RDBA
VIRTUAL
EXPERIENCE 2023:
APRIL 18-20

COUNTDOWN TO THE EVENT

DAYS
HOURS
MIN
SEC

Retailers across the globe have established health and wellbeing as a corporate pillar, and dietitians are a driving force in integrating healthy living into all shopper touchpoints with their grocer and creating new income streams. This virtual conference highlights how retail RDs are utilizing data, technology, and digital engagement in programs and services, owning store landscape, and navigating the politics of retail in today’s food environment.

OVER
350
ATTENDEES
EXPECTED
OVER
40
RETAILERS
ENDLESS
CONNECTIONS
PRICELESS

SPEAKERS

Keynote Speakers

Phil Lempert

Phil Lempert

SupermarketGuru & Speaker

Keynote, The Lempert Report: 2023 Forecast & Predictions

Barton Seaver

Barton Seaver

Chef & Author

Cook-Along: No Thaw Cooking with Alaska Seafood

Park Howell

Park Howell

Founder of The Business of Story

Keynote & Workshop, The Business of Story

Shelley Blanko

Dr. Shelley Balanko

PhD, Senior Vice President at The Hartman Group, Inc.

Closing Keynote, Health and Wellness in 2023: Priorities and Trade-Offs

Breakout Session Speakers

Allison Delaney

Allison Delaney

MS, RD, LDN, Director of Healthy Living at Stop & Shop

Caroline Passerrello

Caroline Passerrello

MS, RDN, LDN, Community Coordinator and Instructor, Dietitian Nutritionist Program at University of Pittsburgh

Elaine Magee

Elaine Magee

MPH, RD, Wellness Corporate Dietitian at Albertsons Companies & Author

Elizabeth Caton

Elizabeth Caton

MS, Brand & Nutrition Manager, Guiding Stars Licensing Company

Garrick Brown

Garrick Brown

MS, RD, LD, Nutritionist, Guiding Stars Licensing Company

Julie Greene

Julie Greene

MPH, Director, Guiding Stars Licensing Company

Krystal Register

Krystal Register

MS, RDN, LDN, Senior Director Health & Wellbeing, FMI

Lisa Coleman

Lisa Coleman

MS, RD, LDN, Director of Healthy Living at Giant Food

Lorena Kaplan

Lorena Kaplan

RDN, LDN, H-E-B Wellness Nutrition Strategy Team

Marissa McCormick

Marissa McCormick

MS, RD, Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition | Health & Nutrition Communications

Shelbi Thurau

Shelbi Thurau

RDN, ShopRite Dietitian Strategy Supervisor

Sherry Coleman Collins

Sherry Coleman Collins

MS, RDN, LD

Stacy Bates

Stacy Bates

MS, RDN, LD, CDE, H-E-B Director Wellness Nutrition Strategy

Dr. Teresa Marshall

Dr. Teresa Marshall

University of Iowa

Facilitated Discussion Leaders

Amy Peterson

Amy Peterson

MS, RD, LD, Digital Marketing Manager, Coborn’s Inc.

Judy Chodirker

Judy Chodirker

RD, MHSc, In-Store Dietitian, Loblaw Companies

Megan Callahan

Megan Callahan

MS, RD, LD, Corporate Registered Dietitian, Hy-Vee

AGENDA

All times are Eastern Standard Time

  • 11:00 - 12:00

    KEYNOTE: The Lempert Report: 2023 Forecast & Predictions, Phil Lempert

    Track: Trends & Insights

    Speaker: Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru®

    In his annual keynote address, RDBA Founder Phil Lempert shares his 30th Annual Food Trend Forecast. The New York Times says, “Lempert’s forecasts are more about context — the whys behind a trend — than simply declaring that everyone will soon be eating charred vegetables and broccoli tots.” read more

    12:00 - 12:45

    Breakout Sessions


    Session 1 | (Sponsored) Early Introduction of Peanuts for Preventing Peanut Allergies

    Track: Trends & Insights

    Speaker: Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RDN, LD

    Led by Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RDN, LD, this presentation will review the current recommendations for introducing peanuts to infants and the research supporting those recommendations. read more


    Session 2 | Powerhouse Panel: Lessons Learned from Experienced Retail RDs

    Track: Stories from Experience (Case Studies with/shared by Retail RDs)

    Speakers:
    Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, Wellness Corporate Dietitian at Albertsons Companies
    Lorena Kaplan, RDN, LDN, H-E-B Wellness Nutrition Strategy Team
    Shelbi Thureau, RDN, ShopRite Dietitian Strategy Supervisor

    Are you new to your retail career and looking to learn from your retail RDN colleagues who’ve been in the business for a while? Then this session is designed for you as it provides career building tips and lessons learned from those who’ve “walked in your shoes.” read more


