PMA Fresh Connections 2014 widely lauded by attendees
Attendees
Delegates hailed from across the fresh fruit, vegetable and floral supply chain, around the region and the globe. Held 24-26 June in Auckland, PMA Fresh Connections 2014 attracted producers, marketers, wholesalers, retailers, foodservice operators, suppliers and other sectors. For example, New Zealand retailer Foodstuffs brought more than 100 of their store owners and produce managers. Over 1100 delegates travelled to Auckland from within New Zealand, as well as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, People’s Republic of China, the United States and Vietnam.
Ronan Bowles, Business Manager - Produce Imports for Foodstuffs North Island Ltd said that the event was a continuation of the great conferences held each year in Australia:
"The trade show was exceptionally well attended this year and provided excellent opportunities for us to connect with suppliers and customers. Foodstuffs invited store owners and produce managers for a day long presentation, which was well attended and received. It also gave our members an opportunity to experience the wider produce industry by visiting the trade show and having the opportunity to attend some of the other sessions,” he said.
Conference highlights
Conference highlights included joint welcoming comments from the Australian Minister for Agriculture Hon. Barnaby Joyce and New Zealand Minister for Primary Industries Hon. Nathan Guy. An inspiring business success story from opening day presenter John Anderson, founder of Contiki Travel, had delegates talking for the rest of the conference. Tim Reid, host of Australia’s #1 marketing podcast The Small Business Big Marketing Show, offered insight on low-cost, easy-to-implement marketing tools such as blogs and podcasts.
In addition to the conference sessions, Dr Hazel MacTavish-West of MacTavish West Pty Ltd said that the post-conference grower tour to Pukekohe was a highlight of her experience:
"The post-conference grower tour was the best-organised of its type I have ever been on," she said. "There was a very good mix of businesses; and the engineering vision and organisation of Compac Sorting Equipment was mind blowing. PMA Fresh Connections is the highlight in the horticultural marketing year for me," she added.
Speaker presentations will be made available over the coming weeks via the event website.
Trade show highlights
The sold-out trade show featuring over 2200 square metres of exhibits was standing room only, with the unique light-filled exhibition space offered by the Viaduct Event Centre adding to the wow-factor.
"For us PMA Fresh Connections was the best opportunity we've ever had to meet with our clients and customers in both Australia and New Zealand at the same time, because everyone was there," said John Baker, Chief Executive of Produce Marketing Australia. "Added to that, the outstanding Viaduct Events Centre with its combination of light filled exhibition area and conference rooms made it a conference to remember," he finished.
Produce donation to Auckland City Mission
Several tonnes of premium-quality fresh fruit and vegetables were on display at the trade show, and were later donated to Auckland City Mission (ACM).
"It is seldom that we have such a great range of fresh produce to put in our food parcels," said Diane Robertson, CEO of ACM. "We distributed the food to families through our six food banks and it was both gratefully and ecstatically received by our families."
Awards
Produce Plus and PMA A-NZ presented OneHarvest’s Andrew Francey and his marketing team with their Marketer of the Award 2014 for OneHarvest’s Australian launch of the “Love Beets” brand.
“Starting with the development of an Australian look and feel to the Love Beets brand and livery, the well-integrated marketing campaign succeeded in giving beetroot a vibrant and contemporary new personality,” judges said.
The PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award was presented at the conference Gala Dinner along with three other awards. The Horticulture New Zealand Bledisloe Cup for service to horticulture was awarded to Michael Gaffaney, former Secretary of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Charitable Trust; while the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Wholesaler’s Meritorious Service Award went to Stephen Edwards of Murray Bros, and their Col Johnson Young Achievers Award went to Hamish Montague of Montague Fresh.
Student Reaction
Ten university students from Australia and New Zealand earned prestigious scholarships to explore fresh produce careers by attending the conference, under the guidance of industry mentors. The scholarship program, which targets top university students who might not otherwise consider produce careers, is run by PMA A-NZ in conjunction with PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent.
Fellow participant Arjune Dhaya from Massey University found the mentoring aspect to be particularly valuable:
"The mentor to student relationship component of the Career Pathways Program was very beneficial, and has led to potential job opportunities. My mentor introduced me to many delegates within our industry that I haven’t met before. I made new contacts and got to see what the produce industry is currently going through, and was also excited to see the new innovations that are up and coming."
Since the PMA A-NZ Career Pathways Program began in 2007, 50 university students have participated in these industry immersion programs. Of those participants, approximately 67 percent began careers in the industry. The Career Pathways Program is one component of PMA A-NZ’s Industry Talent Initiative, designed to attract, develop and retain key staff.
Co-hosts
This year’s conference was the result of a first-ever trans-Tasman collaboration among PMA A-NZ, the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers, Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ), and United Fresh New Zealand. It also incorporated HortNZ’s longstanding annual conference.
Future PMA Events
PMA Fresh Connections will return to Melbourne in 2015, from 12-14 May at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. For further information, visit www.pmafreshconnections.com.au.
For more information:
Erin Hart
PMA Australia-New Zealand Ltd
Tel: +61 3 8844 5536
Email: e.hart@pma-anz.com