Sponsored By

FMI plans new virtual event for this summer

Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange to facilitate trading partner collaboration

Russell Redman

May 4, 2020

2 Min Read
FMI conference attendees
FMI said the Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange will employ a new, virtual trading partner platform, as used in its Strategic Executive Exchanges.FMI

With in-person conferences currently a no-go during the coronavirus pandemic, FMI-The Food Industry Association this summer plans to hold a virtual event to foster grocery and food industry interaction.

Called the FMI Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange, the event will launch in early July and leverage a new, virtual trading partner platform, as used in the association’s Strategic Executive Exchanges, FMI said Monday. The program is aimed at accelerating business recovery and streamlining supply chain collaboration, FMI noted.

Leslie Sarasin-FMI-headshot.jpg“COVID-19 has provided FMI members a vivid reminder of the need for enhanced communications and planning and has proven that agility and speed are the new normal as companies seek to stabilize their business operations and better prepare for a future filled with unknowns,” FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said in a statement. “To help facilitate addressing these industry needs, I am pleased to announce a unique, virtual, strategic opportunity for trading partner collaboration to identify, prioritize and address the industry’s most pressing business issues.”

Plans call for FMI Midsummer 2020 to kick off with a keynote presentation on July 7 and run over eight business days in two rounds, from July 7 to 10 and then from July 13 to 16. FMI said the collaborative technology platform will offer participants 48 meeting time slots via, allowing retailers and suppliers to pick the dates, times and the number of meetings that best meet their availability and needs over the course of the event.

Related:FMI forms online hiring marketplace with Eightfold.ai

FMI Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange-logo.jpgFMI Midsummer 2020 is open to FMI members from retail, wholesale, consumer products companies and suppliers who sell food, beverage and nonfood products. FMI said those interested need to sign up by May 22 to reserve a spot and then register by June 2. FMI and its technology partner will provide participants with online live and on-demand training tutorials for the platform, with a focus on the virtual meeting room features. Technical support will be available before and throughout the event, according to FMI.  

“The possibility of focused, private online meetings with multiple company teams over the course of a few days is an excellent opportunity for trading partners to regroup, discuss business challenges, opportunities and anticipate post-pandemic shifting consumer shopping behaviors,” commented Mark Baum, senior vice president of industry relations and chief collaboration officer at FMI.

FMI added that the Midsummer program offers business continuity and complements the upcoming FMI Annual Business Conference scheduled for Sept. 13 to 16 in Dallas — at which top executives across the food retail value chain collaborate in private meetings, hosted by CPG supplier partners — and the 2021 Midwinter Executive Conference, slated for Jan. 22 to 25 in Phoenix.

Related:FMI: Supermarkets facing a demand issue, not a supply issue

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like