Partners Executive Forum - Conference Overview

Conference Overview

January 16 - 19, 2011
Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, FL

An Ideal Forum for Top Discussion!
The IFDA Partners Executive Forum provides an exceptional opportunity for strategic discussions with your most important trading partners. Meetings at the Partners Forum allow foodservice distributors and suppliers to discuss goals, objectives, and strategies for long-term, profitable business growth. Build long-term success and put your business in overdrive through top-to-top business meetings with your most important trading partners.

Meet with Decision Makers & Drive Long-Term Success
Participants in these meetings include senior executives with responsibility for overall corporate strategy AND account managers with expertise on specific trade relationships. Subjects include mutual growth opportunities, company and product growth goals, how specific trading partners fit in achieving those goals, how you can work together to develop better programs, and representation and support of new items.

The Scheduling Process
Once an IFDA Distributor Member commits to participation in the program, the team leader must then register the company, which includes payment of a registration fee, identification of the TEAM LEADER, a SCHEDULER CONTACT, and all relevant contact information. A single registration form should be used for this purpose and is submitted by the Team Leader. This registration should be completed between July 20 and August 20, 2010.

On September 20, 2010, scheduling information will be shared out to all committed distributor and manufacturer participants and the scheduling process officially opens. The contact information will be provided in a spreadsheet. Information that will be shared out includes:

To Manufacturers:
Distributor Companies Participating
Team Leader and Contact Information
Meeting Scheduler and Contact Information
Suite Assignments
IFDA Partners Service Kit/Forms

To Distributors:
Manufacturer Companies Participating
Team Leader and Contact Information
Meeting Scheduler and Contact Information

Please note, the hotel room block also opens on September 20, 2010. Prior to tghis date, hotel rooms may not be reserved prior to this date.

Bring the right people. Maximize your opportunities.
Your team should include top executives with decision-making authority as well as personnel who know individual accounts. Having the correct people in attendance helps guarantee action and follow-through.

Your team should be composed of the CEO, President, senior executives with responsibility for overall corporate planning, and account managers with expertise on specific trade relationships.It is important that those with authority to make significant commitments be present and that agreed upon follow through is understood by the executives who manage individual accounts. This approach provides high-level authority for decision-making combined with personnel who carry through on the new commitments.

Distributor executives include Owners, CEOs, Presidents and other top corporate executives as well as appropriate executives with procurement, sales, marketing, and merchandising responsibilities.

Supplier executives include CEO, President and other executive team personnel, as well as personnel with national sales and marketing responsibilities.

For insights on holding the most productive meetings, review the “Get the Most from the IFDA Partners Executive Forum” section of the website. The conference brochure also provides this information. If you need further guidance on how to participate in the IFDA Partners Executive Forum, contact the following IFDA staff members by email or at (703) 532-9400.

Supplier Contact: Kathy Devey
Distributor Contact: Stan Barrett

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