WASHINGTON DC — With registration open for the American Bakers Association (ABA) 2023 Convention, the organization has announced a complete programming overhaul for the event, which will take place March 26-29 in Amelia Island, FL.
ABA staff made the decision to update this marquee event using feedback from past Convention survey data and from ABA’s membership in an effort to provide exciting updates to a long-standing tradition.
After seeing recurring themes in survey responses, as well as positive feedback to small updates at the 2022 Convention, ABA took time to examine every segment to determine how it could be refreshed.
“We looked at each piece and asked, ‘Does it stay? How can it be updated?’” said Samantha Moore, senior director of meetings and education for ABA. “We wanted to change things while preserving the event that people love. By doing that, we created a level playing field for attendance, whether a member is a first-time attendee or has been coming for decades. The best aspects of ABA’s convention will be amplified. This will be like no ABA convention ever before”
Changes were designed to help attendees network more efficiently, engage in more executive roundtable discussions and discover new opportunities for fun.
During the pandemic, ABA offered several virtual executive roundtables in lieu of in-person events to provide members a chance for interaction and thought leadership in small settings. Their popularity transferred to in-person, with highly positive survey feedback and requests for more.
“People loved them,” Moore said. “But the big feedback was that they wished there were more and that they would repeat. Now, they can pick the two sessions they want to attend and have more flexibility.”
With these adjustments, ABA doubled the number of roundtables — and nearly tripled the amount of networking time — in the same Convention footprint.
Slightly modifying programming provided more hours of keynotes and presentations, along with more sports and team-building activities as well.
However, these modifications mean schedule shifts in programming, so those who have grown accustomed to the traditional lineup should pay close attention to these changes.
For starters, the opening session will no longer feature the all-membership business meeting. Instead, the convention will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, with a 30-minute on-stage conversation between ABA chair Cordia Harrington and Eric Dell, the association’s new president and CEO.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for the ABA community to get to know Eric and hear from him and Cordia about their vision for the association,” said Christina Donnelly, ABA’s director of industry relations and strategic initiatives.
“The best aspects of ABA’s convention will be amplified. This will be like no ABA convention ever before.” — Samantha Moore| senior director of meetings and education | American Bakers Association
That conversation will be followed by a keynote from George Blankenship, a former Tesla and Apple executive. Industry updates and ABA member business will take place on Monday, March 27, following a panel discussion from omnichannel experts.
“Setting the tone for the rest of the Convention, attendees will walk away from George’s presentation invigorated and ready to reimagine their business strategies for the business environment of today and tomorrow,” Donnelly said.
The updated schedule will also impact the PAC dinner, which will take place on Sunday, following the opening day’s events. And an all-new Women in Bakery reception on will take place Monday, followed by an open cocktail reception and the black-tie ATBI Celebration Gala.
Along with schedule changes, ABA also developed more curated opportunities for networking and new environments for attendees to interact with one another.
From the all-new Dine Around Dinners concept to a curated cornhole tournament, ABA is making its convention a totally unique — even personalized — networking experience.
“ABA convention can be an overwhelming experience, especially for first-time attendees,” Moore said. “So, we wanted to create experiences that will help people get to know each other better in less intimidating settings.”
The 2022 ABA convention saw record-breaking first-time attendance, and that growth is expected to continue as the industry moves into a post-COVID environment for travel and in-person events.
The Dine Around Dinners concept is modeled after ABA’s regional Bakers Connect dinners that have taken place in various cities throughout the country. In that spirit, Dine Around Dinners will be curated groups of six, designed for attendees to break bread with members they might not already know.
Attendees can sign up for Dine Around Dinners, which will take place on Tuesday, March 28, when they fill out their convention registration form. ABA will notify groups prior to the convention so they can introduce themselves throughout the week.
“While everyone is at Convention, they can seek each other out so everyone knows who they’re going to dinner with on the last night,” Moore said.
That same day, ABA will host its first-ever beach cornhole tournament. Players will be paired up prior to convention and will compete tournament style until the last two teams play for the grand champion title, with the champions taking home the custom cornhole boards.
While golf and tennis are still on the docket, cornhole is a low-key game that doesn’t require intense skill levels but allows for more informal social interaction.
“Tuesday will be a fantastic day for networking, beginning with a very motivating leadership speaker Lt. Col. Scott Mann, followed by sporting events, a corn hole tournament and Dine Around Dinners,” said Cordia Harrington, ABA chair. “I look forward to meeting many new friends throughout these events.”
Although the 2023 Convention will be “flipped on its head,” so to speak, changes were made with the attendee experience in mind. ABA members can accomplish the same level of business but with new energy and a relaxed tone that allows for fellowship and fun, including business-casual attire.
Throughout the planning process, several listening sessions have been conducted with members to gain feedback, and to help attendees prepare, ABA posted an FAQ page on its website.
“The feedback has been positive, especially around networking time and more roundtable opportunities,” Donnelly said. “We saw that, after the pandemic, people wanted to have more time to connect with their peers and friends. With these updates, we’re achieving that while still delivering the strong business programming attendees have come to expect.”
