Winning the Battle for Mealtime: PG's Total Meal Solutions Summit
Progressive Grocer will host its Total Meal Solutions Summit, Sept. 9-10, 2019 at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas.
The summit is the destination for grocery retailers to discover proven tactics for developing a robust prepared meal solution program that will win over shoppers.
Over one and a half days, attendees will experience an interactive, research-backed master class on how to up their game in feeding consumers what they want, when they want it and how they want it.
Attendees will walk away with plans to drive excitement, build basket size and inspire shopper loyalty with retail foodservice and meal solution concepts.
Did You Know?
40 percent of dinners during the week are unplanned.
The 2019 Progressive Grocer Total Meal Solutions research study is here, and we'll be presenting it Sept. 9-10 in Austin. You don't want to miss insights on:
| • | WHY shoppers choose meal solutions |
| • | WHEN shoppers are most likely to turn to grocery for meal solutions |
| • | WHAT type of meal solutions concepts are most appealing |
The summit will present critical insights on meal solutions with research studies from PG, the Food Marketing Institute and Datassential. Plus attendees can glean practical firsthand strategies from winners of PG’s Total Meal Solutions Awards.
Attendees will be able to connect with fellow retailers, buyers, distributors and chefs from around the country. They can participate in constructive workshops with PG editors and fellow attendees about solving the challenges and harnessing the opportunities of total-store meal solutions, and sample the latest products and innovations through interactive demonstrations led by PG editors.
Additionally, attendees can watch two top retail chefs face off to create a winning meal with mystery ingredients in the annual Chef Challenge cookoff.
Monday, Sept. 9, 2019
Following a light breakfast, attendees will embark on an inspirational food tour of Austin. Stops will include Easy Tiger, a bakery, cafe and beer garden, and Wheatsville Co-op, featuring local and organic products, and fresh prepared foods (a peek at Austin’s food truck scene is also expected).
Returning to the JW Marriott, attendees will begin their first immersion tour, in which small groups will visit interactive product and solution demonstrations, guided by PG editorial staff.
More Information
Afternoon content sessions start next with a general session on menu trends by Marie Molde, registered dietitian and account manager for Datassential, which tracks the hottest flavor trends for retail foodservice. A series of concurrent sessions follows, including presentations on culinary influences in meal solutions by Deanna Stephens, chef and key accounts manager at Acosta, and Dave Histed, corporate executive chef and prepared foods category manager for Giant Eagle Inc.; cross-merchandising, by The Grocery Group’s Cindy Sorensen; the future of meal kits, by Dr. Marcia Schurer, president of Culinary Connections; and tech applications in retail foodservice (panelists to be announced).
Another immersion tour follows, with the day capped off by PG’s Chef Challenge cookoff, followed by a cocktail reception.
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019
Day two starts with PG editors guiding table topic discussions over breakfast around key meal solutions ideas.
Following breakfast, we’ll hear from our keynote speaker, Food Network celebrity chef Jeff Mauro, whose Pork & Mindy’s restaurant concept is making inroads into grocery foodservice in Chicago through Kroger’s Mariano’s banner.
Mauro will then assist PG Editorial Director Jim Dudlicek in handing out awards to the winners of PG’s Total Meal Solutions contest and announcing the winner of the Chef Challenge cookoff. Dudlicek will then lead a panel discussion featuring several of the award winners.
Next, the Food Marketing Institute’s Rick Stein will unveil FMI’s "Power of Foodservice" report to summit attendees. Rounding out the agenda, PG will present the results of its exclusive study of consumer attitudes about supermarket meal solutions.
A full agenda, registration and more information can be found at www.totalmealsolutions.com.