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Excitement reaches peak for first PLBuyer conference, June 5-7 at the Hilton Chicago.
Nearly 140 participants filled the hall at the Hilton Chicago in early June for Private Label: The Next Generation, the first conference hosted by PLBuyer.
The event featured 22 speakers, from breakout sessions to keynote addresses, tackling topics on merchandising, marketing, product development and the state of the private label industry.
Todd Hale from Nielsen kicked off the event with a keynote presentation that talked about the opportunity for private label expansion in multicultural products and set the tone for each speech that followed that day. Nearly every presenter cited facts or trends Hale presented in their speeches.
Other keynote addresses came from Shelly Spritzer from Sprint Wholesale, Terry Lee of Private Brand Advisors, Joe Ennen of Safeway and Sam Mayberry of Supervalu.
The event also featured a private label tasting menu, an opening night cocktail reception and a pair of store shelves replicating items currently available online in the PLBuyer Superstore.
Seven products garnered the top votes in a pair of questions during the tasting contest. They were:
- Breakfast — Sausage: Kansas City Sausage
- AM Refreshment Break — Apple Juice: Jewel Everyday Essentials
- Lunch — Ginger Teriyaki Sauce: Safeway Select
- PM Refreshment Break — Garlic Toast: Sysco
- Cocktail Reception — Alfredo Sauce: Safeway Select
- Cocktail Reception — Artisan bread: Tribeca Oven
- Breakfast — Frozen Basil: Daregal Gourmet
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