- Food Marketing Institute announces keynote lineup for the 2017 Future Leaders eXperience conference
ARLINGTON, VA, 2017-Apr-05 — /EPR Retail News/ — Food Marketing Institute (FMI) today (April 4, 2017) announces its keynote lineup for the 2017 Future Leaders eXperience, the organization’s premier professional development conference. FMI aims to inspire the next generation of industry leaders with an epically different approach to its traditional event.
The keynotes will serve as preludes to more in-depth learning environments related to optimizing peak performance; developing productivity; encouraging team building; providing inventive ways to motivate staff; and highlighting strategic storytelling skills. The speaker lineup includes a best-selling author and Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, an Emmy-winning television personality and author, and a national champion storyteller. They will set the tone for a reinvented event format that breaks down traditional learning environments and encourages cross-industry, cross-company and cross-functional collaboration.
“To prepare our future leaders for the rapidly evolving food retail environment, among the goals for the 2017 program was to create a safe environment that invites participants to get out of their comfort zones and stretch their leadership aptitude,” Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, said. “Businesses are required to be more authentic than ever before, and in an industry like ours, where customer service is the differentiator, food industry executives must be prepared and confident to engage with business partners and customers in constructive new ways.”
Sarasin continued, “Our goal is to build strong bonds among participants, bonds that may very well last a lifetime. Our Future Leaders eXperience’s new dynamic design presents an opportunity for participants to network with others across different parts of the industry and even those from their own company. In an industry that employs 3.4 million people, just think of the possibilities for new connections and experiences.”
Carol Abel, vice president of education and program development for FMI, echoed the enthusiasm for the new format, saying, “The Future Leaders eXperience co-chairs and program committee sought to construct a unique learning laboratory with hands-on exercises that companies could not host themselves, where their employees could learn in teams with other professionals across regions and areas of responsibility. We feel our event attendees will be challenged and put into practice their experiences when they return to their respective workplaces.”
Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion. Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores. For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.
Contact:
Tel: 202-452-8444
Fax: 202-429-4519
Source: FMI
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