IFDA SMart Summer Webinar Series
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Tuesdays and Thursdays this July. 100% virtual.
In response to the canceled in-person event, we will be hosting a Summer Webinar Series. The webinars will be highlighted by speakers delivering valuable content to help sales and marketing professionals develop leadership skills, learn how the industry is dealing with the ever changing environment, and provide the tools to help you succeed moving forward.
Please Note: Registering gives you access to the entire webinar series. Links for each session will be sent the day prior.
Videos of each webinar will be available for registered attendees, please watch your inbox for more information after each session.
If you are registered and can not gain access, please contact us at events@ifdaonline.org.
Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, July 9: 2PM (EDT)
Third Wave: How to Market & Sell in a Pandemic Economy
Tuesday, July 14: 2PM (EDT)
Driving Sales In the New Virtual Marketplace with Best-In-Class Data
Thursday, July 16: 2PM (EDT)
Restaurant Industry’s Road to Recovery
Tuesday, July 21: 2PM (EDT)
Road to Recovery – The Changed Complexion of the Foodservice Industry
Thursday, July 23: 2PM (EDT)
Intentional Success- Get Focused, Disciplined & Prepared to Bounce Forward to the Best Version of You!
Tuesday, July 28: 2PM (EDT)
Hitting Reset: Re-assessing and Re-focusing your Business
Thursday, July 30: 2PM (EDT)
IFDA SMart Webinar Series Virtual Workshops with Julien Leblanc
Summer Webinar Series Schedule
Third Wave: How to Market & Sell in a Pandemic Economy
Welcome to the most challenging sales climate we’ve ever faced. There’s a lot of confusion and noise out there. It’s time to shift our tools and processes so we don’t add to the collective frustration and inertia of our prospects.
Savvy companies and salespeople will leverage the latest data, interpret the current business ‘mood,’ and form a strategy using the latest tools. Two things are certain: 1) what used to work absolutely won’t work right now; and 2) insight and a tactical shift are key.
What should you be doing right now to keep that pipeline full, and stay top-of-mind with your current customers? This definitely isn’t a time to ride things out and wait for what’s next; it’s time for strategy and action.
Join sales and buyer trends expert Shawna Suckow, CSP, as she shares her latest findings on where we are, and what’s next. It’s not just data though; she’ll share case studies and translate trends into relevant steps you can take NOW.
PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES:
• You’ve been through multiple market challenges before. Learn what’s different about this one, and about the latest consumer behavior trends that are forming in response.
• See recent successful case studies of companies that are rising above the noise.
• Time is of the essence! Discover what tools are working right now so you don’t have to waste your time or spin your wheels while your pipeline dries up.
Driving Sales In the New Virtual Marketplace with Best-In-Class Data
Jason Gunn, Attribytes, Sponsored by 
In order to dominate the marketplace, foodservice companies are going to need to share clean and robust information, such as product, sales, and customer data. In order to drive eCommerce initiatives, set collaborative sales strategies, and keeping arms around customers will demand that becomes a priority for everyone in the supply chain.
Restaurant Industry’s Road to Recovery
Sponsored by 
This presentation will map the restaurant industry’s evolving recovery by using the National Restaurant Association’s latest data. As restaurants and foodservice outlets are working their way back toward pre-pandemic business levels, some emerging trends will last and some will fade away much depending on consumer behavior. Attendees will learn what indicators make up the foundation of improving business for their operator customers and what has to happen for long-term growth.
Road to Recovery – The Changed Complexion of the Foodservice Industry
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Joseph Pawlak, Managing Principal, Technomic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented challenge to the foodservice industry, which in turn, will change the overall complexion of the business. This presentation will provide participants with Technomic’s current thinking on how our industry is expected to look different in both the short and long term, as it enters different phases of the recovery. Consumer, operator and distributor actions will be covered and innovative initiatives will be presented in the context of the evolving market. Industry forecasts based on underlying scenarios will be presented.
Intentional Success - Get Focused, Disciplined & Prepared to Bounce Forward to the Best Version of You!
What do you really want in your life and in business? Are you ready to stop focusing on the Coronavirus and start focusing on a more hopeful future? Studies show that in order to stay positive during a crisis, you need to let go of what you can’t control, and focus on what you can. This presentation is designed to help you create your vision for the future, and develop the actions you need to take in order to achieve your best. You’ll learn the importance of setting goals in the 7 most crucial areas of life, and you will get a 5 step strategy for achieving goals successfully, as well as develop a schedule that sets you up for success. It’s time to dream bigger, develop a game plan for success, overcome today’s biggest challenges and instead of bouncing back to where you were, bounce forward to a better you!
Actionable Take-aways:
• Get Betsy's 'Intentional Success Blueprint' for developing more clarity and achieving better results.
• Get the tools you need in order to stay productive, build resilience & maintain a positive attitude while determining goals to move forward effectively.
