Registration Open for Annual Meat Conference

Washington, D.C., – Registration for the 2007 Annual Meat Conference, Feb. 18 – 20, 2007, at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Fla., is open. Co-sponsored by the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute, the conference is the premier meat marketing and operations educational program, designed to bring every segment of the retail meat and poultry supply chain together.

The 2007 conference will focus on change – how to get ahead and leverage trends. Management guru Dan Coughlin, president of The Coughlin Company, Inc. will open the conference with an interactive program about how clarifying business outcomes accelerates their achievement. His tools, based on more than 2,500 hours of on-site work, can be put to use immediately to increase the effectiveness of an individual, group or organization.

Polling and consumer attitude and behavior expert Peter D. Hart, chief executive officer of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, will deliver a multimedia, research-based presentation “New Persuasions” on the emerging trends and demographics in the United States. That afternoon will conclude with a tactical session led by Dave Balter, founder and chief executive officer of BzzAgent, Inc. and co-author of Grapevine: The New Art of Word-of-Mouth Marketing. Balter will discuss the differences between “Word-of-Mouth” and “Buzz” and examine how to authentically use these marketing concepts.

Conference workshop sessions will examine natural and organic meat and poultry, the rapidly expanding market for Kosher and Halal products, dealing with a changing media, economic trends in the meat and poultry industry for reinventing the service meat case, shrink management and a marketing-merchandising trilogy of sessions offering presentations, cutting/value added product demonstrations and case layout strategies.

This year’s conference will feature an expanded Technology Fair, with multiple opportunities to visit exhibits of the latest advances in technology. The conference’s ever-popular Product Tasting Reception will showcase more than 50 exhibits of the most innovative – and delicious - offerings in the retail meat case.

New this year will be the introduction of the Meat2Meet business partner meetings element. This format features pre-arranged meetings for food distribution companies and suppliers to discuss key operations issues and communicate business opportunities of mutual benefit. This new pioneering effort for the conference will have limited participation the first year.

The Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. is located minutes from all of Orlando’s attractions; the resort is a tropical oasis ideal for business, pleasure or a little of both. Room rates are $199 for a single or double. For the special conference rate, be sure to contact the hotel directly and mention the Annual Meat Conference by Jan. 16, 2007.

Registration can be completed online or by submitting a registration form. Early Bird Registration – prior to Jan. 5, 2007 – is $595 per person ($545 for three or more registrations from the same company). After Jan. 5, 2007, attendees pay the regular conference rate of $695 per person ($645 for three or more registrations from the same company). Five or more retailers/wholesalers attending together receive the special group discount of $515.

The Conference is also offering a special first-timer registration fee for retailer/wholesaler member companies who have not attended the conference during the previous three years. For additional information, call 202/220-0708.

For more information, registration and ongoing updates, visit the Annual Meat Conference Web site at www.meatconference.com.