Turning our focus toward “Feeding the Future”

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

In a thematically crucial scene in the movie Dead Poet’s Society, instructor John Keating – captivatingly played by Robin Williams – shocks his literature students by leaping atop his desk telling them that he does this “…to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.” Then, in a maneuver hauntingly revisited in the film’s final scene, Keating invites his students to also stand on his desk, sharing in this adventure of viewing life from a refreshingly different vantage point. Keating’s point is well taken. Each of us should periodically leave our familiar settings to see our world from a new perspective.

To provide our members with a prime perspective enhancing opportunity, this year’s FMI 2016 Midwinter Executive Conference will focus on the demands of “Feeding the Future” and the implications for products, the marketplace, customer expectations and enhanced operations.

This exclusive event is specifically designed to help our industry leaders catch a fresh point of view that will sharpen their prophetic vision and enrich their leadership. Elite educational opportunities will expose them to the thought processes of today’s best business experts and industry practitioners. Casual and intentional interactions with senior-level colleagues across multiple food industry sectors will offer new insights into the issues and concerns confronting the industry. The Strategic Executive Exchange program provides structured one to one time with trading partners, creating an environment in which marketing imagination and business innovations can flourish.

Returning to Fontainebleau Miami Beach in 2016, we hope many of our members will join us in January as we explore the crucial role food retail will play in tomorrow’s world. For more information about the Midwinter Executive Conference, please visit www.fmi.org/mw2016.