• Prioritize your daily schedule with the actions that will lead to your success in the 7 Critical Areas of Life.
“It’s time to stop making butt-prints and start making footprints!”
Hitting Reset: Re-assessing and Re-focusing your Business
IFDA Foodservice Distributor Panel
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Panelists:
John Allen, Van Eerden Foodservice
Gerry Favillo, J.R. Simplot
James Berg, Essence Restaurant Group
Listen and learn from fellow foodservice distributors, manufacturers, and operators on how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed their business. We will reassess the situation your business is in now, compared to how it was before the current pandemic arrived.
Actionable take-aways:
• Refocus on next options to make to ensure your future success. How do you need to restructure and organize your people and resources to maximize opportunities to succeed?
• Redeploy an updated business plan to help focus on the next short term period.
• Reconnect with existing customers to update them and gain insights into their revised requirements given the new situation.
IFDA SMart Webinar Series Virtual Workshops with Julien Leblanc
Presented By 
Join us as we wrap up the IFDA SMart Webinar Series with an interactive ZOOM session led by Julien. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with fellow industry colleagues to discuss their business, sales, and marketing strategies to carry them through the rest of the year and into 2021. This interactive session will tie the Webinar Series together and help everyone prepare for the future of foodservice distribution. Help everyone prepare and re-energize for the balance of the year and 2021. Link will be sent separately.
Thank you SMart Sponsors!
Platinum Partners
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
SMart Supporting Sponsors
Speaker Bios
Julien is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blueprint North America. They specialize in helping companies and people unleash their potential through training & development, coaching, consultancy and keynote addresses.
He brings over 20 years of experience commercializing goods and services in the Food & Beverage, Technology, Sports Equipment and Medical Device sectors, believing that the ‘science of success’ transcends industries.
Julien is a ‘serial entrepreneur’ who has played a role in founding or fostering over 10 companies to commercial viability. His enthusiasm for entrepreneurism is rivaled only by his passion for learning and teaching – Julien reads at least one book a week to continue to bring the newest ideas and disciplines to his clients.
Julien is known as a change agent having delivered over 1000 of workshops in the last 8 years, believing that all progress depends on the ‘unreasonable’ who persist in trying to adapt the world to themselves vs. adapting themselves to the world.
Hi, I’m Shawna Suckow, and here’s some inside info on me. I’m a speaker and emcee with some serious knowledge of consumer behavior. My style has been described as relatable, authentic, insightful and a fun delivery of serious facts.
I was a million-dollar B2B buyer in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. In 2008 I founded an association of B2B buyers, which now has over 2,500 members across North America. I began studying B2B and B2C consumer behavior in earnest in 2009, and speaking to audiences of salespeople, marketers and retailers who were frustrated with the shifting marketplace and the influences of technology. I have written three books, two of which have become best-sellers (can’t win ‘em all, I guess).
What I’m proud of: I’ve now spoken on 5 continents in 16 countries, helping businesses to understand the ever-evolving customer landscape. Honors include being named to the Global Top 100 Women Business & Tech Speakers, Planners' Favorite Speakers lists of 2014 and 2015, and Top 8 Speakers of 2013 (along with James Earl Jones!).
Three memorable things about me:
I played in the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2015. I am so good at parallel parking, I should get a trophy. Due to a freak badminton injury, I now wear one contact lens.
When I’m not on the road:
I’m back in Minnesota fighting off snow or gigantic mosquitoes (a.k.a. our two seasons). I live with my husband (a weekend Elvis Impersonator), my two teenagers, and my goofy golden retriever named Henry Jones, Jr.
As the Senior Vice President of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association, Hudson Riehle directs the Association’s consumer, economic, technology, market, human resources, tourism and operations research as well as oversees its extensive knowledge center activities. Frequently cited by major national and international news organizations and appearing on national television broadcasts, he has authored a variety of articles and serves as an information source and spokesperson for the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Mr. Riehle received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College in New York and his Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Appointed by the Secretary of Labor, he has been a member of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Business Research Advisory Council; a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Alexandria (VA) Convention and Visitors Association; a member of the Center for Food Integrity Consumer Research Advisory Panel and the Wharton Executive Advisory Panel; and is currently included in the current edition of Who’s Who in America.
Founder of the consulting firm, Motiv8u Enterprises, and a seasoned expert in leadership and culture development, Betsy Allen-Manning helps smart companies develop ‘high-performing’ leaders to drive growth, & build collaborative, engaged & mission-driven cultures. Featured on FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC & TEDx, Betsy is also recognized as one of the top leadership speakers, a best selling author & human behavior expert. She’s held leadership positions in global billion dollar corporations, developed 5 star training programs for luxury hotels, and has trained high-impact leaders for companies like Toshiba, Fidelity, Six Flags & The U.S. Dept. of Defense.