United Fresh is returning to its quarter-century old tradition of in-person meetings with Congressional and cabinet members with the 2021 Annual Washington Conference set for Sept. 20-22 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
“After a year of virtual events, we’re thrilled to bring our industry back together in person for an opportunity to explain our challenges and voice our concerns with the nation’s top elected leaders,” United Fresh chairman Danny Dumas said recently. Dumas, who is president of Courchesne Larose USA, added, “And, with our new alignment with the Produce Marketing Association coming in 2022, we welcome all PMA members to experience this event at the United Fresh member rate.”
A United release said, “For more than 25 years, the Annual Washington Conference has brought industry leaders to meet with members of Congress and cabinet officials throughout the Administration.”
And United Fresh President/CEO Tom Stenzel noted, “From Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, every President’s Administration has heard directly from produce leaders during this annual event.”
The Washington Conference will also include a Produce Advocacy Bootcamp for those attendees new to communicating with Congress, with workshops detailing “the most critical public policy issues facing the industry, general sessions with national leaders and networking throughout as our industry’s top leaders come together to build a stronger business climate.”
Face-to-face Congressional meetings are being permitted in September, and there will also be a series of online meetings following the conference.
“We’re looking now at how we can get our members together with the most members of Congress, whether on Capitol Hill, at nearby facilities or even in the hotel,” said United Fresh Senior Vice President of Policy Robert Guenther. “We’re also looking forward to new opportunities to deliver the ‘Washington, DC experience’ to first-timers and our attendees who have missed in-person gatherings this year.”
Registration is open with a member rate of $795. Non-members rates area $995. There are discounts available for multiple registrations, including member rate access for Produce Marketing Association members who are not members of United Fresh.
For more information, visit www.unitedfresh.org. For questions about the event, contact Angela Tiwari, United Fresh director of grassroots and political action at atiwari@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3416.
