Be our guest at the food distribution industry’s premier sales and marketing event! Join us as we deliver interactive learning opportunities in a one-of-a-kind setting that is both educational and amusing.
At IFDA, we understand that engaged and happy attendees equal a successful event which is exactly what we’ve designed.
It’s a Carnival of Thought
International sales leader Julien Leblanc will lead a collaborative and thought-provoking program including leading industry experts, interactive exercises, actionable tools, and innovative guidance to succeed in an environment challenged by inflation, talent scarcity, and supply chain disruptions.
A Thrilling Exchange of Ideas
Solve current issues and develop new skills with your peers during intensive collaborative discussions and educational group exercises.
It’s a Networking Adventure
Build new relationships, broaden your perspectives and uncover ways to solve problems while having FUN alongside other sales and marketing leaders.
Registration for the year's biggest foodservice sales and marketing event is open — click on the image below to get your adventure started. We'll see you in Orlando!
Sunday, July 23
Subject to change, and more to come.
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1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Registration & Check-In
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2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
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Sales & Marketing Learning Exchanges – pre-registration
required.
Formerly IFDA Share Groups, IFDA will hold small, peer-driven discussions on the issues important to your business and a valuable chance to discuss shared experiences, common challenges, and forward-looking solutions. Learning Exchanges are for IFDA distributor members only and space is limited.
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5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
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Opening Reception
Surf’s up! Mix and mingle with your fellow attendees in breezy, coastal style! Join us in soaking up some fun while enjoying the taste and flavors of the Florida coast with your peers.
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Monday, July 24
Morning - Riding the Roller Coaster: Insight & Analysis on Economics, Data and Trends
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8:00 am – 9:00 am
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Breakfast Available/Registration Open
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9:00 am – 9:15 am
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Welcome & Opening with Mark Allen, President and CEO, IFDA and Julien Leblanc
What is different this year and how do you maximize your SMart experience?
 
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9:15 am – 10:15 am
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Show Me the Money (Supply)
Soft landing? Something harder? Whither inflation? This presentation will supply in-depth analysis of the major factors shaping economic outcomes, including central bank policymaking, worker attitudes, business confidence, and geopolitics. It will then turn toward a forecast for the year to come, highlighting the major risks that economic stakeholders will likely encounter.
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10:30 am – 11:15 am
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Consumer Insights & Trends in Food
Take a deep dive into the most important data in foodservice. This session will look at current menu movers and shakers as well as the outlook for future consumer trends.
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| 11:15 am -12:00 pm |
Action Planning for Data Analytics
You got the data report — now what do you do with this information? How can you implement it to drive meaningful change within your business? What is the most effective way to share it with your customers to strengthen and expand your partnership?
Panel Presenters:
Suzanne Rajczi, CEO Ginsberg’s Foods
Megan Lynberg, VP, Sales, Datassential
Steve Strasser, Enterprise Café
Summer Dufner, Dir., Business Development, McCain Foods, USA
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12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
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Networking Lunch
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1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
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Afternoon - Under the Big Top: Connectivity & the Value Chain
Group Communication Exercise
A hands on workshop on how groups brainstorm and make decisions.
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2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
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Leveraging Your Salesforce in an E-Commerce World
The digitalization of the economy has profoundly impacted traditional sales practices, creating new competitive platforms while challenging long-standing truisms about relationship-building. What is the role of your salesforce in an era where walking into a restaurant is no longer the main point of contact? How can you leverage their talents with today's technology to build new business streams? This panel will give you timely tips for riding the digital currents to future success.
Panelists:
Kevin Baum, Product Manager - Digital Commerce, Dot Foods, Inc.
Jennifer Mitchell, Territory Sales Manager, Martin Brothers Distributing Co., Inc.
Bowie Cheung, Co-founder & CEO, Pepper
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3:00 pm – 3:15 pm
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Break
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3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
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Solving the Workforce Conundrum
Workforce challenges have become commonplace across the foodservice industry, but with challenges come opportunities. First we will watch and discuss a quick Ted Talk on attracting and hiring great staff. Following that Annika Stensson, IFDA’s Director of Research and Innovation, will highlight the IFDA publications and resources available to help distributors think outside the box to bring value to labor-strapped partners.
