Rockford, IL – May 24, 2017 – WATT Global Media and the National Chicken Council (NCC) have announced agenda and speaker details for the 2017 Chicken Marketing Summit. This annual executive conference will take place on July 16-18, 2017 at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
On July 17, the first full day of the conference will commence with a keynote presentation by Pilgrim’s CEO, Bill Lovette, who will share insights on the challenge of connecting with consumers on issues such as the use of antibiotics in chicken production, animal welfare and slow-growing broilers. Following Lovette’s presentation, there will be a variety of educational sessions leading up to a new Broiler Welfare Panel Discussion which will be held that afternoon.
Five industry executives have been selected to lead the Broiler Welfare Panel Discussion, including, Eric Christianson, Senior Vice President/General Manager of Marketing with Perdue Foods, Sara Lilygren, formerly VP corporate affairs of Tyson Foods, Jack Hubbard, the VP of marketing at the American Humane Association, Jerome Lyman, formerly VP global quality systems with McDonald’s and Anne-Marie Neeteson, VP of Welfare and Compliance at Aviagen. Panelists will discuss the issues and the types of conversations that poultry marketers need to be having with both consumers and poultry buyers.
“Activist groups have begun pressuring chicken buyers to adopt future purchase pledges focused on broiler welfare standards in a similar manner to the efforts that brought about future cage-free egg purchase pledges,” said Terrence O’Keefe, Content Director, WATT Global Media. “The Broiler Welfare Panel will focus on how to start a conversation about welfare with consumers and chicken buyers and what topics should be addressed.”
In addition to the new Broiler Welfare Panel, the agenda also includes the annual Retail/Foodservice Poultry Buyer Panel. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the President of Harris Teeter, Rod Antolock, the Senior VP Global Supply Chain and Purchasing for Church’s Chicken, Barry Barnett, and David Rothmeier, Manager, Supply chain sourcing for Chick-fil-A. During the nearly two-hour discussion, the panelists will share their personal experiences and answer questions tailored to attendees’ specific business models.
“The Retail/Foodservice Byers Panel is always one of the highlights of the Summit,” O’Keefe said. “The buyers share feedback from consumers and discuss how changing consumer preferences are impacting their operations.”
Registration is available now. For more information on the 2017 Chicken Marketing Summit go to www.ChickenMarketingSummit.com.
About WATT Global Media
WATT Global Media provides exceptional business content and solutions to the agribusiness industry. As an industry innovator, WATT Global Media has connected buyers and sellers in the poultry, pig, animal feed and pet food industries through its media channels for 100 years. www.WATTGlobalMedia.com
About National Chicken Council
The National Chicken Council (NCC) is a non-profit trade association headquartered in Washington, D.C. that represents chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce and process chickens raised for meat. Member companies of the council account for more than 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.
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Contact:
Kristen de la Torriente, Forum Marketing Coordinator
o. +1.815.966.5514 | e. kdelatorriente@wattglobal.com