The Southwest International Produce Expo, planned for November 2-4 in Tucson may be an inaugural event, but it’s also the 54th edition of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas’ BB #:144354 annual meeting.
This year’s event includes education sessions, an expo, and a golf tournament. To get you ready to SWIPE, here’s the event agenda. Check in with www.swipeexpo.com for any last-minute updates.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2
10:00am-2:00pm : Booth setup
11:00am-1:00pm : Annual Member luncheon meeting- including Member of Year and Pillar awards (FPAA Members ONLY)
5:30pm-6:30pm : VIP Reception (By Invitation ONLY)
6:30pm-11:00pm : Opening Fiesta
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3
8:30am-10:30am : Retail Tour at AJ’s Fine Foods
(Meet at Hotel Lobby at 8am for transport to AJ’s)
11:00am-1:15pm : Educational sessions
11:00am-11:40am Diversify to Deal with Disruptions – Supply and price shocks have become more common, with massive crop failures after Florida hurricanes and flooding from California atmospheric rivers. Meanwhile, governments and buyers are instituting changes, such as by regulating plastic packaging and labor practices by exporters. How are buyers re-evaluating supplier relationships during these challenging times?
Speakers: Julie Olivarria/Sysco, Jeremy Smith/Charlies’ Produce, Caitlin Tierney/Produce Executive, Ron Lemaire/Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Patrick Mills/Basha’s & Melissa De Leon/ AndNowYouKnow, Moderator.
11:45am- 12:25pm – Delivering Value Across Customer Tiers – With inflationary pressures, how will consumer purchasing patterns alter how retail chains segment their customer bases?
Speakers: Tony Mitchell/Indianapolis Fruit, Andy Hamilton/Markon, Zack Jones/Save On Foods & Daniel Bell/Grocery Outlet. Moderated by Greg Johnson of Blue Book Services/The Produce Reporter
12:30pm- 1:15pm – Women Leaders in the Produce Industry
Speakers: Dania Guzman/Walmart, Katie Calligaro/IFPA, Caitlin Tierney/Produce Executive, Raquel Espinoza, Moderator.
1:30pm-5:30 pm : Expo/Culinary Showcase
6:30pm-10:00pm : Reception
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
7:00am-7:45am : Golf/Tennis Registration
8:00am – 10:00am : Tennis Tournament
8:00am – 2:00pm : Golf Tournament
2:00pm-4:00pm : Tournament Awards Luncheon
