Location: City Beautiful Foyer
Register or ask our staff a question.
| 3/3/2025 6:45:00 AM |
Location: City Beautiful E
Enjoy breakfast with other attendees.
| 3/3/2025 7:00:00 AM |
Location: Mermaid Room
This is a private meeting for members of the Next Gen Execs program. For more information on Next Gen Execs, visit our website.
| 3/3/2025 7:00:00 AM |
General Session Opening Keynote: Collaboration-Driven Innovation
Sponsor:
Location: City Beautiful A-D
Speakers: Tim Sanders, Vice President of Research Insights at G2, Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School
As an industry, we are #StrongerTogether. Start the day with an energizing keynote on the theme of collaboration - both within your organization as well as externally interdependent partners.
| 3/3/2025 8:00:00 AM |
General Session Driving Sustained Traffic: What's the Secret?
Sponsor:
Location: City Beautiful A-D
Speakers: Jim Bitticks, President & COO, Dave's Hot Chicken; Jim Holthouser, CEO, GoTo Foods; moderated by Mike Schwartz, SVP – Chief Engagement & Innovation Officer at IFMA The Food Away from Home Association
Successful operators are adapting and hyper-focused on driving traffic. Easier said than done! This session will feature a panel comprised of operators of different sizes as they share insights into maintaining and growing traffic through proven, long-term strategies.
| 3/3/2025 9:00:00 AM |
General Session Delivering Change: Fireside Chat with Wonder's Marc Lore
Location: City Beautiful A-D
Speakers: Marc Lore, Founder and CEO, Wonder Group; Phil Kafarakis, President and CEO, IFMA The Food Away from Home Association
Marc Lore is the founder and CEO of Wonder Group, a company that is revolutionizing the food industry by creating the super app for mealtime and operating a collection of delivery-first restaurants in collaboration with some of the world's best chefs. Catch Marc in conversation with IFMA The Food Away from Home Association President and CEO, Phil Kafarakis, for a not-to-be-missed discussion.
| 3/3/2025 9:40:00 AM |
Location: City Beautiful Foyer
Take a moment to recharge, grab some refreshments, and connect with fellow attendees.
| 3/3/2025 10:30:00 AM |
Presenter:
Location: City Beautiful A-E + Foyer
Speakers: Katie Belflower, Manager, Menu Research & Insights at Technomic; Chef Hytham Badr, Culinary Services Manager at Ventura; Chef Beau Batchelor, Corporate Research Chef at Wayne Sanderson Farms; Chef Tim Hart, Executive Director of Sales & Innovation at JTM Food Group; Chef Renee Howarth, Associate Director of Culinary at Acxion Foodservice; Chef Jerry Keung, Product Development Chef at Ventura; Chef Renate DeGeorge Vujic, Director of Culinary at Custom Culinary; Chef Thomas Wenrich, Senior Director of Culinary at Tyson Foods; hosted by Chef Rick Petralia, Director of Menu Strategy & Innovation at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
It's one thing to hear about the latest menu trends; it's another to experience them. Join our fourth annual Menu-a-thon, where you'll hear the latest cutting-edge insights around the menu, followed by immersive, innovative product tastings by association members bringing these trends to life.
Following Menu-a-thon, enjoy innovative product tastings by association members bringing these trends to life.
| 3/3/2025 11:00:00 AM |
Breakout Track 1 The Future of Animal Protein: Poultry, Beef, & Pork Forecast
Presenter:
Location: Neptune Ballroom A-B
Speakers: Amanda Rastovic, Senior Forecast Analyst, Expana
In an increasingly volatile global market, accurate price forecasting for animal proteins—poultry, beef, and pork—has become more critical than ever. This session will explore cutting-edge methodologies and data-driven techniques for predicting price trends in these key sectors. Amanda will discuss the impact of fundamental and technical factors that influences on the cost of production and market prices. Attendees will gain valuable insights on how to leverage market intelligence and analytics to forecast price movements with greater precision and mitigate financial risks. This session will provide the tools to make more informed pricing and sourcing decisions in an unpredictable market landscape.
| 3/3/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Breakout Track 2 Fueling Efficiency Through Supply Chain Collaboration
Location: City Beautiful A-D
Speakers: Mark Avery, Global Head of Partnerships and Supply Chain Strategy, SVP D.E.I at FAT Brands; Dan Calo, Director of Sales at Lamb Weston; David Cox, President at ArrowStream; Ryan McBreen, National Accounts Sales Director - Restaurants at PepsiCo; moderated by Mike Schwartz, SVP – Chief Engagement & Innovation Officer at IFMA The Food Away from Home Association
In today’s dynamic foodservice industry, fostering strong partnerships across the supply chain is crucial for success. This session will explore how collaboration between supply chain partners can drive greater transparency, improve operational efficiency, and ultimately boost business performance.
