Industry Experts to Deliver Bold Thinking at 2008 Meat Conference in Nashville

Washington, D.C. — Leading experts on meat industry trends, innovations, sales and profitability will deliver bold and innovative thinking about selling strategies, operational efficiencies, packaging, marketing, technology and more during four general sessions slated for the Annual Meat Conference, to be held March 9-11, 2008, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn.

The four sessions are:

The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty, March 9
Guest speaker Rick Barrera, author of Overpromise and Overdeliver and president of Overpromise, Inc., is a nationally acclaimed speaker, marketing consultant and author known throughout the Fortune 500 for his unique approach to brand building. His research on the strategies used by breakthrough brands like Hummer, Tivo and Google will change attendees’ thinking about marketing. Attendees will learn how these companies and others inspired significant customer loyalty in short periods of time by focusing on what Barrera calls TouchPoint Branding — the art of making sure that every point of contact between a company and its customers is well executed and fulfills an over-the-top brand promise.

The Secrets of Unshakable Customer Loyalty: Business Trends, March 9
Barrera will facilitate this discussion, which will detail the TouchPoints that matter most to customers and what companies must do to deliver flawless consistency. During this session, he will evaluate trends and demonstrate how to align them with current and new products. Interactive discussion is the key to learning in this session designed to help integrate the concepts of customer loyalty and business trends specific to the meat and retail industries.

The Power of Meat: An In-Depth Look at Meat through the Shopper's Eyes, March 10
Anne-Marie Roerink, director of research at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), will provide the latest information on what customers have to say about the meat case, product and promotion likes and dislikes and what keeps them coming back for more. The 2008 study, to be released at the conference, will highlight grocery shopping statistics, nutrition concerns of the shopper, meat consumption and meal preparation, and purchasing behavior. Research results will be presented in n format for immediate use in store operations. This session is sponsored by Cryovac-A Division of Sealed Air.

Bringing It Home, March 11
Michael Sansolo, former FMI senior vice president, will lead this wrap-up session and provide attendees with valuable advice on how to best apply the lessons learned at the Annual Meat Conference to improve day-to-day business.

Cosponsored by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and FMI, the conference attracts 800 members of the retail grocery and meat industries each year. It is considered the leading educational event focusing on meat and poultry marketing developments, merchandising issues and consumer purchasing trends.

Associate sponsors for the conference include the American Lamb Board, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Chicken Council & U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, the National Pork Board and the National Turkey Federation.
Advance registration for the conference is $595 per person or $545 for three or more members of the sponsoring associations. On-site registration is $695 per person or $645 for three or more members registering together or $515 when 10 or more retailers/wholesalers register together. Nonmember registration is $1,290 per person.

For program and registration information, visit http://www.MeatConference.com

AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI's members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

FMI conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $680 billion, three-quarters of all food retail store sales in the United States. FMI's retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from more than 50 countries.