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The Packer/Opinion


WHY IT MATTERS TO BE PRESENT AND ENGAGED IN THE INDUSTRY


WHILE ATTENDING INDUSTRY EVENTS REQUIRES TAKING TIME AWAY FROM REGULAR BUSINESS,
THERE IS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT FROM BEING INVOLVED — AND A COST OF MISSING OUT,
SAYS COLUMNIST JOE WATSON.

Joe Watson
 • 
March 22, 2024 08:22 AM
Head and shoulders shot Joe Watson Rouses Markets PMA International Fresh
Produce Association
(Photo courtesy of Joe Watson; Graphic: Farm Journal)

I remember vividly the first time I had the opportunity to engage in an industry
event. It was 1985, my second year as a produce manager, and a large national
association was hosting its annual convention in New Orleans.

Our company was asked to create a display that would highlight the lifestyle and
culture of south Louisiana. We set out to grab attendees’ attention and make
them feel like they were down on the bayou and not in a hotel ballroom.

It took weeks of planning, research and coordinating logistics. We even used the
Louisiana State Museum to help us with the artifacts and props we needed to
create an authentic backdrop for a national audience, which included then-Vice
President George Herbert Walker Bush, who would be giving a keynote address.



Imagine this — we actually went into a swamp and cut cypress knees and collected
palmetto and Spanish moss from live oak trees that lined the banks of bayous in
the area, all to bring a real feel and fragrance to the display.

I remember arriving in downtown New Orleans early that morning with carloads of
material and a truckload of taxidermy mounts of native Louisiana wildlife on
loan from the state museum. We had mud boats, pirogues, nets, cages, even a mini
campsite on a pallet. Our team worked desperately to finish the display on time,
but we ran late into the evening.

But when it was revealed the next day to attendees, they were blown away by the
intricacies of the display and how real it all looked — and it was real. We even
added some Cajun zydeco music in the background to create the right atmosphere.



To say we felt accomplished was to say that we took our work seriously and
wanted to deliver a great experience to attendees.




WHAT WAS LEARNED

Though our company was small at the time with only four locations, we had gained
a reputation as being unique, creative and willing to tackle what might seem to
some like it wasn’t possible to accomplish. But we thrived on such
opportunities.



What I learned was that I relished that experience and quickly realized I wanted
to be more involved and engaged in the industry in which I worked: retail
grocery. I could not have imagined then where that passion would take me years
later.




WHY COMPANIES CHOOSE TO ENGAGE

There are many reasons why retailers select to engage in their industry: mostly
to make new connections, gain new insights, find new innovations and products,
and to educate themselves and their teams. These are the basic reasons for
attending and bringing back to the company a return on the investment in time
and resources. But beyond these reasons, what is being missed?






WHY COMPANIES CHOOSE NOT TO ENGAGE

Some companies determine they do not need these opportunities or that the cost
of time away from the business outweighs the benefit. Many times, companies
expect their supply partners to present all of the greatest and newest products
and services they would have seen and experienced at an event. So, why attend?

It’s this way of thinking that keeps many companies from seeing the trees
through the forest. In essence they think they have and know all they need.






BEING AT THE TABLE

Over the course of my career connected to the fresh produce industry and retail,
I look back at that first experience in 1985 in particular and what it did by
lighting a fire to set me in motion for what I wanted to accomplish for myself,
my team, my company and the industry I served.

What I quickly realized was that being present and engaged wasn’t always about
what I brought back, but rather what I gave.






RISK OF NOT BEING AT THE TABLE

In my daily routine, I hear people across the supply chain ask why certain
retailers are not participating. The reasons vary, and I have covered some of
them already.

In my own experience in retail, I was in an environment where learning
everything we could about everything that was trending, new, exciting and
possible was expected. It wasn’t a “gift” to get to attend an industry function;
it was an expectation to do so. When a company chooses not to be engaged, what
they risk is greater than what the investment could ever be.



And therein lies maybe the most common denominator: Some companies are focused
inwardly and believe they have all the tools and resources needed to keep
innovating and creating better experiences and growing business. They already
know what they need to know, but it’s what they don’t know that could benefit
them — if only they would engage.




PLACING A VALUE ON VALUE

When a company looks at engagement only as an expense and not an investment, it
is much easier to just say no. But when a company realizes the possibilities of
being engaged, being present and connected, and building a broader network that
can benefit their business, the value it brings their brand is exponentially
greater than any price promotion or massive display they can build.



The investment in people beyond wage compensation has been proven to motivate a
team and to have them see the potential of their personal growth within the
organization.




EXPLORE, EXPERIENCE, EXPAND, ENGAGE

As a produce director, I made it a part of our strategy and business plan to
have teams attend events, be part of educational programming and travel together
in groups to learn more about the business of fresh produce.



Over the years, those efforts not only brought great benefit and value back to
our business, but it also made our brand stronger within the industry. Companies
understood our brand and culture and wanted to partner with us; in turn, we had
the opportunity to give back by serving as volunteers across several industry
associations, and many on the team received accolades and awards on a national
level.

But it did not happen by accident. It was an investment — in people and our
brand.

Make note of these key points:


 * Explore — What is it you need to know, and how are you going to gain that
   information?
 * Experience — The produce industry is a global one. It awaits you to be part
   of it.
 * Expand — Knowing what you know is only half of what you need to know.
 * Engage — Giving back is possibly the greatest ROI for your company.

Speaking of engagement, the International Fresh Produce Association will be
hosting the 2024 Retail Conference May 1-2 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass
Resort in Phoenix. Registration is open, and seats are limited. Retailers from
throughout the U.S. and Canada will be in attendance along with grower-shippers,
processors and solution providers who will gather to connect and network to
bring value to their business and brands.

Always remember the “Three I’s of Merchandising:”

 * Impact
 * Impulse
 * Incremental

Happy selling!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Watson spent 30-plus years as the director of produce for Rouses Markets and
was named Produce Retailer of the Year and honored as one of The Packer 25, both
in 2014. Watson now serves as a vice president of retail, foodservice and
wholesale for International Fresh Produce Association.

PMG Retail Merchandising Produce Retail
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