28, 2016
United Fresh, the association for the fresh produce industry, will not only expand its innovation platform, but also it will move its annual conference and expo June 13-15 into the larger West Hall at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
The event will debut new expo features in convenience and fresh foods, robotics and supply chain technology, and conference sessions bringing attendees and exhibitors together with subject matter experts to help grow their businesses.
“We’re excited to launch a new format and programs in 2017 to serve specific needs in the fresh produce industry, segmenting the event into United FreshTEC and United FreshMKT,” said President and CEO Tom Stenzel.
He added, “These new branded events respond to the innovation driving our industry in marketing and product development, but also in new technology, robotics and other supply chain solutions. Moving beyond simple workshop tracks, attendees will find value in separately focused educational and expo events that address the unique needs of each sector, helping to drive collaboration and growth.”
John Toner, vice president, convention and industry collaboration, said the new branding wasn’t “so much a change, but a refreshment.”
He added, “We have previously had two co-located expos Fresh Marketplace and FreshTech, but have taken a back seat to the United Fresh branding in recent years. We are changing course in this era of highly personalized content and “what’s in it for me?” We still offer the United Convention who want to come to their association – but we are re-branding to attract new audiences given the changing marketplace.”
He said the re-branding was unveiled United BrandstormTM Conference in San Francisco – the “who’s who of fresh produce marketers.”
Toner added that so far, feedback has been “overwhelming positive, it’s going to really help us drive growth as we can now clearly identify audiences.”
The day before the expos open, a separate FreshMKT Conference and FreshTEC Conference will allow attendees to focus on the specific business challenges and opportunities in each sector.
Then, on June 14-15, the traditional trade show will be more clearly defined between the FreshMKT Expo and the FreshTEC Expo, each featuring unique exhibits, demonstration areas, thought-leader collaboration space and events designed for each specific business sector.
“The Joint General Session that includes the Global Cold Chain Expo and International Floriculture Exposition is going to be really cool – and is included in the trade show fee – so we are looking to turn out thousands of attendees that can be our brands ambassadors in the future,” Toner said.
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