PMA Fresh Summit returns to New Orleans

This year’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo has been designed to make it easier for attendees to find the innovative ideas that keep businesses ahead of the curve, and to connect with other attendees who have similar interests during Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2013 Fresh Summit convenes Oct. 18-20, returning to New Orleans, La., USA for the first time since 2002.

Key highlights of this year’s event include:

Future-focused general sessions featuring author Peter Sheahan on creative strategies for turning challenge into opportunity and change into competitive advantage, innovator Mat Shore on the seven deadly sins of innovation, and PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann’s popular annual State of the Industry address.

A new Innovation @ Work destination will incorporate popular Fresh Summit staples, including the New Products Showcase with its Just 4 Kids section, Impact Awards for Excellence in Packaging, and Sensory Experience recipe contest finalists. New this year, the New Products Showcase will feature a Digital Innovations section, including mobile applications and software.

Last year’s popular two-day expo format will return. The expo will also feature a new Floral Pavilion, to provide a destination for floral buyers and sellers.

Attendees can again personalize their experience by connecting with communities based upon their specific business interests: Science & Technology (including food safety), Global Connections and Industry Talent. Meanwhile, first-time attendees can tap into new resources designed to help maximize their experience online and onsite. Women in produce can come together to network and learn at Friday’s PMA Foundation Women’s Fresh Perspectives Leadership Breakfast.

“How fitting that a convention focused on innovation and change is being held in New Orleans, a city that has itself been reborn from challenge,” said PMA’s Silbermann. “We are looking forward to celebrating fresh produce in a city that is world famous for its food culture.”

What’s not changing: Fresh Summit is still the place the global fresh produce supply chain comes together, with more than 20,000 attendees expected from more than 60 countries.

For complete details, visit www.freshsummit.com. Early registration discounts are available through Sept. 13; advance registration closes on Oct. 4. On-site registration will be available at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center beginning on Oct. 17.

For more information:
Ashley Boucher
Email: aboucher@pma.com
Tel: +1 (302) 738-7100, ext. 3092