WASHINGTON, DC — July 14, 2003 — Leadership development strategies, business ethics, sexual harassment and other contemporary issues — all explored via a variety of interactive formats — highlight the 2003 Human Resources/Training & Development Conference, September 21-24, in Washington, DC.

Sponsored by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the conference will also feature presentation of the 2003 Maximizing People Potential Award. Introduced in 2002, the award recognizes a retail or wholesale company that has made a significant achievement in the areas of human resources (HR) and training/development.
The conference features educational programming presented in a variety of formats:

• General Sessions on “big picture” issues impacting the industry, including industry and HR trends, business ethics, measuring HR’s return on investment, and retail success stories.

• Concurrent Seminars providing the latest information on benefit cost control, employee relations, creative training and management development.

• Interactive Clinics offering hands-on help in managing mentoring, recognizing high-performers, dealing with sexual harassment and developing high-impact teams.

• Facilitated Breakfast Forums featuring peer-to-peer discussions on diversity, recruitment and leadership assessment.

• Sponsor Showcase where attendees can meet with suppliers whose products and services have industry-specific applications.

“The Human Resources/Training and Development Conference offers practical, innovative HR and training solutions to help develop positive employee relations,” said HR/T&D Committee Chair Larry Mulrey, director, human resources, Foodmaster Supermarkets, Inc., Chelsea, MA. “The conference planning committee worked to develop a must-attend program for industry HR and training executives, field trainers, and store operators responsible for HR and training.”

In addition to the educational sessions, the conference agenda features tours of Washington-area stores, including The Container Store, which is consistently voted one of the best companies to work for in America by Fortune magazine. Also planned are several networking events, including an opening night dinner, an awards banquet and a guided tour of the nation’s capital at night.

Awards Program Recognizes “Best of the Best”

In recognition of excellence in human resources and training initiatives, FMI will present the 2nd annual “Maximizing People Potential” Award at a formal ceremony during the conference. The award is given to a retail or wholesale company that has developed an exceptional HR or training program. The deadline for entries is July 31. Eight semifinalists will be selected and companies notified by August 31. Semifinalists will give a 15-20 minute presentation before an initial judging panel at the conference on Sunday, September 21. The panel will select three finalists to showcase their initiative at the afternoon general session on Monday, September 22. Conference attendees will vote for the most exceptional entry, and the winner will be announced and presented with a trophy at an awards dinner that evening.

For more information on FMI’s 2003 Human Resources/Training and Development Conference, please contact hrtd@fmi.org or visit http://www.fmi.org/events/.