Chicken Marketer of the Year

Recognize outstanding accomplishements with the Chicken Marketer of the Year award! This award honors exceptional efforts in retail, foodservice, direct-to-consumer, producer/integrator organizations and companies who have demonstrated innovative marketing and creative excellence in promoting chicken consumption. Nomination deadline is May 1, 2023.

To enter, an organization can self-nominate or nominate another group or company. There is no charge to submit nominations. We encourage participants to share their stories of why the nominee deserves to be named the Chicken Marketer of the Year. Your entry should describe and demonstrate how the nominated company or organization uniquely excelled as a chicken marketer during the 2022 calendar year. Examples of specific marketing or public relations campaigns — whether print, digital, video, audio, social or integrated across multiple channels — are strongly encouraged.

Finalists will be profiled in Poultry Future and WATT PoultryUSA publications and at the 2023 Chicken Marketing Summit. The winning organization will be recognized during a trophy presentation at the 2023 Chicken Marketing Summit. A representative from the winning organization must be present and will receive free registration, two nights stay at the Hotel Effie Sandestin in Miramar Beach, Florida with reimbursement for coach airfare or for mileage driving to the 2023 Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July 31 – August 2.

Ready to enter your completed submission for Chicken Marketer of the Year? Click the SUBMIT NOW box below and follow the instructions.

Do you require additional assistance? Email edoughman@wattglobal.com with questions.

The deadline to submit a nomination for the Chicken Marketer of the Year is May 1, 2023.

2023 Chicken Marketing Summit tentative schedule of events

Monday, July 31

9-10:30 a.m.

NCC Marketing & Communications Committee meeting
Open to committee members and invited guests

Location: Elderberry Room

10 a.m.-7 p.m. 

Registration

Location: Juniper Ballroom Foyer

12 p.m.

Golf tournament kick-off

Location: Links Golf Course, shuttle leaves from lobby entrance

1-4 p.m.

Optional: Wine and Pasta Cooking Class

Join your colleagues for a unique networking experience at Hotel Effie. During this 3-hour hands-on culinary workshop, an Italian pasta instructor will teach you to make fettuccine and cavatelli. Plus, the dining experience includes a wine paring with each dish, house made limoncello crafted in collaboration with 30A Distilling Company and house made Italian dessert.

Space is limited. This is a private event at the discounted rate of $135.

6-7:30 p.m. 

Chicken Marketing Summit 2023 opening reception

Location: Magnolia Foyer

Tuesday, August 1

7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Registration

Location: Juniper Ballroom Foyer

7:30-8:30 a.m. 

Breakfast

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

8:30-8:45 a.m. 

Introduction and welcome
Greg Watt, president and CEO, WATT Global Media

Location: Juniper Ballroom

8:45-9 a.m. 

Chicken wins
Kevin Garland, CEO, Mountaire Farms, NCC Chairman

Location: Juniper Ballroom

9-10 a.m. 

Keynote: Will it stick: Are today’s trends tomorrow’s opportunities or concerns?
Kevin Ryan, founder/CEO, Malachite Strategy and Research

Every day we are confronted with a new “category changing” trend that shakes the chicken industry. But what’s truly here for the long run, and what’s likely to be just a passing fad? Kevin Ryan, founder/CEO, Malachite Strategy and Research, amplifies the weak signals he’s seeing from consumers, retailers and foodservice to separate the must-do from the must-skip.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

10-10:30 a.m. 

Morning coffee break

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

10:30-11:15 a.m. 

How chicken demand changes in an inflationary world
Brian Earnest, lead economist, animal protein, CoBank

Historic rates of inflation, labor shortages and the rise of Generation Z will impact consumer behavior in 2023 like never before. The chicken industry also faces shifts in demand for dark meat and competing protein markets globally, as well as a chaotic feed environment for producers. Join Brian Earnest, lead economist, animal protein, CoBank, as he shares thoughts on the macroeconomic trends most likely to affect future demand for chicken and the opportunities that could help keep chicken as the protein at the center of the plate.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.

Foodservice demand beyond the chicken sandwich wars
David Maloni, foodservice supply chain analyst and president of Datum FS

The chicken sandwich wars dominated conversations about foodservice the last few years, and foodservice chicken offerings are expected to continue to expand in the future. Hear what market drivers, including consumer and margins, will shape foodservice chicken demand for the rest of 2023 and beyond.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

12-1:30 p.m. 

Lunch

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

1:30-2:15 p.m. 

