Produce Marketing Association Celebrates Virtual Town Hall 1-Year Anniversary With South By Southwest Edition
NEWARK, DE - If there’s anything I know about the produce industry, it’s that when the road ahead looks challenging or uncertain, we turn to innovation to make a new pathway. One year ago, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) launched its first Virtual Town Hall, and the association will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of this innovation with a special South by Southwest (SXSW) edition.
“Our Virtual Town Hall series has become a weekly signature touchpoint for our members to gain insights to drive their business and connect with each other,” said CEO Cathy Burns. “I am incredibly grateful to every panelist and attendee over the past 12 months for sharing their knowledge and perspectives with our community, as well as the PMA and Center for Growing Talent (CGT) teams for their ability to pivot and create new value and experiences.”
The Virtual Town Halls were created within days of the first lockdown to help the industry address the various layers of disruptions caused by the pandemic. The virtual series featured insight from experts in and outside of the industry, including that of industry veterans like Bruce Taylor, Tim York, Joe Don Zetzsche, and Adrielle Dankier, according to a press release, in addition to USDA representatives, data experts from Euromonitor International, and more.
Throughout the past year, PMA has hosted 48 Virtual Town Halls, during which more than 6,750 individuals joined from home. Building on a year of success, the Virtual Town Hall is continuing to evolve based on the industry's needs and including more future-facing topics, including the coming edition on Culture Updates from SXSW. Today's Virtual Town Hall will be an opportunity to pull back the curtain on the cultural and consumer trends that will continue to shape produce and floral businesses in the future.
“PMA continues its work to connect the produce and floral communities with the world and along with our members, deepen our understanding of culture and its impact on our industry,” said Chief Strategy and Membership Officer, Lauren M. Scott. “Themes of embracing change, the evolution of societies, and spirit of creativity permeated throughout the SXSW conference this year. It's clear that culture does not stop because of a global pandemic...it’s defined by it.”
Participants at the SXSW edition of the Virtual Town Hall include Jan DeLyser, Vice President of Marketing, California Avocado Commission; Craig Slate, President and CEO, SunFed; Adam Cooper, Senior Vice President of Marketing, The Wonderful Company; Christina Ward, Senior Director of Global Marketing, Sunkist Growers; Elena Ozeritskaya, Founder and Managing Director, Fresh Insight; Erin Esensee, BLOOMS Business Unit Director, H-E-B; Marc Oshima, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, AeroFarms; and Scott, who will serve as moderator during the event.
Registration for the Virtual Town Hall is open and those interested in attending can click here to register.
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