8 minute read
PLMA’s Private Label Week: An Association in Motion
An Association in Motion: For PLMA, a Smooth Ride in the Cloud So Far, With a Big Test Ahead
BY JOE AZZINARO
PLMA has moved its programs to the cloud and, so far, it’s been a soft landing and a successful ride for the international trade association of the store brand industry.
Following the onset of the pandemic, the New York- and Amsterdam-based group turned to virtual operations but beginning with baby steps. The first event was the executive education program, usually held at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Registration was a pleasant surprise, as more than 150 students signed up, a record number, for the two days of classes.
Encouraged, PLMA put other events on Zoom, including the Washington Conference and Annual Meeting. Meanwhile, day to day business proceeded, remotely and later at the offices: like monthly PLMA Live programming in the US and Europe, and the important work of member services, such as the updating of Nielsen sales data, corporate changes and marketplace developments.
But big tests lay ahead: PLMA’s two huge, industrydefining trade shows.
The difficult but inevitable decision was made to go virtual with them, as well. “So many challenges disrupted the retail marketplace and supply chain, requiring retailers and manufacturers alike to search out novel and innovative avenues for their businesses. PLMA had to innovate,” explains PLMA President Peggy Davies, who in May succeeded the late Brian Sharoff, the association’s leader for four decades.
“We knew we had to deliver for members who have the same needs as before to keep on building their business under extraordinary circumstances. The same for retailers. Their need for innovative and reliable sources for products doesn’t disappear. Everyone knows the shows must go on and for us they have, only virtually.”
- PEGGY DAVIES President, PLMA
First up was the World of Private Label trade show in December, the stand-in for last May’s canceled Amsterdam event, and by all key metrics it was a winner.
“About 2,500 unique video calls took place between conversation partners, and more than 15,000 virtual business cards were exchanged between visitors and exhibitors,” reports Davies. “The platform will remain accessible to registered buyers and visitors until mid-April so sourcing for products and exchanging messages and virtual business cards can continue.”
Nearly 2,000 buyers from supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, drugstores and department stores and wholesalers, as well as importers, exporters, sales agents, manufacturers and packaging and design experts from 95 countries participated. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 60 countries, including those in 22 national and regional pavilions, displayed products. “I am proud we were able to offer this platform. To those users where the technology may have been a new experience along with the occasional hiccup as hundreds of calls were occurring simultaneously, our team resolved problems quickly,” she adds.
PLMA is approaching a second big test: “PLMALive! Presents Private Label Week,” February 1-5, a replacement for its Chicago show that was canceled last November.
“Judging by registration and inquiries, interest is high,” says Anthony Aloia, PLMA’s corporate v.p. and trade show guru.
“By the first of the year, nearly 300 retail companies had signed up. All visitors will find the same, high quality, store brand products they’ve come to expect from a traditional PLMA Show. The platform’s search functionality will identify suppliers by company name and product category. Featured categories are Home & Household Products; Beverages & Center Store Foods; Health & Beauty and OTC Pharmaceuticals; and Fresh, Frozen & Refrigerated Foods.”
ANTHONY ALOIA, Corporate V.P. and Trade Show Director, PLMA
“Private Label Week offers two parallel segments: a B2B track of five days of category- specific trade shows conducted on a proprietary digital platform, and a news and information track with dozens of streaming, original video programs featuring store brand CEOs, leading retailers, industry experts, category profiles, and reports on private label food and non-food products in all channels,” he explains From the News Desk, anchor Jodi Daly and PLMA President Peggy Davies introduce the day’s programs and, later, wrap them up.
MEET the CEOs
The chief executive officers of three of the largest store brand manufacturers in the U.S. talk about leadership, supply chain and the outlook for store brands on a panel moderated by PLMA’s Tim Simmons. “On the B2B track, exhibitors display items with descriptions in their digital booths. Visitors see each item separately and learn about the company and its products. They can communicate with exhibitors using video calling to replicate the in-person experience. As at the World of Private Label event, all parties can exchange virtual business cards and messages, share computer screens and send documents through the platform.”
“The show floor is accessible from anywhere,” Aloia adds. “All that’s required is a reliable broadband connection and a computer with a webcam and speakers. No special software is needed as the experience is delivered via a web-based browser.”
The news and information track
TODAY at PRIVATE LABEL WEEK
is loaded with content:
Murray S. Kessler
Perrigo
Steve Oakland
TreeHouse Foods
Rich Koulouris
Vi-Jon
SALUTE to RETAILERS
Interviews with 30 retailers whose store brands just won PLMA’s coveted Salute to Excellence awards. PLMA’s Suzanne Caputo gets the stories and exclusive insights from the retailers themselves on their award-winning food and non-food products.
