2026 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference Info
September 15-18, 2026
Grand Hyatt Deer Valley
The FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference offers foodservice equipment and supplies professionals invaluable insights into modern strategies for building successful and enduring enterprises. Drawing from the latest research and expert insight, the four-day event examines how distribution models are adapting to the rapidly changing business environment and unpacks how dealers and manufacturers can collaborate to solve industry challenges to achieve sustainable success.
Attendees can network with fellow high-level company leaders while gaining practical knowledge through engaging sessions centered on critical areas such as the supply chain and emerging technology. This is a must-attend event for leaders seeking to position their companies as industry front-runners in an increasingly competitive and transforming market.
Meet Our Speakers
Special Guest Presentation
Steve Wozniak
Co-Founder, Apple
As a co-founder of Apple and a pioneering engineer who values thinking outside constraints and artificial limits, Steve Wozniak understands what it takes for companies to innovate around challenges and break their industries open. During his 60-minute fireside chat at the FEDA conference, Wozniak will share pragmatic insights into how companies can foster innovation and leverage technology to drive growth. Attendees will hear about lessons Wozniak has learned over his 50-year career in technology, including how building the first Apple I prototypes and his continuing work with students have informed his perspective on the potential and trajectory of today's artificial intelligence breakthroughs.
Keynote Presentation
Verne Harnish
Founder, Entrepreneurs' Organization
A leading authority on strategic growth, Verne Harnish has spent more than four decades helping companies translate vision into disciplined execution. He is the founder of the world-renowned Entrepreneurs' Organization, a global community of more than 18,000 business starters, and the author of Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It… and Why the Rest Don't. A friend and colleague of last year's FEDA conference keynote speaker, Jim Collins, Harnish connects the flywheel concept to practical business rhythms that generate momentum and measurable results. In his keynote presentation, Harnish will explain how to apply his 4D framework (drivers, demands, disciplines, and decisions) across the four critical areas of people, strategy, execution, and cash.
Programs At a Glance
State of the Industry
The State of the Industry presentations will spotlight how companies are addressing the most pressing challenges, emerging trends, and untapped opportunities facing the industry. The information covered in the reports will set up the themes that will permeate the conference and tee up presentations from FEDA's educational partners on critical topics.
Tech Talks
These 10-minute presentations will provide a deep introduction to the technologies that dealers and manufacturers are most interested in integrating into their operations and services. The presentations will be led by experts at FEDA member companies who are already actively using those digital solutions and will cover real-world applications and best practices.
Industry Roundtables
The industry roundtables position attendees to put their insights from the general session into action. Participants will choose their table from a corresponding list of persistent and emerging topics, and sit down with similarly interested professionals from dealer, manufacturer and business services companies to dissect the issues and identify potential solutions.
Executive Networking
Golf Tournament
The 2026 FEDA Golf Tournament will be held at ________. Teams of four will compete in a scramble format on the Stadium Course, which features the famous par-3 16th hole, the PGA Tour's only fully enclosed hole and the location of the iconic grandstands during tournaments.
Pickleball
For those looking to sweat a bit with their industry peers, the FEDA Pickleball Tournament will be a great opportunity for attendees to pick a doubles partner and square off against other teams in one of the United States' fastest-growing, beginner-friendly sports.
Putting on the Rocks
Putting on the Rocks will be a friendly but competitive putting competition held on the putting green at ________. Participants will play through a set putting course while enjoying a prickly pear margarita, a traditional Southwest cocktail.
Conference Resort
Nestled in the heart of Park City, Utah, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley combines luxury accommodations with stunning mountain scenery, providing the perfect backdrop for unforgettable conversations and meaningful industry connections. Having opened in late 2024 as part of the ongoing Deer Valley East Village expansion, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is the anchor of North America’s first luxury alpine village to be constructed since 1981. That means it features all of the top-tier amenities found in Hyatt’s best hotels, including a hammam-inspired spa, a heated year-round pool, a fitness center, and four restaurants led by Chef Marc Marrone, Executive Chef Viktor Merenyi and legendary New York City Mixologist Frank Maldonado.
With 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space — including a 10,000-square-foot ballroom — the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is one of the largest mountainside event facilities in the United States. Located about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City, the hotel offers a secluded yet contemplative atmosphere that will help attendees get into the right mindset for four days of industry learning and networking.