Retail in transition: Capitalizing on future e-commerce opportunities
Mark Strobel, senior research manager, Euromonitor International

The digital revolution has been rewiring retail for years, leading to new business models, commerce ecosystems and channels for reaching and engaging consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transition, as e-commerce became the default option for many homebound consumers. The surge in e-commerce is causing a permanent shift in chicken retail, creating both new challenges as well as new opportunities for retailers and consumer brands alike. What key questions do you need to ask when evaluating your e-commerce strategy? One thing is for certain, e-commerce is here to stay.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

2:15-3 p.m. 

HPAI: Why this time is different and what you need to know
John R. Clifford, DVM, veterinary trade policy advisor, USAPEEC

The current H5N1 strain of (highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is now found in wild birds in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa and has caused record losses of domestic poultry in Europe and North America. The cost of the trade impacts of the HPAI outbreaks can exceed those of actual bird losses. Dr. Clifford will explain how the current distribution of HPAI in wild birds makes this outbreak different from others and will provide updates on how the U.S. and other countries are preparing to balance methods for stamping out the virus in commercial operations while keeping export markets open.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

3-3:30 p.m. 

Afternoon coffee break

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

3:30-4:30 p.m. 

2023 Chicken Consumer Perspective: The cost-conscious consumer
Chris Dubois, senior vice president and principal, Circana, and Joyce Neth, vice president, director of audience engagment, WATT Global Media

In a world where inflation has a significant impact, consumers are more cost-conscious than ever. This puts chicken in a unique position among proteins in 2023. Chicken is low-price compared to other proteins, widely consumed by households across the globe and considered more sustainable than many other proteins by consumers. Exclusive research, presented first at the 2023 Chicken Marketing Summit, will reveal what chicken companies need to keep in mind to best reach the cost-conscious consumer.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

4:30-5 p.m. 

Chicken Marketer of the Year Award
Winner announced and recognized

Location: Juniper Ballroom

5-6:30 p.m. 

Networking reception

Location: Magnolia Foyer

Wednesday, August 2

7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. 

Registration

Location: Juniper Ballroom Foyer

7:30-8:30 a.m. 

Breakfast

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

8:30-9:15 a.m.

What’s next for meat alternatives?
JP Frossard, VP, consumer foods analyst, Rabobank

New plant-based meat alternative products have reached shelves over recent years, and cultivated meat just received the first steps to regulatory approval in the U.S. During this session, JP Frossard, vice president, consumer foods analyst at Rabobank, will focus on the current state of the alternative protein market and share projections about the challenges and opportunities in this segment.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

9:15-10 a.m.

Communicating about net zero and sustainability goals
Corey Chafin, partner, consumer and retail, and Erika Stewart, consultant, consumer and retail, Kearney

With consumer concerns about sustainability at an all-time high, a growing number of retail and foodservice providers have made net zero pledges. The drive to design sustainable global food systems impacts how birds are raised, fed, processed and distributed. Marketers are now challenged with finding the best ways to share these improvements. Join Corey Chafin and Erika Stewart with Kearney, for a discussion on climavore consumer and tips for communicating about Net Zero and other sustainability goals.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

10-10:30 a.m.

Morning coffee break

Location: Juniper Ballrooms 3, 4 & 5

10:30-11:15 a.m. 

The sustainability vs. cost dilemma for chicken consumers
Bruce Blakeman, senior consultant and public policy + issues practice leader, Heart+Mind Strategies

Sustainability – from animal welfare to social issues to environmental impact – continues to grow in importance for the modern chicken consumer. However, these consumers must also weigh other factors, including cost, when making purchasing decisions. Bruce Blakeman, senior consultant and public policy + issues practice leader, Heart+Mind Strategies, will discuss how consumers decide what to value when making purchasing decisions.

Location: Juniper Ballroom

11:15-12:15 a.m. 

Panel discussion: Supply chain partners panel

Panelists discuss challenges and opportunities for chicken supply chain companies that connect processors with consumers.

Confirmed panelists:

• Scott Short, category manager, meat & seafood, KeHe Distributors
• John Atkinson, VP, purchasing and quality, PFSbrands
• Peter Reilly, senior category manager, meat division, Wakefern Food Corporation

Location: Juniper Ballroom

12:15 p.m.

Conference wrap-up

Location: Juniper Ballroom

John Atkinson is the vice president of purchasing and quality at PFSbrands. He has been with the company for eight years, serving in multiple leadership roles within supply chain, customer service, quality, product development, demand planning and manufacturing. PFSbrands is a 100% employee-owned company with foodservice brands specialized in operating within convenient stores and grocery stores. Their brands include Champs Chicken, Cooper’s Express, BluTaco, Hot Mex Express, Hangar 54 Pizza and Wingman Pizza. Atkinson has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri.

