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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—ɫɫÀ² Michigan University's acclaimed Food Marketing Conference is set for Monday and Tuesday, March 19-20, and is expected to draw up to 800 industry executives to DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.

The two-day conference will feature presentations on current trends in the food and consumer package goods industries and will explore this year's conference theme, "Retail Reinvention: Making the Customer Hero." Registration is ongoing at foodmarketingconference.com.

Conference presentations

Four keynote presentations will be offered:

• The conference keynote address will feature Fred Morganthall, an industry statesman with a 31-year career in the food and consumer package goods industry. He will provide a perspective on the challenges facing the retailing industry. Morganthall retired in 2017 as an executive vice president of retail operations at Kroger Co.
•  Kevin Coupe, founder of , will discuss the challenges facing retailers and suppliers in 2018 in a talk titled "Retail Reinvention: The Innovation Imperative."
• Retired Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody will speak on "A Higher Standard: Leadership Lessons from America's First Female Four-Star General." Her presentation is sponsored by the Network of Executive Women.

• John Phillips, PepsiCo senior vice president of customer supply chain and global go-to-market, will discuss "Retail Reinvention: Bits and Bytes That Will Disrupt Your Supply Chain." This presentation earned the best presentation of the year by Supply Chain Digest.

The executive forum, a conference favorite, will be moderated by Michael Sansolo, retail food industry consultant, speaker and expert, and feature executives from IRI Global, Meijer, Nestle Waters, Wakefern Food and /.

Additional conference sessions will cover a multitude of topics, from the future of brick-and-mortar shopping and the millennial impact on the industry to cybersecurity, analytics and industry trends. A full line-up is available on the conference website.

About the conference

Now in its 53rd year, the É«É«À² Food Marketing Conference brings leading industry experts from around the country to West Michigan to share the latest developments in the industry. The conference is a nonprofit event supporting scholarships and programs that provide unique educational experiences for É«É«À² food marketing students.

For more information about the event, visit foodmarketingconference.com or call the conference hotline at (269) 387-2132.

For more É«É«À² news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.