2008 Annual Meat Conference To Feature New Networking Opportunity During Meat2Meet Sessions

Washington, D.C.— A new networking opportunity will be featured for attendees at the 2008 Annual Meat Conference, March 9-11, 2008, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee.

The new “Meat2Meet” program will offer a convenient opportunity for retailers and suppliers to meet one-on-one for a 45-minute scheduled discussion of mutually beneficial business opportunities.

These meetings will be hosted by participating supplier companies. Following registration for the conference, retailers/suppliers may complete a “Meat2Meet” appointment request form indicating the companies with whom they would like to meet. The AMC team will coordinate time slots and notify both organizations. From there, the organizations determine the agenda best suited to their mutual goals.

Participation in this new event is limited to 20 pairings, making early registration essential. All participants must be registered AMC attendees. For more information, contact Ashlie Hampton at 202-220-0812 or via email at ahampton@fmi.org.

Co-sponsored by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Annual Meat Conference each year attracts 800 members of the retail grocery and meat industries. 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.

The complete conference program, as well as a registration form, may be accessed by logging onto at http://www.MeatConference.com.
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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.

Food Marketing Institute (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 retail food 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.