Program

GENERAL AGENDA CENTRAL TIME
Leaders of Tomorrow Reception and Dinner
Invite only
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
GENERAL AGENDA CENTRAL TIME
Registration Open
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Networking Luncheon: Carving the Future of the Meat Industry Through Mentorship

Calling all attendees! Kick-off AMC by joining us for a delicious luncheon generously sponsored by the Women's Meat Industry Network (WMIN). Meet and greet with other attendees and participate in a timely discussion about mentoring and how it can help develop and advance the women who will shape the future of our industry.

Sponsored by
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
General Session: Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Opening Keynote: If You Can See It, You Can Be It

Entrepreneurial success is transformative and with that comes many ups and downs over the course of a career and more so an industry. Roadblocks of labor, product shortages, and finances often seen as problems in your business can also be the inspiration for change and innovation. This year’s Opening Keynote presentation will explore the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship in the meat retail industry and how being a strong leader when times are tough and working together as a team to celebrate your business in tough times can pull you through. In this presentation, Chef Jeff Henderson will share two decades of life lessons that he gained on his redemptive journey from incarceration to TV celebrity chef to internationally acclaimed speaker. With his 12 inspiring and pragmatic street-smart recipes for success, the audience will discover their hidden business aptitudes, make life-changing decisions, and secure personal and professional success.

Chef Jeff Henderson
Award-winning chef, bestselling author, entrepreneur, TV personality and speaker
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Break
Sponsored by
godshalls
2:15 pm – 2:30 pm
General Session: The Power of Meat 2024

This year’s much anticipated Power of Meat is in! Join Anne-Marie Roerink from 210 Analytics for the 19th year of this must-attend, peer-recommended session that takes an in-depth look at meat perceptions and realities. This year’s study focuses on the big themes dominating the meat and poultry landscape, including affordability, permissibility and favorability. Join to see what worked and what didn’t in 2023, with lessons for success in 2024. Learn about ways the meat industry can help overcome the overriding focus on price and promotions. See if our efforts and communications in animal welfare, sustainability and health are leading to improved perceptions and engagement. Come away with how convenience, claims, taste and traditions are faring in today’s uncharted territory. Don’t miss the top-rated session year-after-year that paves the way for your company’s success in the coming year!

Anne-Marie Roerink, 210 Analytics
Sponsored by
cryovac
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Break
Sponsored by
godshalls
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Concurrent Workshops
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
The Power of Meat 2024 After Party

Feeling energized from the 2024 Power of Meat Report? Have burning questions, want to dig deeper into any of the findings or curious to see the top 10 merchandising ideas of 2023?! This is your opportunity to submit any and all questions and get the answers from Anne-Marie Roerink, author and presenter of the Power of Meat along with economist and meat expert Glynn Tonsor. Glynn is a professor at Kansas State University and oversees the monthly Meat Demand Monitor. Anne-Marie and Glynn will provide economic, consumer and retail perspectives on the ever-competitive meat and poultry landscape in the U.S. in this interactive Q&A session. Get your questions ready and let’s get the party started!

Anne-Marie Roerink, President, 210 Analytics, LLC
Glynn Tonsor, Kansas State University
Sponsored by
cryovac
 
Regulatory and Policy Update

Get the latest information on issues of importance to both retailers and processors from FMI and Meat Institute leading experts in regulatory and policy issues. The discussion will focus on groundbreaking issues in meat and poultry including the Farm Bill, state animal welfare laws, greenhouse gas emissions, antibiotic residue testing, packing regulations and various petitions submitted to USDA. This high-level discussion will address policy issues in the areas of food safety, animal welfare, and more to help attendees understand what to be prepared for in the coming year.

Casey Gallimore, Director of Regulatory Policy, North American Meat Institute
Andrew Harig, Vice President – Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI
 
Understanding Labor: Where We Are and Where We’re Going

How do we retain our employees in the ever changing, unpredictable labor market? This is a question that continues to be a dynamic discussion among the meat retail industry. This breakout session will focus on how retailers can retain their labor force after the initial 90 days at the store level, food service and retail representatives. The session will dive into the shifting culture of labor and its current dynamics and how to deliver and hit specific metric marks for your business. 

Alex Chausovsky, Director of Analytics and Consulting, Bundy Group
Hinda Mitchell, President and Founder, Inspire PR Group
 
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by
certifiedangusbeef tyson wow-logistics-logo
5:30 pm-7:30 pm
GENERAL AGENDA CENTRAL TIME
Breakfast
Sponsored by
open-range-beef
7:00 am – 8:00 am
General Session: 2024 Market Outlook for Meat and Poultry

World and U.S. economic conditions, trade disagreements and agreements, supply and demand. There are multiple forces at play for producers, processors, retailers and consumers in U.S. meat and poultry markets. This session will look at those factors – and others – in the beef, pork and poultry markets and how they will impact your operations in 2024 and beyond.

