North America: Less than a month until PMA Fresh Summit

With the 2013 PMA Fresh Summit less than a month away, preparations for the expo are in full swing. This year's event, which will take place on October 18 through October 20 in New Orleans, will also include new features to appeal to those coming from outside the U.S.

“Preparations are going extremely well as we head into the final month before the convention opens,” said Bryan Silbermann, PMA President and CEO. “We've made a few changes this year that will appeal to both attendees and exhibitors.” Those changes include the ability to customize the event based on the attendee’s specific business interests, a space dedicated to new ideas, a pavilion dedicated solely to the floral industry and extra online help for first-time visitors.

“It is important to PMA that Fresh Summit reflects the global nature of today's fresh produce and floral industries – that helps make Fresh Summit such a unique experience,” said Silbermann. “Perennially we have non-U.S. participation at Fresh Summit; this year we are expecting participants from more than 60 countries, and our in-country representatives around the globe help ease the path to Fresh Summit for numerous attendees each year.”

This year's expo is expected to reach capacity, and PMA is working to find space for the wait-listed companies who would like to join the ranks of over 1,000 exhibitors that will fill over 250,000 square feet of space in New Orleans. Silbermann cites the venue as contributing to the popularity of this year's event.

“The location is always important, to attract participants and because of the size of our expo,” said Silbermann. “This year, New Orleans appears to be a strong attraction with its wonderful food, music and history. In fact, registration this year has so far been tracking similarly to registration last year, when Fresh Summit was held in Anaheim, California, which is unusual for a location outside of California.”

Registration is currently open, and October 4 is the last day to register in advance. After that, on-site registration will be available at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center starting Thursday, October 17. For more information and to register online, visit www.freshsummit.com.

For more information:
Julia Stewart
Produce Marketing Association
Tel: +1 703-729-3194
[email protected]