How Culture Impacts Fresh Produce: Fresh Summit Panels Reimagined

Photo courtesy of consultancy firm sparks & honey

This year marks my 25th Fresh Summit, and as many of you can attest, many things in the industry have changed over that span of time. Over the years, I have attended and participated in many panel discussions—and to be honest, panel discussions can be quite hit-or-miss. I know that PMA’s education team is constantly working on ways to enrich all sessions (large and small, panel and keynote), which is part of why we are so looking forward to this year’s Fresh Summit Experience Extensions.

Why We’re Excited About This Fresh Summit Panel

Looking forward to a new “breed” of panel this year

I am thrilled to experience and be a part of what I believe is a first for fresh produce—a live broadcast panel discussion, led by innovative leading consultancy firm sparks and honey. This year’s Experience Extensions at PMA Fresh Summit will center around trends and how they affect—and will affect—the fresh produce industry. Specifically, we’re looking forward to robust discussions on how change in one category can have far-reaching impacts for other (seemingly) unrelated industries, along with analyzing potential risks & opportunities that could emerge as a result.

For example, while based on current trends it may seem far-fetched to predict an impending decline in demand for caffeine (especially taking into account the more recent popularity of energy drinks!), what happens when you take into account, say, artificial intelligence? At first thought, it may seem as though AI would have a negligible impact on caffeine consumption, but dig a little deeper and you start considering the potential impacts of AI-tech (e.g. driver-less cars and freight trucks) on jobs that typically demand higher-than-average levels of caffeine. This example, friends, is just the beginning, for fresh and beyond.

Sound intriguing? We hope to see you there! Here are the details:

Title: Experience Extension, “You Don’t Have to be a Futurist to Predict What’s Next!” Be sure to make the event in your Fresh Summit mobile app!

Who: sparks & honey [add link] is a tech-led consultancy focused on helping organizations understand and take advantage of accelerating change in culture.

What/Format: The Culture Briefing is a fast-paced and lively 60-minute discussion between 2 briefers on stage and a panel of guests off stage. 

When: Thursday, October 17; 12:15-1:45 PM

Where: Room 304C&D

Briefing Topic: Future of Produce

Specific themes include:

Innovation & Technology: Disruption is taking place across both consumer categories and our overall culture at-large, and, in the context of the world of produce, innovation will continue to impact the entire supply chain and consumption cycle. 

Demographics: As families and cultures becoming increasingly diverse in terms of background, the produce industry will be affected by emerging product needs, new flavor profiles and more cyclical preferences—all of which we can expect to move at the speed of culture. 

Culture + Entertainment: “Culture” is as massive and unwieldy as ever, and consumers are engaging with it through and with an ever-increasing volume of channels, content, devices and experiences.

Here’s a preview of what you can expect to see in this unique live broadcast panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_yaTyxwY74

We look forward to seeing you at the show, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on the panel! Leave us a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter @TheCoreBlog.

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