    Session 3 | The State of Food as Medicine

    Track: Food as Medicine

    Speakers:
    Stacy Bates, MS, RDN, LD, CDE, H-E-B Director Wellness Nutrition Strategy
    Krystal Register, MS, RDN, LDN, Senior Director Health & Wellbeing, FMI

    Food as Medicine has established itself as a reputable movement and national priority, and there has been an increased interest and investment in the space. With that, there is a need to level-set an industry-wide approach to this topic to ensure that the long-term positive opportunities to leverage food for better health are not overshadowed by misguided recommendations and false claims. read more

    12:45 - 2:00

    1-on-1 Sponsor Appointments, Networking & Lunch

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking

    2:00 - 3:00

    Expo Hall Open

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking, Trends & Insights, Innovation & Tech

    3:00 - 3:45

    Breakout Sessions


    Session 4 | (Sponsored) Beyond the Shelf: Nutrition Metric for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing

    Track: Trends & Insights

    Speakers:
    Julie Greene, MPH
    Elizabeth Caton, MS
    Garrick Brown, MS, RD, LD

    Grocery retailers provide access to healthy foods and beverages, but they also influence the availability and affordability of options that shoppers choose from. The growth of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing provides an opportunity for companies to align financial returns with benefits for society and the planet. read more


    Session 5 | Securing Top Talent Through Consistency, Communication and Candidate Experience

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking

    Speakers:
    Stacey Penn, President & CEO, SAY Group
    Erin Perreboom, Collaborative Instructional Designer & Facilitator, SAY Group

    Hiring is one of the biggest challenges businesses face today. Searching for candidates for niche roles, like retail dietitians, makes the talent hunt even more challenging. How do you attract top candidates for your retail roles? read more

    3:45 - 5:00

    1-on-1 Sponsor Appointments & Expo Hall

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking

  • 10:00 - 11:00

    STUDENT PANEL | Focus on the Future: Building the Preceptor Skillset for Future Practice

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking, Stories from Experience (Case Studies with/shared by Retail RDs)

    Speaker: Caroline Passerrello, MS, RDN, LDN, Community Coordinator and Instructor, University of Pittsburgh, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Dietitian Nutritionist Program

    The 2022 Standards are now in effect for ACEND accredited programs, do you know what this means for students, preceptors, and future practice? If your retailer offers health screening events, partners with pharmacists for counseling services, or has considered these events you are an ideal practice setting to offer supervised experiential learning for the 2022 Standards!
    read more

    11:00 - 12:00

    KEYNOTE & WORKSHOP: The Business of Story

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking

    Speaker: Park Howell, Founder of The Business of Story

    Park Howell is a storytelling genius that is an author, agency owner, coach, consultant, and speaker working with well-known brands, like Coca-Cola and Dell, who want their story to shine. He gets fired up about helping business professionals, like retail dietitians, clarify their story and amplify their impact! read more

    12:00 - 12:45

    FACILITATED DISCUSSIONS

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking, Stories from Experience (Case Studies with/shared by Retail RDs)

    Attendees will break into discussion groups following Park Howell’s Keynote and Workshop to discuss what they learned and how they will put their learnings to use in their day-to-day work.

    Attendees will self-select into their group of choice. Below are definitions to help with selection of the group that best fits their current role.


    Group 1 | Store-Based Retail Dietitians

    Facilitator: Judy Chodirker, RD, MHSc, Loblaws

    “Store-based” would be a dietitian who works directly with customers/patients at store-level or virtually (may cover more than one store location).


    Group 2 | Market-Based Retail Dietitians

    Facilitator: Amy Peterson, MS, RD, LD, Digital Marketing Manager, Coborn’s Inc.

    “Market-based” would be those who may have both store level and managerial duties.


    Group 3 | Corporate Retail Dietitians

    Facilitator: Megan Callahan, MS, RD, LD, Corporate Registered Dietitian, Hy-Vee

    “Corporate” would be those located at the office level who deal more with strategy and program development than one-on-one customer interaction.

    12:45 - 2:00

    1-on-1 Sponsor Appointments, Lunch & Expo

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking

    2:00 - 3:00

    New Products Showcase & Expo Hall

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking, Trends & Insights, Innovation & Tech

    3:00 - 3:45

    BREAKOUT SESSIONS


    Session 6 | Staying Relevant – Shifting the Conversation about Health

    Tracks: Stories from Experience (Case Studies with/shared by Retail RDs), Food as Medicine

    Speakers:
    Allison Delaney, MS, RD, LDN, Director of Healthy Living, Stop & Shop
    Lisa Coleman, MS, RD, LDN, Director of Healthy Living, Giant Food
    Julie Greene, MPH, Director, Guiding Stars Licensing Company

    It can be difficult to move the needle when working in a retail grocery chain, especially when other priorities and industry issues are creating noise that keeps your business case from being heard. Join this session to hear how industry leaders are shifting their strategies to stay relevant and ensure they are being heard within their retail setting.


