The 2026 Food Solutions Exchange and Conference (FSX), hosted by the Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA), aims to bring together leaders across the food production ecosystem. Attendance is limited to 200 attendees, 46% of whom are expected to be C-suite executives or VP-level leaders and 34% director-level professionals. The event (taking place March 11-13 in Rancho Mirage, CA) will include producers, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders.

Background and themes

“FSX continues to evolve as the essential gathering for leaders in our industry,” says Chris Lyons, FPSA’s president and CEO. “We’re bringing together all three key audiences (food producers, OEMs, and service providers) in an environment that encourages real relationship-building, learning, and innovation. This year’s speaker lineup reflects the caliber of expertise and forward-thinking leadership that defines our community.”

FSX encompasses all food industry segments, including bakery, prepared foods, dairy, meat, beverages, and pet foods. This year’s theme “The Future of Food Starts Here” aims to reflect how the program brings together decision-makers from the industry to connect, plus share insights and innovations.

This year’s programming focuses on challenges important to food production leaders. It will explore how to manage growth without losing what made companies successful in the first place, and the balance between scaling operations but maintaining culture, quality, and stability.

A sample of the conference’s sessions include:

• An opening session featuring a panel discussion with leaders from prominent producers and suppliers sharing insights about navigating rapid growth.
• The Thursday morning general session, from 8:30-10am, featuring Jake Hall, known as The Manufacturing Millennial, who will present on “The Future of Manufacturing: Technology & Workforce.” Hall will explore how automation, AI, and shifting workforce expectations are reshaping the manufacturing landscape. From 10-11 am, the session will move into interactive roundtable discussions, where attendees can explore what these trends mean specifically for their operations.
• Friday’s breakout sessions, which aim to tackle practical, real-world challenges across three time slots:

1. Morning sessions at 9:30 am and 10:45 am cover topics like shift scheduling and fatigue management, reducing waste in project delivery for faster speed to market, hygienic design from a plant manager’s perspective, next-generation food safety with Industry 4.0 technologies, and bridging the sanitary design gap between producers and equipment manufacturers.
2. The 1:45 PM session will feature presentations on harnessing AI for innovation, building the future of food production facilities, and navigating changing extended producer responsibility (EPR) packaging laws.

 “The education program at FSX is built around the real challenges our members are facing right now,” says Jen Jedrlinic, director, education and volunteer relations, FPSA. “From technology and workforce transformation to food safety, facility design, and evolving regulations, every session is designed to be practical, relevant, and immediately applicable.”

The combination of expert-led general sessions, interactive roundtables, and targeted breakouts gives attendees the opportunity not just to learn, but to collaborate with peers and leave with ideas they can put into action as soon as they return to their organizations, she adds.

“This year’s programming reflects what we’re hearing from our members—they need practical insights from fellow industry leaders who understand the complexities of managing growth, implementing new technologies, and navigating an increasingly dynamic global marketplace,” says Lyons.

What’s new this year

Instead of a traditional single keynote, the opening session, as mentioned above, will kick off Wednesday at 5:45 pm with an executive panel discussion featuring Kimberli Carroll, president and CEO of Ruiz Foods; Dave Zilko, founder and CEO of Skinny Butcher; and Bob Grote, CEO of Grote Company. The three leaders will discuss “The Growing Pains of Success: Why Risk Scales Faster Than Revenue,” and share candid insights about what happens when growth exposes vulnerabilities in systems, culture, and leadership structures.

On Friday, conference-goers can attend the Richard L. Knowlton Award luncheon at 12:30 pm, honoring Caviness Beef Packers, where CEO Terry Caviness along with his sons Trevor (president) and Regan (VP) will participate in a Q&A session.

Social activities

This year, The Hub will return as a central gathering space throughout the event, featuring tabletop exhibits from select companies (showcasing solutions for both OEMs and food producers), seating areas for impromptu meetings, and complimentary coffee and snacks. It will also serve as the location for silent auction items.

Many attendees arrive at the conference earlier to participate in optional daytime activities: Golf (with proceeds going to Defeat Hunger), from 12:00-5:00 pm; the Pack It Event from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm, where attendees volunteer at FIND Food Bank; or Network and Council Meetings from 3:30-5:30 pm, for those currently participating or those wanting to get more involved with FPSA’s ongoing work.

Thursday’s optional activities include:

• The Defeat Hunger Golf Tournament, 12:30-5:30 pm
• Windmill Tour, 12:30-5 pm
• Silent Auction Reception, 6:30 pm, followed by the Live Auction & Dinner at 7:15 pm (a ticketed event), one of the most anticipated events of the conference, FPSA says.

The closing party this year, themed “Tennis and Tini’s,” will take place 5:30-7:30 pm on Friday, celebrating the concurrent BNP Paribas Open, a tennis tournament happening in the area. Optional activities include a Wind Turbine Tour, the Defeat Hunger Golf Classic, and the Defeat Hunger Pack It Event at FIND Food Bank, plus FPSA’s Live Charity Auction, which will support industry scholarships and charitable causes.

Advice for first-time attendees

Industry members attending their inaugural conference should recognize that FSX is fundamentally different from typical trade shows, FPSA says.

“The event is not about walking miles of exhibit halls or collecting vendor literature. It’s about building relationships with the 200 most influential people in the room,” the organization notes. “That intimate scale is intentional, meaning attendees can actually have substantive conversations with C-suite leaders from across the industry. Starting conversations with people outside one’s immediate sector often yields the most valuable insights, as leaders in different food segments frequently tackle similar challenges in different ways.”

FPSA recommends planning to stay for the full event and taking advantage of the schedule flow, to maximize your experience. For example, Wednesday evening kicks things off with its panel discussion and reception. Thursday balances education with informal optional events, which can be great for creating personal connections.

“While the formal programming is excellent, the real value happens in the margins: over coffee in The Hub, during the optional events, and at the closing party. These relaxed settings are where professional relationships deepen into genuine connections,” it explains.

FPSA also recommends making time for breakout sessions—with three different sessions running simultaneously in three time slots on Friday, attendees will need to choose which topics align best with their current challenges.

Participating in the optional events, especially the Live Charity Auction, is highly recommended, the org advises. Beyond being fun and raising significant funds for scholarships and charitable causes, these events showcase the generous, collaborative spirit of the food industry in action, it adds.

“The feedback we consistently hear is that some of the most valuable aspects of FSX are the informal conversations that happen over golf, during activities, or at the auction dinner,” says Lyons. “These shared experiences create the foundation for relationships that extend well beyond the conference itself.”   

Final thoughts

When attendees are one of thousands at massive trade shows, meaningful conversations are nearly impossible. At FSX, there is time and space for the deep discussions that actually lead to insights and partnerships, the organization notes.

“Every element of FSX is intentionally structured to encourage real engagement,” says Allison Wachter, VP of operations, FPSA. “From the limited attendee size to the flow of the agenda and the design of shared spaces like The Hub, the goal is to make it easy for leaders to connect, continue conversations, and learn from one another in meaningful ways. FSX isn’t about volume or spectacle—it’s about creating the conditions where productive dialogue and lasting relationships can happen.”