Food Marketing: Consumer Insights, Retail Strategies
WMU Food Marketing Conference to draw 1,000 for consumer insights, marketing, retail strategy discussions
PHOTO CREDIT: Casey Spring Photography
Western Michigan University’s annual Food Marketing Conference (The FMC) reconvenes this March 25-26, 2025, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Organizers expect more than 1,000 industry professionals will attend and discuss leadership in strategy, customer trends, technology, brand building, sustainability and social responsibility.
The two-day event showcases presentations from C-suite retail, manufacturing and third-party executives. It also will feature an update about WMU's food marketing program, which provides talent to the leading companies that attend the conference.
“We are thrilled with the lineup of top speakers from the food industry, cementing why Kalamazoo is the place to be March 25 and 26,” says Dr. Russell Zwanka, director of the WMU food marketing program. “With our unique blend of panel sessions, speaker keynotes, and engaging interactions, The FMC combines a food industry conference with the high energy that comes from WMU’s talented students."
2025 Conference Highlights
*Get ready for an opening night reception sponsored by Constellation Brands, Gallo, and Founders Brewing, featuring a signature beer made exclusively for The FMC.
*Conference keynote speakers include Spencer Baird, chief executive officer at Inmar Intelligence; Elizabeth Buchanan, president at NielsenIQ; Tammy DeBoer, president at Harris Teeter; Jim Griffin, president, North America at Daymon; Amy McClellan, executive vice president and chief customer officer at SpartanNash; and Don Sanderson, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Meijer.
*Panel sessions will feature topics ranging from leadership in times of change, to shopper insights, to brand building, to harnessing the power of people and technology.
Learn about the WMU food marketing program, including the latest career outcomes for students and the program’s continued rise in industry engagement and recognition. Annually, the conference raises more than $100,000 for student scholarships and experience-driven learning.
“Our students make the food marketing program at Western so special,” says Zwanka. "Upon graduating, they have had years of experiential learning and in-class industry interactions, becoming fully versed on the intricacies and nuances of the food industry. The FMC supports the scholarships and industry engagement necessary to produce well-rounded students who hit the ground running from day one.”
The conference also includes a food marketing program update, which details the alignment of the academic program with employer needs as well as innovations in teaching and learning. Conference attendees represent many employers who hire WMU students on a regular basis. Notably, 100% of food marketing graduates participated in experience-driven learning while earning their degree and 100% of food marketing graduates working full time are satisfied with their job—among many other strong success indicators (2023-24 Career Outcomes Report).
View the conference agenda, register and find sponsorship opportunities.
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