    Session 7 | Media Training – To Be Announced

    3:45 - 5:00

    COOK-ALONG: No Thaw Cooking with Chef/Author Barton Seaver & Alaska Seafood

    Track: Trends & Insights

    Speaker: Barton Seaver, Chef & Author

    Join Chef/Author Barton Seaver as he shows you how you can help your shoppers make quick, easy, and delicious meals with frozen wild Alaska sockeye salmon. Chef Seaver will focus on how cooking directly from frozen – no thawing or a bunch of pre-planning – helps your shoppers meet their goals for making good for the body and good for the planet tasty meals. All you have to do is grab some wild Alaska sockeye salmon straight from the freezer and cook along.

  • 10:00 - 12:00

    1-on-1 Sponsor Appointments & Expo

    Track: Career Development – Business Acumen, Leadership, Networking, Trends & Insights, Innovation & Tech

    12:00 - 12:45

    BREAKOUT SESSIONS


    Session 8 | Flipping the Script: What Brands and Commodity Boards Need from Retail Partners

    Track: Stories from Experience (Case Studies with/shared by Retail RDs)

    Speaker: Marissa McCormick, MS, RD, Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition | Health & Nutrition Communications

    Retail dietitians are sought out for partnerships as they are in unique positions to sell health at retail. In this session, we will be “flip the script” and hear what brands and commodity boards look for and need from retail partners. They will share how brands/commodities select key message points, typical timelines and how they work through the approval process on their end.


    Session 9 | The Intersection of Nutrition & Oral Health

    Track: Food as Medicine

    Speaker: Dr. Teresa Marshall, University of Iowa

    Research has proven that a bidirectional relationship exists between oral health, diet and nutrition. In this session we will dive into how diet and/or nutrient intakes adversely impact oral health; identify associations between oral and systemic diseases and explain common dietary risk factors; identify how poor oral health impacts food choices and the implications for overall diet quality; discuss communication strategies for informing consumers on the importance of oral health; and outline key preventative strategies that consumers can incorporate into their daily routine.

    12:45 - 1:00

    Break

    1:00 - 2:00

    To Be Announced

    2:00 - 3:00

    CLOSING SESSION & KEYNOTE: Health and Wellness in 2023: Priorities and Trade-Offs

    Speaker: Shelley Balanko, PhD, Senior Vice President at The Hartman Group, Inc.

    Track: Trends & Insights

    A lot has happened in consumers’ lives in the past three years, and their personal health and wellness has been at the forefront of their concerns. However, rising prices and inflation are challenging to consumers’ wellness aspirations. Hartman Group syndicated research reveals what health and wellness means to the consumer today, their health and wellness priorities, and where they are making trade-offs. Insights will focus on shopping behaviors and desired product attributes.  The presentation will conclude with implications and recommendations for retailers who aim to speak to contemporary consumer health and wellness needs.

SPONSORS

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
Guiding Stars
Mars Wrigley
National Peanut Board
Red Bull
Activia
General Mills
American Heart Association
California Walnuts
Hershey
Pears USA
GoodWheat
Sugar Association

Get Your Brand in Front of Retail Dietitians at the
2023 Virtual Experience. View the Sponsor Prospectus.

Download Prospectus

For More Information on Opportunities Contact:
James Jackson, Director, Strategic Sales
(952) 239-4347    james.jackson@catman.global

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WE'RE SHATTERING THE MOLD
with a Landmark Virtual Event

Welcome to the most unique conference setting ever designed: the new ARC Virtual Corporate Campus. Over the last few years, we have seen a vast majority of conference shift to virtual experiences, but few have been able to truly captivate and engage us.

That started by rethinking the place. “Online” isn’t a location. A conference setting should be rich and memorable, not a dull series of webinar links. So, we called HKS — the leading architecture firm behind So-Fi Stadium and US Bank Stadium — and had them design a cutting-edge virtual campus for us that lives on the world wide web, right next to Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier.

Then we reimagined the presentation. Watching a Zoom meeting isn’t anything like watching a presenter on stage. So, we brought in our own visual effects team — complete with Hollywood experience — to transport our speakers to our Virtual Campus and transform their presentations into captivating broadcast-quality videos.

RDBA VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
APRIL 18-20, 2023

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

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