Feb 10, 2012
Washington, D.C., February 10, 2012 — Philanthropist and football legend Doug Flutie will share his life experiences on and off the field during the keynote address at the 2012 Annual Meat Conference, to be held February 19-21, 2012, at the Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Fla.

Flutie set NCAA career records for passing yards and total offense. He is also remembered for throwing the “Hail Mary” touchdown pass in the last seconds of Boston College’s 47-45 upset over Miami, the same season he was named the Heisman Trophy winner.

Flutie, 43, accounted for 64,938 yards of total offense in his professional career, compiling 58,179 passing yards and 6,759 rushing yards while playing in the NFL (1986-89, 1998-2005), USFL (1985) and CFL (1990-97).

Flutie has also established the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. in honor of his autistic son, to provide financial support to families impacted by autism and to fund research. To date, the Fluties have granted close to $3 million to various autism organizations.

The Meat Conference each year attracts 800 members of the retail food and meat industries. It is considered among participants to be the leading educational event focusing on meat and poultry marketing innovations, merchandising issues and consumer purchasing trends.

The conference is sponsored by the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute. Associate sponsors include the American Lamb Board, Beef Checkoff, National Chicken Council, Pork Checkoff and National Turkey Federation.

Other scheduled general sessions include:

Winning in the New Consumer Economy

Jeffrey Gregori, vice president, solutions consulting, The Nielsen Company, will discuss the new economic climate and what it takes to better understand, connect and communicate to key business partners and consumers.

The Economy and Its Impact on Your Business

In this session, attendees will learn more about how to adapt their business because of consumer spending trends, unemployment rates and industrial capacity. This session will also explore the impact of economic trends on the livestock, poultry and meat retail industries. Scheduled speakers include Steve Meyer, Ph.D., president, Paragon Economics, Inc., Randy Blach, CEO, CattleFax and Paul Aho, Ph.D., president, Poultry Perspective.

The Power of Meat: An In-Depth Look at Meat Through the Shoppers’ Eyes

The popular, annual Power of Meat research highlights consumers’ likes and dislikes at the meat case and tracks consumer preferences for meat packaging and preparation. Speaker Michael Uetz, principal, Midan Marketing, will help attendees increase their understanding of what drives purchasing decisions in a recessionary environment and develop the best marketing strategies for their meat and poultry offerings.

Strategic Futures

Renowned futurist David Zach will discuss the implications of emerging technology, automation and unlimited access to information on business and what it will take to thrive in today’s quickly changing world.

Conference Details

Registration for this conference is $695 for supermarket retailers/wholesalers and exhibitors. Non-exhibiting suppliers can attend for $1290.

Visit www.MeatConference.com to view the complete conference program and register online.

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AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI’s members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members. www.fmi.org.