Schedule of Events

Monday, September 20

Early Arrivers
Reception5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Join other attendees arriving before the conference for drinks and light bites as FEDA welcomes you to Nashville for the 2021 Annual Conference.
Daylight

Tuesday, September 21

Conference Registration, Information and Assistance8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Check in here to register, pick up welcome bags and badges and get conference information and tech assistance, including how to download the conference mobile app.
Grand Foyer

Networking
Lounge8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Connect with other conference attendees, enjoy refreshments, recharge, and catch up on emails and phone calls in a relaxing and beautiful room with a view.
Daylight

Conference Exhibits and Product Educator Booths12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Knowledge is the sustenance that grows experts and the conference exhibits and product educator booths will be the best place to fill up on information about the latest business services and products. Exhibitors and manufacturers will be on-site to share how their services and equipment are helping operators solve today’s challenges and support new business models.
Grand Foyer

YIL Steering
Committee2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

For members of FEDA's Young Industry Leaders Steering Committee.
Crescent

Advocacy Council
Presentation4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Hear from the industry’s top business and distribution advocacy experts and key congressional members and their staff.
Brickyard AB

Legislative
Reception5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Meet and mix with industry advocacy leaders and congressional staff to share information about your company and encourage support for FEDA’s legislative priorities.
Breakout Foyer

Young Industry Leaders
Reception 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Reunite with young industry peers 25 floors above Music City. Enjoy breathtaking skyline views and creative cocktails. For any member of FEDA's Young Industry Leaders or conference attendees between ages 21 and 46.
Lou/Na

FEDA Gold Awards
Welcome
Reception6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Pre-dinner reception for all attendees
Grand Hall Terrace

FEDA Gold Awards
Dinner 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Kick off the 2021 FEDA Conference and celebrate industry achievements with other members, industry partners and friends. This special dinner, open to all attendees, is an opportunity to showcase and acknowledge the work accomplished by our industry colleagues. Awards will honor member companies and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary leadership and service in the industry.
Grand Hall

Wednesday, September 22

Tennessee Central
Breakfast Buffet7:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Grand Hall Terrace & Foyer

Conference Registration, Information and Assistance8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Check in here to register, pick up welcome bags and badges and get conference information and tech assistance, including how to download the conference mobile app.
Grand Foyer

Networking
Lounge8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Connect with other conference attendees, enjoy refreshments, recharge, and catch up on emails and phone calls in a relaxing and beautiful room with a view.
Daylight

Conference Exhibits and Product Educator Booths8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Knowledge is the sustenance that grows experts and the conference exhibits and product educator booths will be the best place to fill up on information about the latest business services and products. Exhibitors and manufacturers will be on-site to share how their services and equipment are helping operators solve today’s challenges and support new business models.
Grand Foyer

Opening
General Session8:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

FEDA Board Chairman Michael Keck will provide opening remarks and then TriMark USA CEO Marie Ffolkes will discuss how operators are changing in the wake of COVID-19 and the new opportunities ahead. She will also introduce and moderate a keynote address by Craig Barber, CEO of Restaurant Growth Services – an operator of more than 400 restaurant units, including O’Charley’s Restaurant + Bar and Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub.

Brandon Styll, host of the Nashville Restaurant Radio Podcast will interview Food Network star and celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan, who also owns award-winning Nashville-based restaurant Chauhan Ale & Masala House and other successful restaurant concepts in Nashville. Styll and Chauhan will talk about how restaurant needs are changing and the challenge of attracting and retaining workers.

Paul Reilly, president of Tom Reilly Training, will share his views on competing in an Amazon world through operator-focused value-added services, as well as moderate a dealer CEO panel to discuss how to build these services.

Grand Hall

Nashville
Poolside
Barbecue11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Enjoy a Southern-style picnic on the pool deck overlooking Music City.
Pool Deck

Partner
Exchange
Roundtables12:45 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

The partner exchange roundtables will connect foodservice equipment distributors, manufacturers and other supply chain partners to continue the discussion from Learn 2021 on new operator and supply chain challenges.
Brickyard AB

YIL Leadership Development
Open Forum12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.