CATEGORY PROFILES
A dozen reports on news, notes and trends in the day’s featured categories:
Home & Household • Feb. 1-2 Beverages & Center Store • Feb. 2-3 Health & Beauty and OTC • Feb. 3-4 Fresh, Frozen & Refrigerated • Feb. 4-5
“As we enter 2021, everyone is looking for better solutions and formats to find new products and suppliers and meet remotely. Zoom and other stopgap methods support negotiations only so far,” adds Aloia. “We believe our platform is superior. Retailers control the scheduling of visits with exhibitors and the exchange of information on products, packaging and other requirements.”
Looking back at 2020, Davies thanks “our members for their invaluable support and my colleagues at PLMA for their outstanding performance. We found staff strengths and even developed new ones.”
The association that held its first trade show in 1980 with a few dozen card tables in a Chicago hotel basement and has since weathered seismic disruptions from 9-11 to global economic turmoil, continues to be resourceful and responsive to the needs of the store brands industry.
MORNING KEYNOTES
Four days begin with a keynote presentation from a leading retail executive or industry expert. Topics include private label and the economy, collaboration and innovation, health and wellness market opportunities, and supply chain transformation.
Bill Simon
Former President & CEO, Walmart U.S.
Chad Coester
SVP Own Brands; plus his Leadership Team, Albertsons
Andrea Collaro
Sr. Director, Brand Mgt./Prod. Dev. Owned Brands, Walgreens
Dr. Nada Sanders
Prof. Supply Chain Mgmt., Northeastern University
Brad Studer
Senior Director of Our Brands Kroger
INDUSTRY EXPERTS SPEAK
Get the latest on industry catalysts for change, retail trends and consumer demand, new dietary guidelines and private label opportunities, how to thrive in the new normal, and cultural insights and customer strategy from thought leaders
Ken Harris, Cadent Consulting Group Kara Sheesley, NielsenIQ Dr.Kantha Shelke, Corvus Blue Heidi Reale, SparkShoppe LTD Marcie Merriman, Ernst & Young Global Limited
STORE BRANDS on THE AIR
A curated selection of TV commercials from retailers around the world that promote store brands across all food and non-food categories.
GAME DAY RECIPES
Using store brands ingredients, Chef Julie Hartigan prepares super easy recipes for The Big Game, like deep dish pizza, buffalo chicken tenders, plant-based sliders, bitterballen, and chocolate truffles.
IDEAS from AROUND THE WORLD
Highlighting new and exciting food and non-food store brand products direct from PLMA’s 2021 Idea Supermarket, hosted by PLMA’s Carol Angrisani.
Ahead of the recommencement of the in-person event, BolognaFiere, in collaboration with ADM, the Italian Grocery Retail Association, is launching a new digital project, MARCA DIGITAL SESSION, to support and boost dialogue between the retail groups at Marca by BolognaFiere and their Private Label partners.
MARCA DIGITAL SESSION is capitalizing on and reinforcing foreign operators’ growing interest in the event and the collaboration with ICE - the Italian Trade Agency, which for many years has been running an invitation campaign aimed at category managers and buyers from the leading international chains.
The travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have provided further reasons to create new tools for the business community and to boost commercial contacts worldwide. And it is with this goal that BolognaFiere, in collaboration with ADM, is launching MARCA DIGITAL SESSION that, on the days immediately preceding the fair – from 15 to 25 March – will enable operators to meet and talk on the digital platform to establish an initial contact that could later be consolidated at the real event with one-to-one meetings.
The schedule of digital B2B meetings between exhibitors and buyers will be hosted on the B2Match platform, which has already been used successfully at past editions for meetings as part of the International Buyer Programme. The latest edition of Marca by BolognaFiere played host to operators from 32 different countries, demonstrating the notable attractiveness of ‘made in Italy’ products on global markets. Now, thanks to MARCA DIGITAL SESSION, operators will be better equipped to plan their meetings, being able to count on a detailed profile and advanced search features based on country and product type.
The three simple steps to take part MARCA DIGITAL SESSION. The first is Registration, buyers and exhibitors are invited to create a profile, the second is Reservation: beginning from 15 February, participants at the Digital Session will be able to consult the list of partners with whom to request appointments and confirm meetings, thus generating a personalized schedule. The third and final step is represented by the Meetings that will be able to take place from 15 to 25 March 2021 online, through the video system integrated into the platform.
