NEWARK, DE - When news of the pandemic hit and the world went virtual, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) worked to bring the industry together to overcome pressing challenges, and the Virtual Town Hall series came to life. Showcasing its long-term success, the weekly series was recently recognized with three separate awards for its programming and creative initiatives.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by the Internet Marketing Association, the MarCom Awards, and The Muse Awards for the Virtual Town Hall series we launched more than a year ago to help our members and industry navigate the disruptions of the pandemic,” said PMA Chief Executive Officer Cathy Burns. “This type of acknowledgement is only possible due to the multitude of volunteer leaders and staff subject matter experts who shared their insights and perspectives to help move our community forward in uncertain times. Thank you to all of our town hall panelists and the PMA team in delivering new value and resources at a time when they were much needed by our members.”

The Virtual Town Hall Series took home the Silver Award in the Strategic Program – COVID-19 Related category in the MUSE Creative Awards, in addition to being recognized for Best Non-Profit Campaign in the 2021 Impact Awards by Internet Marketing Association (IMA) and presented a Gold Award in the Category of Strategic Communications by the MarCom Awards.

The Virtual Town Hall Series was launched in March 2020 to rally the industry around the critical challenges at the beginning of the pandemic, a press release noted. Continuing as a weekly broadcast, the sessions have featured 359 weekly volunteer speakers over the past 86 weeks, with over 6,750 industry professionals attending at least one event and 200–500 members in attendance each week.

“The success of the series is not just in the consistency and duration of the series, which, thanks to our engaged members, has become a mainstay in our regular offerings,” said Director of Marketing and host of the Virtual Town Hall series, Scott Rutherford. “It is also in the depth and breadth of insights and expertise for the topics covered. PMA’s connection to the entire produce and floral global supply chain is one of the most valuable resources available to our members. To be able to capture that insight each week in a sustainable and consistent manner as we have through our Virtual Town Hall series is a great example of the value of joining and being a part of this great community of experts and leaders.”

The Virtual Town Hall has covered important topics such as transportation challenges in produce and floral; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and insights or learnings from member-attended events like the Vatican Global Health Conference. Each of the three coveted awards recognized PMA’s Virtual Town Hall Series’ value to the industry as a platform for sharing insight, expertise, and resources among professionals in fresh produce.

The weekly series will continue throughout the end of the year, providing an opportunity to learn about key challenges facing the industry and tap the mind of other industry leaders. Industry members are invited to register for any of the upcoming events, beginning with the next Virtual Town Hall: Understanding and Working Within the EU Green Deal.

“The Virtual Town Hall series has invited dozens of industry leaders from across the supply chain to provide insights and resources for industry peers,” said Chief Content Officer at PMA, Dan Stark. “Behind the scenes, this work requires an incredible amount of coordination and communication both internally and with many of our industry volunteers. I’m very happy that our team members can receive this recognition and share it with all those who have participated as a resource, a speaker, or an attendee over the past 20 months.”

To register for the next Virtual Town Hall, or any future sessions, click here.

Congratulations to PMA for nabbing these impressive accolades and providing the industry with a critical resource to bolster its success.

Produce Marketing Association