Bruce Blakeman, senior consultant and public policy + issues practice leader, Heart+Mind Strategies, is an experienced communications, public affairs and brand positioning executive with over 25 years of leadership in both the U.S. and international markets. He held leadership positions at Cargill Asia-Pacific from 2015-2019 and served as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s envoy to China from 2003-2005 and the deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service from 2001-2003.

Corey Chafin is a partner in the consumer and retail practice of Kearney, a global strategy and management consulting firm. He has nearly a decade-and-a-half consulting and industry experience in the food and beverage industry covering supply chain transformation, sourcing and procurement, sustainability, M&A strategies, P&L performance, retail execution strategy and product information. Chafin authors the annual Kearney Earth Day Report.

Prior to joining the U.S. Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) in 2019, John R. Clifford served for 33 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). He held a number of roles in his time with APHIS including serving as chief veterinary officer for the U.S. and chief trade advisor for APHIS. Clifford also served as the U.S. official delegate to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and deputy administrator of APHIS. He has served on the front lines of disease control efforts for HPAI and exotic Newcastle disease as well as negotiations with trading partners.

Chris DuBois joined IRI, now Circana, in 2011 and is the senior vice president and principal who leads sales and marketing efforts for its services that serve fresh food retailers and processors. He also leads Circana’s relationships with some of its largest fresh-food clients as well as its relationships with industry associations. Circana is a provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help retailers and media companies to grow their businesses. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand cloud-based technology platform, Circana helps to guide its clients around the world in their quests to capture market share, connect with consumers and deliver market-leading growth.

Brian Earnest is lead economist for animal protein in CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division. He provides market and industry research for the poultry, pork and beef sectors. Earnest has more than 10 years of industry and consulting experience. Prior to joining CoBank, he was senior commodity analyst, poultry, with IHS Markit’s Food and Agricultural Commodities Economics group. Earnest provided forecasting and price risk strategies, client service, as well as project consulting in the poultry and egg space. He previously held various procurement and advisory roles with Topco Associates, LLC, a retail food industry cooperative. Earnest holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in economics from Eastern Illinois University.

Based in New York, JP Frossard works with the global consumer foods team, focusing on bakery and plant-based products. Frossard has broad experience in the food industry, including agricultural commodities trading, research and procurement. He most recently worked at PepsiCo, where he was responsible for sweeteners procurement in North America. Prior to that, he worked at Bunge in Brazil and the U.S. as a sugar trader, economic researcher and export analyst. Frossard has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the University of São Paulo and studied international business and trade at Fundação Getulio Vargas in Brazil.

Kevin Garland is the Chairman of NCC for 2022-2023. Since 2018, Kevin has served as CEO of Mountaire Corp. He has spent the entirety of his career building, leading, and advising industrial businesses. For the prior 17 years, Kevin was a Partner at The Sterling Group, a leading private equity firm in Houston. Previously, Kevin was at Enron in the mergers and acquisitions group and led Enron’s private equity business. He also previously worked for Parker and Parsley Petroleum, in mergers and acquisitions, and Stephens Inc, in investment banking. Kevin received a B.A. from Rhodes College and an M.B.A. with honors from the Owen School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

David Maloni, president, Datum FS, is a recognized executive and entrepreneur with over 30 years in foodservice and supply chain. He is a former founder of the American Restaurant Association, which helps to provide industry supply chain expertise, best practices and technology offerings to over 600 foodservice companies and interests. Maloni is a sought-after industry expert featured in numerous industry events and media outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Joyce Neth is vice president, director of audience engagement, for WATT Global Media. She is responsible for creating insights for strategic decisions, audience marketing, product marketing and proprietary research using knowledge from WATT’s database of audience behavior and demographics. Prior to joining WATT in 2006, Neth held senior research positions at two major-market newspaper companies. She started her career as a marketing engineer for Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Neth is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, and earned a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Peter Reilly is a senior category manager in the meat division with Wakefern Food Corporation. He has been in the meat division for 20 years on various fresh protein procurement desks and served as the fresh poultry category manager since 2006. Previously, Reilly worked in the seafood industry for 22 years.

Kevin Ryan is founder/CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research, a CPG, retail and foodservice-focused insights and innovation agency. Ryan previously served as the global strategic planner at Amazon, overseeing the corporate brand and advertising strategies for Global Prime and Non-Prime. Prior to Amazon, Ryan was director of strategy and innovation at General Mills where, for 15 years, he led corporate and brand initiatives to discover new opportunities globally. Ryan writes a bi-monthly newsletter for the food industry called Culture Matters and hosts a food industry podcast called 3 Squares. He holds both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in food science, and an MSc in food anthropology.