In today’s foodservice equipment and supplies industry, what skills and methods create enduring leaders? Marie Ffolkes, CEO of TriMark USA, and Paul Bartelt, CEO and president of The Vollrath Company, will share their experiences, define what it means to be a resilient leader and explain how effective leaders create opportunities for others.
Interchange

Data Governance and
Quality Project
Presentation
Only Open to
Dealers and Manufacturers2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

The purpose of FEDA’s Data Governance and Quality Project is to ensure that FEDA dealer members have transparent and affordable access to quality product data that meet uniform standards established by FEDA, as guided by distributor and manufacturer needs. FEDA’s Data Governance and Quality consultants, committee and staff will provide information about how to use FEDA’s data repository and the new rules for entering product data, which have been designed to significantly improve data quality in the industry over time.
North Coast AB

VIP
Reception4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Invitation Only
Crescent

Grand Terrace
Cocktail Reception
and Buffet 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Soak in the sights, sounds and flavors of Music City with views overlooking the emerging Nashville Yards district. Enjoy refreshing cocktails and dinner as you mingle with fellow foodservice equipment and supplies industry professionals.
Grand Hall Terrace

A Night at the
Grand Ole Opry7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Join FEDA members, partners and friends for a night at the Grand Ole Opry! Registration is complimentary for up to three people per company and includes transportation from the hotel to the Opry and return. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Register early to ensure your seats!
Grand Ole Opry

Thursday, September 23

Grand Central
Breakfast Buffet7:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m.

Grand Hall Terrace and Foyer

Conference Registration, Information and Assistance8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Check in here to register, pick up welcome bags and badges and get conference information and tech assistance, including how to download the conference mobile app.
Grand Foyer
Grand Foyer

Networking
Lounge8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Connect with other conference attendees, enjoy refreshments, recharge, and catch up on emails and phone calls in a relaxing and beautiful room with a view.
Daylight

Conference Exhibits and Product Educator Booths8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Knowledge is the sustenance that grows experts and the conference exhibits and product educator booths will be the best place to fill up on information about the latest business services and products. Exhibitors and manufacturers will be on-site to share how their services and equipment are helping operators solve today’s challenges and support new business models.
Grand Foyer

General Session9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

The session will open with a keynote address followed by a Q&A moderated by Michael Keck.

Crystal Rinker, Director of Sales and Marketing at Burkett Restaurant Equipment will interview one of Nashville’s top emerging food truck operators, Kechelle Williams, owner of Early Eats, a breakfast-focused food truck and Claire Crowell, CEO of Hattie Jane's Creamery in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Andrea Sordi from the Global Supply Chain Institute, Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, will provide an overview of the current supply chain challenges impacting industries all over the world. As a member of the Haslam College faculty, Sordi is helping to sculpt one of the top supply chain educations in the country. The school’s supply chain program was ranked No. 7 in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Business Schools and achieved the top ranking globally for research from the 2018 Transportation Journal. Dr. Sordi will also moderate a special panel to recap the supply chain discussion from the previous day’s Partner Exchange Roundtables. The panel will include Gene Clark, CEO of Clark Associates and Kevin Clark, CEO of ACP.
Grand Hall

Create your Own Lunch
On the Go11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Build your own lunch and enjoy it in the networking lounge or poolside.
Grand Foyer

Board of Directors
Special Meeting
and Lunch12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

For FEDA's Board of Directors.
Interchange

FREE TIME
Experience
Nashville!1:00p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Dinner and Dancing
on the Pool Deck6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Join attendees in a casual setting overlooking the famous Broadway. Enjoy one last night of southern hospitality, live music, dancing, and fun!
Pool Deck

Friday, September 24

Closing Chattanooga
Breakfast Buffet7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

Grand Hall E


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