News Room

New FMI Annual Business Conference to Focus on Not-for-Resale Products, Equipment and Services

March 15, 2007
Contact:

Bill Greer

202-220-0667

wgreer@fmi.org

Arlington, VA — March 15, 2007 — The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is launching a new Annual Business Conference (ABC) to bring together retailers and wholesalers with manufacturers of products, equipment, and services needed by stores and warehouses. This event will debut October 17-19 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
     
"The conference will resemble the very successful model of our ABC for consumer products," said FMI Senior Vice President Brian Tully. "It will provide top executives highly focused, one-on-one meetings needed to achieve optimum efficiency from the myriad systems needed to operate a supermarket or distribution center. Senior procurement executives will find participation in this to be a very rewarding and efficient."

The ABC provides a forum for trading partners to focus on the industry’s most important strategic issues. It combines well-planned and disciplined meetings to examine industry and company issues within an informal environment to foster innovative solutions. The event enables manufacturers to address design, environmental and maintenance features in the fixturing category.
     
This meeting will offer two components:

Business Conference Suites — 45-minute meetings between trading partners to discuss strategic, long-term goals. These will be scheduled in advance with the agendas jointly developed by the participants.

The Hospitality Suite — networking lounge/meeting place for informal conversation.
Executives will have additional opportunities to interact at receptions and meals throughout the event.
     
This annual conference will be held in the fall, while the ABC for consumer products will remain a spring event.
     
The number of people who can attend will be limited by time and space. This limited capacity will serve to enhance intimacy and minimize distractions. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit www.fmi.org/events/.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion.  FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members. 

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