Scott Short, is an experienced category management specialist with a demonstrated history of handling meat and seafood in the supermarket industry. He currently works as a category manager, meat and seafood, for KeHe Distributors. Prior to KeHe Distributors, Short held positions at Pay and Save, Lucky’s Market, Cost-U-Less, Safeway, Wild Oats Markets and Sprouts Farmers Market. Short received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management and operations, from the University of Maryland.

Erika Stewart, is a consultant in the consumer and retail practice of Kearney, a global strategy and management consulting firm. Her work focuses on food and beverage, and she is one of the firm’s experts across protein value chains. Erika has worked closely with retailers to manage their protein categories addressing end-to-end category management including product specifications and new product innovation.

Mark Strobel is a senior research manager at Euromonitor International with a focus on food and beverage industries. Based in Chicago, he has more than 14 years of experience in market research. Strobel has been working in international market research since 2007 and has a background in various consumer goods industries. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile.

Chicken Marketing Summit 2023 will be hosted at the luxurious Hotel Effie nestled among the vibrant community of Sandestn Golf and Beach Resort, an oceanfront property nestled on 2,400 acres.

Experience true southern charm and elegance at Hotel Effie. This new hotel offers gourmet dining by celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, a full-service spa and rooftop pool with lounge.

WHERE IS HOTEL EFFIE LOCATED?

Hotel Effie itself is found on the banks of the Choctawhatchee Bay, nestled inside the gates of the world-famous Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and adjacent to the bustling Village at Baytowne Wharf.

The resort’s physical address:
1 Grand Sandestin Boulevard
Miramar Beach, FL 32550

RESORT ACCOMMODATIONS & GROUP RATE

Resort reservations for Chicken Marketing Summit are available now. Conference registration will open March 1, 2023.

Two hotel options are available for Chicken Marketing Summit 2023. Summit activities will take place at Hotel Effie. A limited number of 1-bedroom condos are available at Grand Sandestin, ideal for attendees who are traveling with their families.

Book a room at Hotel Effie Sandestin

Book a room at Grand Sandestin

The Chicken Marketing Summit group rate starts at $299 per night, plus applicable state and local taxes and resort fees. A credit card is needed to make a reservation. In order to ensure the best possible rate and room availability, all reservations require a one-night, non-refundable deposit, per room, upon reservation.

WHAT IS THE CLOSEST AIRPORT TO HOTEL EFFIE RESORT?

There are two recommended airports for Chicken Marketing Summit 2023.

The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) is in Panama City, Florida – a 40-minute drive to the resort. Four airlines service this airport – Delta, American, United, and Southwest. iflybeaches.com

The Destin/Ft. Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is a 30-minute drive to the resort and a smaller airport destination with more limited flights – Delta, American, Southwest, Allegiant, Sun Country Airlines. flyvps.com

HOTEL EFFIE AND SANDESTIN ACTIVITIES

For over 45 years, the community of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has provided a picture-perfect vacation destination. In 2021, it unveiled its new luxurious property, Hotel Effie.

No matter if you want to unwind after Summit hours or extend your stay into a family vacation, Sandestin has something to offer everyone.

There are many amenities are available within the gates of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort including 20 restaurants and eateries, four additional pools, many boutiques and outlet shops, four championship golf courses, tennis courts, kayaking, boogie board and bike rentals. Learn more about Sandestin

Things to do at Hotel Effie:

• Indugle at Spa Lillian – view discounted spa services
• Wine down Wednesday at 5 pm in the Ovide lobby
• Live DJ and/or acoustic music Friday and Saturday evenings at the Ara Rooftop Bar at 7 pm
• Yoga Saturday mornings on the Ara Rooftop at 7:30 am

Things to do at the Village of Baytowne Wharf:

The Village of Baytowne Wharf, a diverse collection of specialty stores, award-winning restaurants, eclectic art galleries, exciting nightlife, and a jam-packed calendar of fun festivals and events.

• Batowne Adventure Zone
• Baytowne Carousel
• Blast Arcade and Laser Maze
• Movie Monday starts at 8 pm on Monday, 7/31 showing Wonder Park
• Boomin Tuesday is 7:15-9:15pm, with a live DJ starting at 7:15pm and fireworks at 9:15pm
• Wednesday night concert series is from 7pm-9pm