The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has slated its 25th annual Executive Conference for April 10-12 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center in Tempe, Arizona. The gathering will provide the latest information on consumer and industry trends and feature retail presentations by Tonya Herring, edible grocery senior vice president at Ahold USA, and Dan Funk, marketing/merchandising executive vice president at Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG).
The conference will open at 1 PM on April 10 with the optional Greater Penguin Open Golf Tournament or NFRA Fishing Tournament, followed by the evening’s welcome reception. A line-up of interactive speaker presentations, as well as the conference reception and dinner, is set for April 11. On April 12 the conference will conclude by 9 AM, after breakfast and a final informational session.
The retailer keynote speech by Tonya Herring of Ahold USA will kick off the Tuesday morning sessions, followed by a presentation from Karin Kimbrough of Merrill Lynch on the economic and market outlook and its impact on the food industry. Jordan Rost of Nielsen will share facts about today’s connected digital shopper. Lewis Goldstein of Organic Valley & Organic Prairie will review the state of the organic food industry, and Larry Levin of IRI will look at factors driving growth in the frozen and refrigerated sectors.
Tuesday’s afternoon sessions will begin with the retailer keynote speech by Dan Funk of Associated Wholesale Grocers, followed by Ken Harris of Cadent Consulting Group exploring the new e-commerce frontier.
The conference is scheduled to close early on Wednesday when Larry Levin of IRI discusses the importance of innovation in driving new product success.
In order to preserve an informal atmosphere that encourages group discussion and maximizes personal interaction, the conference is limited to 150 attendees. Registration information is available by visiting www.NFRAExecutiveConference.org.
About NFRA
The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-headquartered NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. It is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, the June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, and the October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. The NFRA’s next the annual convention will take place October 7-10 in Orlando, Florida.
