Are You Ready to Compete in the Big Leagues?

By: Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute 

Travel with me for a bit into the realm of a sports metaphor, as we explore the value of preparation.

While some of us are gearing up for the creative commercials and are wondering what Katy Perry will sing during the halftime show,  no doubt the team members still vying for the Super Bowl XLIX trophy have other things on their minds as they anticipate the February 1 event.  As we travel the winding path that leads to the NFL Championship game, you can bet the level of attention teams are giving to their preparation intensifies.  Teams gifted and fortunate enough to still be in the running are scrutinizing their opposition to identify strengths, so they know where their challenges lie, and they are looking for places where their opponents are vulnerable so that they may exploit those opportunities.  Teams have been undergoing conditioning and strength-building exercises for months, but now are redoubling efforts to ensure their players are in top physical health.  And coaches are reviewing every detail of team operations, looking for those special places where they can conserve energy, improve efficiency and manage resources, so that they  can be optimized when most needed. Staff members are evaluating the team playbook, making sure their options maximize the talent on the field.  They are making sure the team is ready for the Arizona climate.

Every aspect of the teams’ performance receives this intense scrutiny because while it is one thing to be outplayed the day of the game,  it is quite another to be out-prepared by your competition before the game even begins.  None of them wants to lose because they weren’t ready to play. Certain  circumstances the day of the game may be beyond a team’s control, but being as prepared as possible leading up to the game is well within an organization’s capabilities.

In 2015, FMI Connect will take place June 8-11 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, with the exhibit floor opening on the 9^th.   This event, with its surrounding options of the Future Leaders sessions June 8 – 10 and the Retail Food Safety Forum on June 11 and 12^th, is the single most important preparatory event of the year for food retailers.  Every single aspect of FMI Connect – the new products on the show floor, the stellar educational offerings touching every aspect of store operations, the new One–to–One business meetings, the Supermarket Chef Showdown and the inspiring networking opportunities – all work together  to ensure food retail teams are at their best and ready to compete.  Over the course of the few days at FMI Connect, food retailers will receive game-changing new insights into their customers’ shopping preferences, be exposed to models of improving efficiencies and managing costs and will come to know their competition in a deeper, more meaningful way.  If you want your team ready to compete in the big leagues, you dare not miss FMI Connect 2015, the Global Food Retail Experience.