The 2017 American Bakers Association (ABA) Convention featured our most thought-provoking and provocative program yet, centered around the enormous disruptions impacting the baking industry. The program began with “Fresh Take Talks” presented by the Grain Foods Foundation featuring quick, informative presentations from the John Avlon, editor-in-chief and managing director of the award-winning news and opinion website “The Daily Beast” (www.thedailybeast.com), and food thought leader Eve Turow Paul, author of “A Taste of Generation Yum: How the Millennial Generation’s Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food,” addressing the challenge of authentically connecting and communicating with today’s consumers.
The “Disruption—Business as Unusual” panel, moderated by Cyrille Filott, global strategist for consumer foods, RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness, kept attendees engaged with its examination of today’s extremely fluid marketplace and consumer perspectives. During this eye-opening discussion, the panel offered strategies of how to succeed in our increasingly turbulent times and perspectives on the demise of category management for retailers.