As the frost of winter was slowly but surely melting away and the first green signs of spring renewal were just starting to emerge, who could predict that in such a short amount of time our lives would change so dramatically? As all of us have unexpectedly been gripped by this global pandemic that has swept the country and the world, we have had to adapt quickly to the changes that have been implemented to keep us safe, and one of (if not the biggest) adjustments has been trying to figure out how to do anything without engaging in-person with one another. We are in what would typically be trade show season, and already so many companies and organizations have had to cancel their conferences and conventions that have been a year or so in the making. But what we thought would only be a temporary restriction with just a few weeks of cancellations has become one without a set end date that will have lasting consequences even after we are all relieved from our mandated stay-at-home orders.
As organizations scramble to think outside of the box to host events that otherwise they would have to scrap in the wake of this pandemic, many of them are going into unchartered territory. Instead of postponing or cancelling their scheduled large physical gatherings, some are moving forward by hosting their conferences and larger scale events virtually. While smaller virtual affairs such as webinars are already common practice and therefore have become a go-to for many establishments to keep people engaged with them and their businesses, large scale digital events are not as commonplace and can be a bit daunting. There are two organizations in our industry that are facing this challenge head-on.
United Fresh Produce Association, which hosts its annual trade show in June, has taken the technology bull by the horns and has transitioned it to a completely virtual event. During the week of June 15, United Fresh LIVE! will be debut online on its website. The free event will connect customers, suppliers and colleagues across the industry and across the globe. It will feature live keynote presentations, roundtable discussion groups, networking interaction among different communities, and a robust expo floor where exhibitors and attendees can share information, view videos and other content, chat live and make the same connections one would at an in-person event.
“United Fresh LIVE! is an innovative solution to an unprecedented challenge. Businesses across the supply chain are clamoring for information and connections,” said Michael Muzyk, president, Baldor Specialty Foods, and chairman of the United Fresh board of directors. “As we’ve learned to adopt online platforms to conduct our daily business, offering this free virtual event broadens our opportunity to deliver real value to thousands of industry members at a time when they need it most.”
Danny Dumas, senior vice president, N.A. Sales, marketing and product management at Del Monte Fresh Produce, and chairman-elect of United Fresh, added, “United Fresh LIVE! is a testament to the quick-pivot thinking to ensure that our industry can continue to gather and thrive, even in these unprecedented times.”
Also taking one of their biggest in-person events and turning it into a virtual experience is Giant Food. The National Capital Barbecue Battle, which is celebrating its 28th year, has become one of the largest and most unique food and music festivals in the country. This year, the two-day street event (which typically takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets in Washington, DC) will be hosting free activities online throughout the month of June in lieu of its traditional physical gathering. The new format hope to create a social engagement opportunity with interactive programming, cooking contests, cooking demonstrations, recipes, entertainment and more and will benefit the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore and the Capital Area Food Bank.
Notable events will include:
Giant BBQ Contests: Featuring contests such as the Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken Contest, Smokin’ with Smithfield, Turkey Smoke, America’s Best Beef Contest, Best BBQ Sauce Jr. Chef Competition, Military Chef Cookoff with members of USO-Metro, and more. Contests that are open to the public will feature prizes, shopping sprees and more.
Have Your BBQ Feast Delivered: Giant Delivers will be offering BBQ Feasts for purchase. From the Giant Delivers website or app, simply click-to-cart the BBQ Feast package to get everything you need for the best at-home BBQ delivered for the whole family.
BBQ Tips from America’s Top BBQ Pitmasters: Welcome a pitmaster into your living room and then take things to the backyard to get grillin’. BBQ legends including Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone and Moe Cason will be sharing their best tips and tricks for the tastiest BBQ.
BBQ Battle of the Bands: For music fans, Giant’s Ultimate BBQ Battle of the Bands will feature a variety of artists performing across two stages. Bands will be competing with recent and favorite Giant Barbecue Battle rock, reggae, jazz, blues and R&B performances. A third stage will feature more soon-to-be announced headline performances.
“The annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle is a tradition that we look forward to every year, with over 100,000 visitors gathering together to celebrate food, fun and summer while raising money and awareness for USO-Metro and the Capital Area Food Bank,” said Ira Kress, interim president at Giant Food. “With the change in what this new normal looks like, our team was committed to finding a way to maintain all that while creating a truly unique virtual experience we can all take part in safely from home.”
Participants will be given the opportunity to donate $5 to USO-Metro and receive a digital form online that can be redeemed at any Giant location for a Giant Barbecue Battle Summer Fun Coupon Book. To learn more about the activities and to check out the schedule of events, visit www.bbqindc.com.
Also, before I sign off, I want to mention one more virtual event that is taking place this month. WIN (Women In Negotiation) Summit is a premier female-focused organization that empowers women to discover new ways to harness their unique strengths, elevate their skills, leverage their value and better advocate for themselves and their companies. The New York-based group will be hosting an all-day interactive virtual event on Wednesday, May 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. called “Women on the Front Lines” which will bring together experts and thought leaders from across the country to offer critical conversations, advice, and workshops on helping navigate and negotiate through this “new normal.” The day will include workshops addressing non-work challenges such as establishing boundaries and maintaining balance while working from home, training on how to tackle negotiations virtually, panel discussions on leadership and well-being in the face of a crisis, and a coaching power hour where participants can directly ask a panel of WIN Coaches urgent questions. The virtual ticket to attend is free, but any donations made will go to support Mask a Hero, helping supply personal protective equipment to our female healthcare heroes on the front lines of COVID-19. Get your free virtual ticket here.
The Japanese scholar Kakuzō Okakura once said, “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” As we all have to do this now and at such a large scale, let us do it together in support of one another. Many of the virtual trade shows and events that the organizations in our industry will be putting out there are free (including the three mentioned in this very column). If you can, please check them out or/and share them with others so that they can get the exposure and attendees necessary to keep going through these trying and unprecedented times.
Until next month…
Karen can be contacted via email at: [email protected]