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3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
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Break
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4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Innovation – “Uncrapify Your Future!”
Make the process of coming up with new ideas, solving problems, exploiting opportunities, and surviving massive (and sometimes unexpected) disruption easier and more rewarding than you ever thought possible.
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5:00 pm - 5:15 pm
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Is OpenAI the new mixologist? – OpenAI's powerful tools have the potential to revolutionize the food and beverage industry. An interactive, hands-on demonstration of OpenAI's cutting-edge technology. Find out how OpenAI can help foodservice operators optimize their menus and stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
Presenter: Angie Dark, Dir., Marketing & Communication, Martin Brothers, Distributing Co., Inc
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5:30 pm- 7:00 pm
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Evening Reception
Let’s Par-Tee! Tee up with your colleagues and enjoy an evening of games, hors d'oeuvres, and cocktails. Pepper has generously sponsored this event.
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Tuesday, July 25
Carousel or Bumper Cars? Forging Empowerment & Change Leadership
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8:00 am – 9:00 am
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Breakfast Available
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9:00 am – 9:15 am
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Welcome & Recap of Day One with Julien Leblanc
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9:15 am - 10:30 am
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Choosing Competent Courage
We all know the importance of honest communication, problem resolution, innovative efforts, and other learning-oriented behaviors. What we’re often less clear about is how scary and difficult these behaviors are seen to be, how infrequently they occur, and what to do about this state of affairs for ourselves and others. In this interactive session, Professor Detert will walk us through several opportunities for courageous action and introduce specific tools and tactics for use before, during, and after the kinds of everyday defining moments that make or break leaders.
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10:45 am - 11:45 am
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Delivering a World-Class Customer Experience – Lessons From The Mouse
Customers have more choices than ever, with the result that most products and services are increasingly seen as commodities. So, in today’s market, what can an organization do to stand out from the crowd? Differentiating your service is the key to attracting and retaining customers – while driving bottom line results.
Based on his 20-years with Walt Disney World, Dennis Snow will provide a “how-to” program for delivering outstanding customer experiences. This program will provide you with strategic tools that can be used to raise the bar of service throughout your organization, resulting in “walk-through-fire” customer loyalty.
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11:45 am - 12:00 pm
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Wrap Up and Next Steps You have the right industry collaborators to help you thrive. Bring it all together with these actionable takeaways for mapping out your post-SMart strategy. Sales professional Julien Leblanc will lead a closing group discussion on tactical techniques for leveraging the takeaways of the conference for you to interpret and apply to your specific business.
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12:00 pm
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Adjourn
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Date and Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm on Sunday, July 23rd
Price: $49 (Open to IFDA distributor members only.)
Formerly IFDA Share Groups, IFDA will hold small, peer-driven discussions on the issues important to your business and a valuable chance to discuss shared experiences, common challenges, and forward-looking solutions.
How to register? Simply check the box at the bottom of the registration page and you will automatically be added to the Learning Exchanges roster.
Please note: Learning Exchanges are for IFDA distributor members only and space is limited. Pre-registration is required to attend.
Registration for SMart is now open! Click on the link below to get your adventure started.
Register for SMart
General SMart Registration Rates
Registration fees for the 2023 SMart are as follows:
Member Rate: $1,099
Non-Member Rate: $1,799
Group Housing Rate (Link will be sent upon registration): $219
SMart First Timers Rate
Bring your company's rising talent to IFDA SMart at a discount! First-time attendees under 35 can get all of the education and networking benefits of SMart at an $899 rate. Register your eligible team members at this rate by:
1. Emailing SSurette@ifdaonline.org with employee name and information
2. After receiving a confirmation email from IFDA, the team member will automatically receive the discount when they register for the event.
Allied Registration
IFDA Allied Members and non-allied members are welcome to participate, but must do so as sponsors. Please contact Matthew Sherring or call 703-962-9936 to learn more.
An opportunity for vendors to connect directly with hundreds of distributors and manufacturers. Attendees hold a variety of positions related to Sales and Marketing, ranging from the C-Suite, Vice Presidents, General Managers, Sales, Customer Service, and Marketing personnel.
View our 2023 SMart sponsorship opportunities
Watch our 2022 SMart highlight video:
Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors!