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ARLINGTON, Texas — The next milestone in the development of a vibrant community dedicated to nonfoods products within FMI – The Food Industry Association will be reached in September, when the group’s first business conference devoted to such categories is convened here.
Held in conjunction with FMI’s Annual Business Conference (ABC), the nonfoods event will run from September 8 through September 10 at the Lowes Arlington Hotel and Convention Center. Intended to facilitate joint business planning between retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, the conference will feature a series of private, 20-minute tabletop meetings involving senior-level executives. Participants will have an opportunity to exchange ideas about merchandising, marketing, growth strategies and more, as they work to raise consumer awareness and interest in nonfoods products sold in grocery stores. Using the FMI scheduling tool to book appointments, attendees can take advantage of as many as 24 meetings during the course of the event.
In addition to the one-on-one meetings, the FMI Nonfoods Business Conference will feature several plenary sessions. Senior advisor Tom Duffy says that Steve Markenson, the association’s vice president of research and insights, will unveil highlights from the second installment of FMI’s “The Power of Nonfoods at Retail” study. Duffy adds that current plans also envision a presentation by a leading consumer insights company, as well as a session devoted to sustainability and the workforce.
FMI will leverage synergies between the nonfoods event and ABC, which will begin September 9 at the Lowes Arlington and conclude September 12. The latter conference is entirely devoted to private meetings among business partners. Attendees at both events will have ample opportunity for informal interaction in a collaboration lounge and during breakfast and lunch sessions.
