Oct 23, 2005
Orlando, FL — October 23, 2005 — Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) today announced that the jointly hosted annual Productivity Conference will become two separate events in 2006.

FMI will launch “Productivity Plus: Logistics Solutions Conference,” October 8-10, 2006 in Charlotte, North Carolina. IFDA will launch “The Foodservice Distribution Conference & Expo,” October 15-17, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The forces of rapid transformation within the industry and the world of trade events have led both associations to explore uniquely beneficial conferences that offer a more specific focus for their respective memberships.

This decision by both organizations is reflective of the continuing and compelling need to provide targeted, high quality education in specialized creative forums that more closely match the business requirements of the respective members. Similarly, suppliers on the exhibit floor will be afforded new and creative forums for meeting with current and prospective customers.

“It is the natural and logical evolution of this important event to customize our conferences to meet the specific needs of our members,” said Jack Block, Executive Vice President, Wholesale Division, FMI.

“We are pleased to pursue new opportunities designed to focus on those issues that are most relevant to our members with programs tailored to their requirements,” said IFDA President Mark Allen.

The current co-hosting relationship between IFDA and FMI is a carryover event from when foodservice distributors were part of Food Distributors International (FDI). When FDI merged with FMI, IFDA established itself as an independent organization poised to better serve its foodservice members for the future.