15Jan2011
Nash Finch and Ahold Keynote NFRA Executive Conference
Alec Covington, President and CEO of Nash Finch Company and Jeff Martin, Executive VP of Merchandising and Marketing of Ahold USA Speak at Conference.
Harrisburg, PA – The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) will hold its 19th Annual Executive Conference April 11-13, 2011 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center in Tempe, AZ. The conference provides the latest information on consumer and industry trends and features two retail presentations by Alec Covington, president and CEO of Nash Finch Company and Jeff Martin, executive VP of merchandising and marketing of Ahold USA.
The conference opens at 1:00 pm on Monday, April 11h with the Greater Penguin Open Golf Tournament followed by the evening’s welcome reception. Tuesday, April 12th presents an impressive line-up of interactive speaker presentations, as well as the conference reception and dinner. On Wednesday, April 13th, the conference concludes by 9:00 am after breakfast and a final informational session.
The retailer keynote by Alec Covington kicks-off the Tuesday morning sessions followed by Kevin Coupe of MorningNewsBeat.com who uses real-life examples rooted in consumer behavior, technological change and cultural legacies to get attendees thinking strategically rather than tactically and embracing rather than rejecting change. Darren Seifer of the NPD Group explores the behaviors of Millennials and how the industry should respond now that Gen Y has grown up. David Morse of New American Dimensions addresses the six best practices in ethnic marketing and merchandising. Todd Hale of The Nielsen Company provides insights into the post recessionary consumer and how the retail landscape is changing as a result.
Tuesday’s afternoon sessions begin with a second retailer keynote by Jeff Martin followed by Ford Saeks of Prime Concepts Group who presents a no-nonsense, non-technical approach to leveraging social media to build relationships, protect a brand and grow a business. Concluding the presentations, NFRA Chairman Jeff Thomas of Crystal Farms gives an update on the association’s activities.
The conference closes early on Wednesday when MorningNewsBeat “Content Guy” Kevin Coupe returns for a fast-paced, entertaining summing up of the conference that establishes the agenda for the coming year, creating benchmarks against which people and organizations should measure themselves.
To preserve the informal atmosphere that encourages group discussion and more personal interaction, the conference is limited to 150 attendees. You can find a registration form for the 2011 NFRA Executive Conference at the NFRA website, www.NFRAweb.org.
NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. Headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, and October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. NFRA holds the annual National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in October.
