A Billion-Dollar Sales Opportunity

By Margaret Core, Vice President, Industry Events, Food Marketing Institute 

FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin urged the industry’s leaders from the Midwinter Executive Conference stage, “We must pick up the pace because in this world it’s not the big fish eating the little fish; it is the fast fish eating the slow one. And this increased pace of change may be the only thing that doesn’t change during our lifetimes.”

Her challenge is underscored by how there’s a critical need for real-time, reliable information, which is why at FMI Connect in June, we will focus on three major forces that create the inertia for this momentum: competition, consumers and efficiency.

FMI Connect chair and Hy-Vee President and CEO Randy Edeker offered that a trip to Chicago in June should be one with purpose. He challenged fellow retailer executives from the stage he shared with Leslie at Midwinter to organize and commit a team to attend FMI Connect. Randy pledged to bring 144 Hy-Vee employees in order to explore trends, to touch, feel, plan, and dream and think big in their approach to the five football fields of exhibits in addition to a robust education agenda.

Randy said FMI Connect’s broader vision was complemented by an exciting new program, Connect Business Exchange, or CBX. These one-on-one, 20-minute meetings between buyers and category managers will ensure the FMI Connect exhibit floor is abuzz with business opportunities. In fact, Hy-Vee committed to hosting 22 tables, featuring  center store; produce; deli/bakery; foodservice; general merchandise; beauty; health and beauty care; specialty foods; organic/natural; equipment; candy; C-store buyers; and operators at each table. He said these interactive planning meetings will only strengthen the purpose of FMI Connect.

FMI chairman and President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Jerry Garland corroborated Randy’s main stage address and offered enthusiasm for the new CBX program saying, “I believe CBX is a billion-dollar sales opportunity.”