Fall 2023
From the IFEC President
Happy Fall IFEC,
It doesn’t feel like it in Florida but fall will be here this weekend and that means the annual conference is right around the corner! I can tell you from experience, Louisville has a lot more to offer than just bourbon and bluegrass. We also have great speakers with Sara Bradley kicking off the conference, Colin Blake from Moonshine University, and Peter Shankman on the New Butterfly Effect. The food and history is uniquely Louisville and you can experience it on the dynamic food tours. I look forward to sharing it all with you. There is information below if you have not yet registered and there is still time to become a sponsor as well. Also make sure virtual Meet the Press is on your calendar – also below. It is a great way to prep for Office Hours and also offers great topics for networking. I look forward to seeing you in November!
Cheers!
Megan
Megan McKenna
Your IFEC President
Bourbon, Bites & Bluegrass
Register Today!
You will never be able to experience Louisville like this again. Sip, nosh, network and learn alongside industry colleagues in the heart of the Culinary Capital of Bourbon Country. Travel + Leisure calls Louisville one of “America’s Favorite Cities for Food” and our annual Chef Showcase will allow you to sample plates from local chefs as they creatively feature sponsor’s products. Forge connections with B2B media members, public relations professionals, manufacturers and freelance writers while also participating in IFEC’s revered office hours meetings, trend sessions and professional development sessions. Click here for the latest agenda and list of our generous sponsors.
Keynote speaker, Kentucky native, Chef Sara Bradley winner of Food Network’s ‘Chopped: All American Showdown’ will discuss the Kentucky food scene, her our personal career challenges and engage in a lively Q&A, as a Chef Showcase participant there will be the unique opportunity to sample her talents firsthand.
New for this year an additional professional development session with noted speaker Peter Shankman “The New Butterfly Effect: Why the Customer Experience Matters More Now Than Ever Before” where attendees will learn:
- The five rules of the customer economy
- Why speed matters
- How to stay “top-of-mind” in every customer’s mind, from beginning to end
- How millennials, as well as Generations Z and Neuroatypical are consuming content in this new age, and how you can get in front of them
Don’t delay, register today!
Virtual Meet the Press
The 2023 Virtual Meet the Press brought to you by our sustainability partner Aussie Beef & Lamb will be held on October 17 from 3:00-4:30 pm in a Zoom Webinar. All registered conference attendees will receive the registration link for this exclusive access to the live session in a separate email next week.
This webinar will be instead of a session on-site at the annual conference in Louisville in November. All conference registrants will be eligible to participate in this live session but it will also be recorded for later viewing. If you are registered for the conference you are highly encouraged to attend the session live for Q&A. The link to view the recorded session will be available in the Member Toolkit in mid-November along with the Meet the Press deck. Last year’s recording is there for your reference as well.
It is not too late to register for the conference and request office hours appointments. All office hours appointment requests must be received by October 12th for distribution on October 16.
Whova App
We are using a new conference app this year, Whova. Instructions on how to download it will be emailed separately in early October.
Sponsorships are Still Available
Register for a sponsorship here. We especially need more menu items and gift bags items for the November 1-3, 2023 conference in Louisville.
Omni Reservations Update
The room block of $199 rooms at the Omni may be accessed here. There are rooms available but there is an issue if you include Friday night, November 3rd in your reservation request. Book rooms up to Friday and then book Friday separately or call the hotel front desk to add Friday night.
Movers & Shakers
School Nutrition Association wins multiple awards
Belated congratulations to School Nutrition Association on winning two ASAE gold circle awards and an AM&P Excel Award in June. It is never too late to give them a round of applause!
ACF’s National Culinary Review Tabbie Award
2023 Tabbie Award (honorable mention) from TABPI for best single issue for the May/June 2023 issue. They got the No. 17 out of 25 spot for the top single issues among association publications entering nationwide and the only food/culinary magazine in the group. Kudos to editor Amelia Levin on their first ever award since since she fought hard to make the magazine public this year, for the first time in 91 years.
Member Updates
The IFEC Board Nominations
Seeking candidates for the 2024-2026 Board term, both editors and non-editors. Board members are expected to:
- Serve a 3-year term
- Attend multiple board meetings a year:
- In-person: During the NRA Show in Chicago in May, Monday morning, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Virtual board meetings to be scheduled
- Board terms follow the calendar year, but newly elected members are urged to attend the fall board meeting as non-voting members as part of board
- Take a leadership role by keeping informed of IFEC programs, supporting initiatives, helping develop industry support, contributing to long-range planning and leading/advising committees
- Keep informed of and advocate for the memberships’ interests
2024 Salt Lake City Conference Update
IFEC is facing challenges with its membership, conference registrations, and sponsorships so the Board has postponed the Salt Lake City conference. The Board will be working to reassess IFEC’s value proposition and associated revenue and expense structure to better secure the future of the organization. Next steps will be shared with the membership in the coming months. If you have questions or would like to share your vision for a revamped IFEC, please reach out to Megan McKenna at mmckenna@watermelon.org.
New members
We’re happy to welcome these newly-minted IFECers:
Josh Archibald
Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA)
Tillamook, OR
JArchibald@tillamook.com
Ben Borden
Bader Rutter
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
bborden@bader-rutter.com
Nancy Bostrom
919 Marketing Company
Holly Springs, NC
nbostrom@919marketing.com
Brennan Burks
Motif FoodWorks
Boston, MA
bburks@motiffoodworks.com
Raleigh Cavey
FleishmanHillard
Denver, CO
raleigh.cavey@fleishman.com
Susan Coyle
American Egg Board
Chicago, IL
scoyle@aeb.org
Julia Dacri
Motif FoodWorks
Boston, MA
jdacri@motiffoodworks.com
Kaya Freiman
Emmi Roth USA, Inc.
FITCHBURG, Wisconsin
kaya.freiman@emmirothusa.com
Benita Gingerella
Winsight Media
Chicago, IL
bgingerella@winsightmedia.com
Abbey Govett
Revelry Group
Ketchum, ID
agovett@revelrygroup.com
Jodi Green
Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.
Moses Lake, WA
jgreen@osfruits.com
Chayton Hemsey
Ketchum
South Bend, IN
chayton.hemsey@ketchum.com
Mariah Meurer
American Lamb Board
Denver, CO
Mariah@americanlamb.com
Mary Moenning
Curious Plot
Hayfield, MN
mmoenning@curiousplot.agency
Julia Para
Esrock Partners, Inc.
Burr Ridge, IL
jpara@esrock.com
Alison Rosenblum
Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA)
Tillamook, OR
arosenblum@tillamook.com
Eric Secher
Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA)
Portland, OR
esecher@tillamook.com
Josh Smith
McCormick & Co.
Hunt Valley, MD
josh_smith@mccormick.com
Elly Ventura
World Centric
Rhonert Park, CA
elly.ventura@worldcentric.com
Taylor Zollo
Edelman on behalf of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
taylor.zollo@edelman.com