Randy Blach, CEO, CattleFax
Steve Meyer, Economist, Partners for Production Agriculture
Christine McCracken, Executive Director, Animal Protein, Rabobank
8:00 am – 9:45 am
Break
9:45 am – 10:15 am
Concurrent Workshops
10:15 am – 11:15 am
Market Outlook Deep Dive

Join this breakout to with extended time for Q&A and further discussion with AMC’s economic experts, Christine, Randy, and Steve. Attendees can take advantage of this opportunity for further discussion on the livestock and meat landscapes to gain a better understanding of market conditions and how they will affect the protein businesses in the coming year.

Randy Blach, CEO, CattleFax
Steve Meyer, Economist, Partners for Production Agriculture
Christine McCracken, Executive Director, Animal Protein, Rabobank
 
Behind the Meat Counter: Beef Carcass Fabrication

Are you new to the meat industry, trained in a very specific part of the industry and looking to broaden your skillset, or just a lifelong learner wanting to know more about where meat products come from?! If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then this session is for you! New this year to the Annual Meat Conference, is an interactive breakout session for attendees to learn more about where meat products come from - starting with a beef carcass fabrication demonstration!

Diana Clark, Meat Scientist, Certified Angus Beef
Jess Pryles, Founder and President, Hardcore Carnivore
 
Sustainability in the Meat Industry: Status Update, Solutions, and Success Stories

Sustainability is a topic that continues to evolve at AMC as the meat industry progresses towards continuous improvement. Join this session to learn more about Protein PACT engagements across the supply chain, tools members are using for continuous improvement, and learn more about who’s winning in their journey towards sustainable practices across the meat industry and how you can leverage these learnings in your company.

Eric Mittenthal, Chief Strategy Officer, Meat Institute
Dr. Sara Crawford, President, Sustainable Environmental Consultants, LLC
Sponsored by
amcor
 
Break
11:15 am – 11:30 am
General Session: The Use and Application of Artificial Intelligence - How to Make this Advanced Technology Work for Your Business

In the ever-changing world of technology and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the meat retail industry is adapting at a rapid pace without understanding its full applications in the retail space. Using anonymous case studies, this general session will explain how data use and application can predict shopper habits, increase efficiency, and maximize supply chain, and reduce costs in your business. In addition, we will see how AI can positively and negatively influence consumer meals and eating patterns and challenges they are facing with their shopping needs.

Alicja Spaulding, Chief Marketing Officer, Rastelli Foods Group, Inc.
Matt Schwartz, Co-founder and CEO, Afresh
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Exhibit Hall Opens

This year's Annual Meat Conference is the largest in the show's history! Attendees will fire up their taste buds at the largest meat-centric exhibit hall, which includes 145 exhibitors showcasing their latest innovations in meat retail. Click here to discover which companies are exhibiting at the event and reach out to a member to learn about their solution!

Sponsored by
franciscan estate
12:30 pm – 5:00 pm
GENERAL AGENDA CENTRAL TIME
Breakfast
7:00 am – 8:00 am
General Session: Sustainable Packaging and Policy Landscape – Where Are We Now & Where Are We Going?

Let’s kick off the last day of the Annual Meat Conference by diving into the current state of packaging in the meat industry and how food waste and public policy are impacting this evolving space for retailers. Experts will then dive into the future of sustainable packaging and public policy related to innovation, cost, and how to progress the meat industry forward. Leave this session with a better understanding of where we are now on these issues and where your organization can focus on education, advocacy and continuous improvement moving into the rest of 2024 and beyond.

Myra Foster, SEE
Dan Felton, Ameripen
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Break
 
9:00 am – 9:15 am
General Session: The Changing Face of the Consumer

This general session will dive into the changing face of the consumer in retail across generations. The session will show different opportunities for the meat retail industry in the ecommerce space as it relates to sensory issues, how to bring consumers to a product, delivery and capturing younger generations. In addition, the social and economic differences between generations, label insights and understanding where the consumers are and the marketing perspective on multicultural consumers in the meat retail space will be addressed.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, Global EVP & Chief Advisor, Consumer Goods & Foodservice Insights, Circana
Jordan Berke, Founder and CEO, Tomorrow Retail Consulting
Jorge Martinez-Bonilla, Senior Vice President, Culturebeat, C+R Research
9:15 am – 10:15 am
Break
 
10:15 am – 10:30 am


Sponsoring Organizations