Celebrity chef Carla Hall delivers opening keynote address,
sponsored by KraftHeinz; show on pace to be NGA’s largest event ever
Las Vegas, NV – The 2024 NGA Show, the premier tradeshow for the independent supermarket industry, opened yesterday, offering nearly 50 educational sessions and workshops, presented by more than 100 speakers discussing issues facing food retail during the three-day conference, March 10-12, 2024, at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Early estimates indicate that the 2024 NGA Show is on pace to be the largest show in the association’s history.
“There’s an excitement and energy behind this show that’s sure to be felt by all our attendees and leave them with a truly fulfilling immersive experience,” said Manard Lagasse, NGA’s incoming board chairman. “NGA has a strong pulse on our industry and the show continues to bring top educational content, vendors and opportunities that help retailers and wholesalers bring new ideas and products back to their companies, while also building new industry relationships.”
Lagasse joined outgoing board chair Ted Balistreri and NGA President and CEO Greg Ferrara for a “fireside chat” exploring issues important to independent grocery operator.
In his opening keynote speech to attendees, Ferrara detailed NGA’s advocacy achievements of the past year.
“We scored wins for our members on important policy initiatives, including the recent defeat of proposals to severely restrict SNAP. We hit new highs in growing attendance at our events that enhanced member education. And we continue to break new ground in engagement with industry members, development of leadership and promotion of diversity within our ranks, including the incredible growth of the Women Grocers of America,” he said.
That work includes movement toward antitrust and credit card reform, expansion of nutrition incentives and support of policies beneficial to the growth and success of independent community grocers.
“I challenge every one of you to find how you can get yourself and your key people more involved, not only at NGA, but also back home with your state associations, to learn new ways to enrich your business and contribute to our industry,” Ferrara said.
Rounding out the opening keynote session, sponsored by KraftHeinz, was celebrity chef Carla Hall, whose tremendous positive energy, love of food and experiences pushing outside of her comfort zone delivered a burst of enthusiasm to get the conference started.
Kicking off the agenda on Sunday morning was the Technology Summit, offering grocery retailers a look at technology from multiple perspectives. Topics included e-commerce, personalizing shopper connections, AI optimization, new food tech’s impact on marketing and merchandising, identifying and appealing to the next generation workforce, and establishing new avenues to loyalty.
The summit also featured the release of a new and exclusive consumer survey by Acosta Group and MorningNewsBeat that identifies shopper preferences, barriers and experiences when it comes to food retail technologies.
Sunday’s agenda also included the FMS Financial Symposium, a deep dive into today’s most timely financial topics moderated by FMS Solutions. The symposium looked at profit improvement, exit strategies and environmental programs for your business, including solar energy and carbon credits. A panel of retailers will share how they’re thriving despite inflation and overall rising costs.
The annual Creative Choice Awards, presented by Kellanova and Unilever, celebrated independent grocers’ most innovative and successful marketing campaigns and promotional events of 2023. Award recipients shared their inspiration for successful campaigns in omnichannel marketing, community engagement, and aspects like center store and fresh innovations.
Additionally on Sunday afternoon, the following officers began their terms on the NGA Board of Directors:
- Chairman: Manard Lagasse (Associated Grocers of Baton Rouge)
- Vice Chairman: Richie Morgan (North State Grocery Inc.)
- Treasurer: Dan Funk (Associated Wholesale Grocers)
- Secretary: Gary Redner (Redner’s Markets)
- Immediate Past Chair: Ted Balistreri (Sendik’s Food Market)
- President and CEO: Greg Ferrara (NGA)
The following members were elected to the Board of Directors:
Carlos Castro, Todos Neighborhood Supermarket, Woodbridge, VA (re-elected); Jimmy Nichols, Houchens Food Group, Bowling Green, KY (re-elected); Enid Barillas, AM Inc. dba Econo Healthy Path, Mayaguez, PR; Kim Eskew, Harps Food Stores Inc., Springdale, AR; Lupe Lopez, Arteagas Food Center, Gilroy, CA; Tim Lowe, Lowes Foods, Winston Salem, NC; Kurt Schertle, Weis Markets, Sandbury, PA; Jena Sowers, Alliance Retail Group, Raymore, MO (re-elected) Scott Widfeldt, KeHe Distributors, Chicago (re-elected); Dan Funk, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kansas City, KS; Joe Garcia, Associated Supermarket Group, Port Washington, NY; Steve Heggelke, Bozzuto’s Inc., Cheshire, CT; Jerry McCann, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing, Bessimer, AL; Amy McClellan, SpartanNash, Grand Rapids, MI; Tom Daniel, Ecolab, St. Paul, MN; Brad Thomas, Kimberly-Clark, San Antonio, TX; Marvin R. Vines, Coca-Cola North America, Alpharetta, GA; Julie Miro Wenger, Delaware Food Industry Council, Newark, DE.
Additionally, filling vacated seats for their respective companies are Fred Boehler, Save A Lot; Jessica Gassar, Wakefern Food Corp.; Melanie Jones, C&S Wholesale Grocers; Jason Ramsey, Merchant Distributors Inc.; and Sean Schulke, Houchens Food Group Inc.
The 2024 NGA Show continues through Tuesday, March 12.
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For more than 30 years, The NGA Show has been the place where independent grocers gather, connecting supermarket retailers and wholesalers, food manufacturers and service providers from around the world to share innovative solutions and best practices that support and strengthen the independent supermarket channel. The NGA Show is produced and managed by Clarion Events as part of the Food & Beverage Group, in partnership with the National Grocers Association (NGA). For more information and to register, visit www.theNGAshow.com.
Clarion Events produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. Clarion Events, which is the U.S. division of Clarion Events UK and backed by The Blackstone Group, has become one of the fastest-growing event companies in the U.S. with aggressive growth through both acquisition and launch. Clarion acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing four Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and supercharging the already rapid growth. Clarion Events has offices in Shelton, Conn.; Tulsa, OK; and Fairlawn, N.J.
The National Grocers Association (NGA) is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
