Annual Conference
IFEC’s Annual Conference, A Toast to the Coast, originally scheduled for this November in Santa Barbara has been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. IFEC To-Go will be held instead – a creative spin on virtual event offerings, bringing together IFEC classics such as Meet the Press and Office Hours along with newfangled networking, fun educational opportunities and the latest updates about how to navigate the rapidly changing foodservice media landscape.
October 27, 2020 Agenda
Agenda subject to change. All times listed are Eastern Standard Time. 15-20 minute breaks are built in between each session. All attendees are encouraged to participate in all sessions.
Join us for IFEC To Go
12:00– 12:45 Welcome/Keynote sponsored by California Walnut Board
Aaron Noveshen, founder and CEO of Starbird Chicken and The Culinary Edge “Pandemic-Proof Model”
Restaurants are responding to consumers leaning into tech not only for convenience but safety amidst COVID-19. Starbird performed extremely well during the COVID era due to its quick response to the crisis, plus its already-established frictionless customer experience that leveraged technology. Coupled with better, higher-quality ingredients, it’s a recipe for success. Other brands are now trying to catch up. What’s on the horizon for mobile and online ordering, as well as pickup, and delivery?
1:00pm California Milk Advisory Board Trend Session
2:00 STATE of the INDUSTRY Panel
Moderator: Sam Oches, Editorial Director, Food News Media
Panelists:
Chef Vitaly Paley, Paley’s Place, Portland, OR
Jason Knoll, Vice President of Culinary at Another Broken Egg of America Franchising, LLC
Bridget Wasser, Executive Director, Meat Science, Culinary & Supply Chain at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)
Ron Salzman, Vice President of Foodservice at Reser’s Foodservice
Brought to you by Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, National Watermelon Promotion Board, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association & Reser’s Foodservice
- Technology
- Food Trends
- Serving Trends
- New Restaurant Practices in New Normal
- How e-commerce will factor into foodservice
- What it will take to survive in a post-COVID-19 world
3:00 pm American Egg Board Trend Session
4:00 pm National Mango Board mixology session with Tony Pereyra of The Spirits in Motion©
4:15 pm MEDIA PANEL “Digital media NOW – who, what, when, where & why” sponsored by National Honey Board
Moderator: Mike Kostyo
- Pitching in the era of COVID 2
- Finding the right balance and tone amid the pandemic and other national crisis
- Envisioning the foodservice industry of the future (post-COVID)
- Reality of the Brand Needs Vs. Reality of Newsrooms
- Earned and Paid Trade Opps. for Brands
Office Hour appointments will be scheduled over the following dates: October 28, 29, 30 & November 2.
Diamond Sponsors
Idahoan Foods
National Honey Board
National Peanut Board
Speaker and Panel Sponsors
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
California Walnuts
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
National Honey Board
National Mango Board
National Watermelon Promotion Board
Reser’s Foodservice
Gold
ArrowStream
California Avocado Commission
Hershey Foodservice
Idaho Potato Commission
Banner Ads
Idahoan Foods
Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service
Participant Welcome Gift
General Mills Convenience & Foodservice
Silver
California Walnuts
Swag for Editors
Gold&Green Pulled Oats
National Peanut Board
Post Event Media Session
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
Trend Sessions
American Egg Board
California Milk Advisory Board
Zoom Sponsors
National Watermelon Promotion Board
Be sure to save the date for the 2021 Fall Conference: October 25-27 at the Annapolis Graduate Hotel. We look forward to seeing you at NRA in the spring and in Annapolis next Fall. Santa Barbara conference dates for fall 2022 will be announced.
We may not be together in-person this year but we will be in spirit…
65% of IFEC survey respondents report getting an introduction to a new colleague/collaborator and 54% indicated that getting content or a picture in a story was a direct result from attending an IFEC conference.
Members are eligible to participate in Office Hours, watch this video to get a glimpse of what happens during Office Hours.
Sponsorships
Any IFEC members are welcome to sponsor at the annual conference. What can sponsorships do for your brand?