| 3/3/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Breakout Track 3 Healthcare and B&I: A How to for Winning Partnerships
Location: Neptune Ballroom C
Speakers: Heather Leanna, Section Chief, Hospitality at International Monetary Fund; Bee Radaideh, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Food and Conference Services Regional Director, SE/VA at Bank of America; Kevin Steffes, Director, Food & Nutrition Services at Carle Health; Matt Tremblay, Director of Procurement at Northbridge Companies; Charlie McConnell, Vice President, Industry Insights, Education & Research at IFMA The Food Away from Home Association
Each Foodservice Leadership Council – comprised of leaders across industry segments – provided input and insights throughout 2024 to aid in the creation of a guidebook that provides supply partners best practices in doing business with each respective segment. During this session, hear from the Healthcare and Business & Industry Foodservice Leadership Councils as they unveil their 2025 guidebooks, providing attendees with a first look into these comprehensive resources.
| 3/3/2025 1:00:00 PM |
Breakout Track 1 Navigating the Markets: Dairy & Grain Forecast
Presenter:
Location: Neptune Ballroom A-B
Speakers: Amanda Rastovic, Senior Forecast Analyst, Expana
In today's dynamic agricultural market, the ability to accurately forecast prices for dairy and grain commodities—such as milk, eggs, corn, soybeans, and wheat—is essential for producers, traders, and supply chain professionals. This session will delve into the latest forecasting techniques and analytical tools used to predict price trends across these critical sectors. Amanda will examine key drivers including supply-demand dynamics and economic indicators that shape price movements for dairy and grain products. Attendees will learn how to interpret market signals, utilize predictive models, and adjust their strategies to manage risks and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Join us for a comprehensive exploration of how data-driven insights can help optimize decision-making in the volatile world of dairy and grain pricing.
| 3/3/2025 2:00:00 PM |
Breakout Track 2 Building a Culture of Internal Collaboration
Location: City Beautiful A-D
Speakers: Jamie Davis, Vice President, Supply Chain & Procurement at Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux; Scott Ford, President & CEO at Hawaiian Bros Island Grill; Stacey Kane, CMO at Multiple Emerging Brands; Melinda Kinders, Executive Director at Goodcents; moderated by Cherryh Cansler, Vice President of Events at NetWorld Media Group
Hear from operator leaders as they discuss the strategies they employ to strengthen collaboration with internal stakeholders in order to fuel efficiency and transparency and break down limiting silos.
| 3/3/2025 2:00:00 PM |
Breakout Track 3 Campus & Classroom Connections: How to Sell C&U and K-12
Location: Neptune Ballroom C
Speakers: Christine Clarahan, Director of Food Service at Crown Point Community School Corporation; Cheryl Fabrizi, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services at Syracuse University; Paul Houle, Assistant Vice Chancellor at University of Colorado Boulder; Bertrand Weber, Director of Culinary & Wellness Service at Minneapolis Public Schools; Charlie McConnell, Vice President, Industry Insights, Education & Research at IFMA The Food Away from Home Association
Each Foodservice Leadership Council – comprised of leaders across industry segments – provided input and insights throughout 2024 to aid in the creation of a guidebook that provides supply partners best practices in doing business with each respective segment. During this session, hear from the K-12 and Colleges & Universities Foodservice Leadership Councils as they unveil their 2025 guidebooks, providing attendees with a first look into these comprehensive resources.
| 3/3/2025 2:00:00 PM |
Location: City Beautiful Foyer
Take a moment to recharge, grab some refreshments, and connect with fellow attendees.
| 3/3/2025 2:45:00 PM |
Operator-Hosted Speed Meetings
Location: Convention Center: Ballroom C-D
The speed meetings are designed for the operator community to share their needs with the supplier community. Each attending operator company will host a speed meeting table with 4-5 seats at each table available to other attendees. With a series of 10-15 minute "speed sessions," operators will share their key imperatives, goals and needs for the year - or anything else they want to share with the supplier community. After each round, attendees will move to another table of their choice.
Operators: Please be at your table by 3:15pm. More information, including tip sheets.
| 3/3/2025 3:30:00 PM |
Location: TBA
Immerse yourself in Kansas City's classic barbeque culinary scene by enjoying an evening at a select restaurant. Space is limited. Separate registration required and will be available soon. Guests not participating in the dine-outs will be free to enjoy dinner on their own. Attire: Business Casual
Please meet in the hotel lobby at 5:45pm.
| 3/3/2025 5:45:00 PM |