What’s In Store 2018 Recap
By RDBA Executive Director Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
A definite highlight of FNCE is the annual What’s In Store event, hosted by the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance and Fleishman Hillard. The event provides a unique opportunity for networking amongst retail dietitians, dialogue with sponsors who support retail dietitian activations, and education tailored to the work stream of retail.
The theme of this year’s event was Thriving Amidst Disruption. Information flows at a pace faster than ever before with a constant goal of getting content to go viral. New competitors arrive on the scene every day that provide competition for grocery retailers. Companies are bought and sold, downsized and upsized. But amidst all this disruption, retail dietitians can thrive in their roles, drive success at their retailers, and advance professionally. In the educational program at What’s In Store, four mini-Ted Style Talks addressed areas of disruption impacting retail RDs today. Monica Amburn, MS, RD, LDN, and Senior Director of Health & Wellness with Vestcom and Julie McMillin, RD, LD, and Assistant Vice President of Retail Dietetics at Hy-Vee, Inc. along with moderator Chris Doering, Sr. Editor at Food Dive, lead a compelling session on retail workplace disruption.
A highlight of the meeting is the opportunity to network with food and beverage companies, tasting and learning about health and wellness focused products and gaining an understanding of how these companies support retail dietitians. What’s In Store provides an impressive opportunity to engage with sponsors about potential promotions in the coming year. Event sponsors included Arctic Apple, Bob’s Red Mill, Corteva Agriscience, the Agriscience Division of Dow Dupont, Egg Nutrition Center, Enjoy Life Foods, Flatout, healthyAisles, Modern Table, National Pork Board, Norwegian Seafood Council, PepsiCo’s North America Nutrition brands (pictured here), Potatoes USA, Red Bull, Smithfield, and Stemilt. As shown by the group of Hy-Vee dietitians pictured here, the sponsors provided great SWAG as well!
RDBA continues in our commitment to offer live education and networking events for retail dietitians, and What’s In Store is a priority opportunity to bring together retail RDs for networking, partner engagement, and tailored education.