Create story leads “The product presentations spark story ideas, provide culinary leads (from those companies that bring along their chefs) and make the IFEC meals and breaks very tasty…. product presentations really bring the products to life for those of us who usually just see press releases.” — Patricia Cobe, senior editor, Restaurant Business magazine
Make memorable impressions “They help to supplement the pitches I might get at Office Hours and I will remember when developing future editorial. For example, mangoes got on my radar (and in my editorial calendar) more because of IFEC than any other p.r. channel. A feature on different color potatoes came out of a long-ago product presentation.” — Patricia Fitzgerald, executive editor, School Nutrition magazine
Provide product education “I like the product presentations and I think they’re great in terms of learning about an ingredient/different ways to use it on the menu/different dishes. … I tweeted about almost every product presentation I went to, I tweeted photos too. I think they give me ideas or inspire a story…” — Tara Fitzpatrick, associate editor, Food Management & Supermarket News
Generate PR partnerships “The best results are often unanticipated, such as when a food editor comes up afterwards and asks for an exclusive to feature the product or another publicist says ‘let’s partner on something next time.'” — Don Odiorne, former vice president food service, Idaho Potato Commission
Types of Opportunities Chef Showcase Learning Session Activities Featuring Products Product Placements in Meals Gift Items & Similar Branding Opportunities
Past Conference Locations
Year City Dates Hotel President
2019 Madison, WI Oct 28-30 The Edgewater Douglas Peckenpaugh
2018 Raleigh, NC Oct 24-27 Marriott City Center Tom O’Brien
2017 Boulder, Co Oct 25-27 The Boulderado Patty Fitzgerald
2016 Minneapolis Oct 26-28 Radisson Blu Cathy Holley
2015 Portland, ME Nov 2-4 The Westin Harborview Sam Oches
2014 Dallas Nov 3-5 Dallas Omni Sam Oches
2013 Portland, OR Oct 28-30 Doubletree by Hilton J. Yarbrough
2012 Nashville Nov 5-8 Sheraton Music City Megan McKenna
2011 Washington DC Nov 7-10 Washington Plaza Jason Stemm
2010 New Orleans Nov 7-12 Royal Sonesta D. Hood Crecca
2009 San Diego Oct. 12-15 Westin San Diego Tia Woodward
2008 Cleveland Nov. 3 – 6 Renaissance Cleveland Allison Perlik
2007 Austin Nov 5 – 8 Austin Omni Mary Humann
2006 Chicago Nov 14-17 Renaissance Chicago Alexei Rudolf
2005 Savannah, GA Oct 25-28 Hilton Savannah DeSoto Bret Thorn
2004 Seattle Oct 12-15 Red Lion on Fifth Avenue Don Odiorne
2003 Denver Nov 4-7 Westin Tabor Center Jamie Estes
2002 Santa Fe Nov 5-8 El Dorado Mary Petersen
2001 Providence, RI Oct 30-Nov 3 Westin Providence John Williams
2000 Napa, CA Oct 31-Nov 4 The Silverado Paula Disbrowe
1999 Miami Oct 12-15 Hyatt Regency Miami Amy Shipley
1998 San Antonio Nov 1-5 Plaza San Antonio P. McCormick
1997 Portland, OR Oct 5-9 Portland Hilton Larry Levine
1996 Philadelphia Nov 12-16 Bellevue Gail Bellamy
1995 Charleston Nov 14-18 Omni Charleston Place Steve Siegelman
1994 San Francisco Nov 15-18 Stouffer Stanford Court Kerri Conan
1993 Milwaukee Sept 29-Oct 2 The Pfister Mike DeLuca
1992 Tucson Nov 11-13 Westin La Paloma Jeanette Riechers
1991 New Orleans Nov 11-16 Omni Royal Orleans Mary Barber
1990 Boston Oct 29-31 Omni Parker House S. Allmendinger
1989 Vancouver, BC Sept 6-9 Westin Bayshore Tom Elliott
1988 St. Louis Oct 19-21 Marriott Eunice Morris
1987 Savannah, GA Oct 13-17 Regency Hyatt Nancy Backas
1986 Santa Fe Sept 17-20 El Dorado Cliff Berman
1985 Toronto Sept 11-14 King Edward Andrew Douglas
1984 Orlando Oct 31-Nov 3 Lake B V Conf Ctr S. Michaelides
1983 Monterey, CA Aug 17-20 Hyatt Del Monte Chet Holden
1982 Louisville Sept 21-24 Hyatt Regency K. Sanderson
1981 Williamsburg Oct 22-25 Cascades Carol Lally
1980 Honolulu Sept 2-4 Royal Hawaiian Jeanette Riechers
1979 Minneapolis Sept 5-7 Marquette Inn Cecile LaMalle
1978 Washington, DC Oct 27-31 L’Enfant Steve Weiss
1977 Seattle Sept 16-20 Olympia
1976 Houston April 5-8 Galleria
1975 Montreal Sept 9-12 Chateau Champlain
1974 Kansas City Oct 21-24 Crown Center
1973 Mexico City Sept 16-19 El Camino Real
1972 New Orleans Sept 26-29 Royal Sonesta
1971 Memphis Sept 22-24
1970 Carefree, AZ April 28-May 1
1969 Chicago April 8-11
1968 Atlanta March 20-22
1967 Washington, DC April 12-15
1966 San Francisco April 27-29
1965 Boston April 21-23
1964 New Orleans April 9-10
1963 Chicago
1962 Chicago
1961 Chicago
1960 Chicago
1959 Chicago
1958 Chicago
1957 Chicago
1956 Chicago