KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Food service industry representatives will be descending on downtown Kalamazoo later this week, as Western Michigan University hosts its annual Food Marketing Conference.
Expecting more than 1,000 industry professionals, the live hybrid event will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25 and 26. Conference organizers say they have a full slate of sessions that will focus on connecting industry leaders through discussions about strategy, customer trends, technology, brand building, sustainability, and social responsibility.
The event at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center will feature executives and directors from all areas of the food industry, as well as an update about WMU’s food marketing program, which provides talent to the leading companies that attend the conference.
“We are thrilled with the lineup of top speakers from the food industry, cementing why Kalamazoo is the place to be March 25 and 26,” says Dr. Russell Zwanka, director of the WMU food marketing program. “With our unique blend of panel sessions, speaker keynotes and engaging interactions, The FMC combines a food industry conference with the high energy that comes from WMU’s talented students.”
The conference’s keynote speakers include Spencer Baird, chief executive officer at Inmar Intelligence; Elizabeth Buchanan, president at NielsenIQ; Tammy DeBoer, president at Harris Teeter; Jim Griffin, president of North America at Daymon; Amy McClellan, executive vice president and chief customer officer at SpartanNash; and Don Sanderson, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Meijer.
Panel sessions will feature topics ranging from leadership in times of change to shopper insights, brand building and harnessing the power of people and technology.
Annually the conference raises more than $100,000 for student scholarships and experience-driven learning.
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