By Valentina Tomov
Chief Program Officer
Over the past year, FEDA sustainably added to its educational programs and initiatives, covering a wide range of topics relevant to anyone working in foodservice equipment and supplies. Some of our most impactful programs were our online open forums, presented by FEDA Young Industry Leaders, as those who participated developed new skills and knowledge that will directly benefit their organizations. Our cybersecurity forum, held last spring, featured experts and experienced practitioners presenting information on current and critical risks employees and companies face every day. Attendees learned best practices to help their businesses prepare for possible cyberattacks, minimize their impact on operations or prevent them entirely. Our second event focused on leadership skills development and featured a panel of executives from within our industry discussing how to set individual goals that align with larger objectives and organizational strategies. If you missed out on these great forums, it’s not too late. All of FEDA’s educational programs are available on learn.feda.com.
We also introduced new educational tools to help members better understand how to get the most out of the FEDA Data Portal. Our how-to videos explained new features and shared tips and shortcuts. Additionally, we started two data portal newsletters and held virtual meetings that were specific to dealers and manufacturers. These newsletters and meetings explained data portal enhancements and answered questions.
In addition to these activities, FEDA also continued to make available on-demand courses in strategic learning areas, such as sales training, business operations and leadership development. But FEDA is excited to have even more in store for 2024 that will strengthen members’ knowledge and skills. A big focus for next year will be emerging technologies, as tech remains a crucial part of FEDA’s strategic learning. The crux of this training will come through hour-long videos featuring experts that will tackle emerging opportunities and risks that arise from the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics.
Our other educational programs will address additional topics our members have told us are important to their business, namely finance and supply chain management. FEDA is partnering to offer CPE credits toward financial certifications. Supply chain coursework will cover a variety of aspects of supply chain management, including effective models and practices for planning and optimization under the current environment that can keep businesses resilient and integrated.
As world events such as military conflicts, cyberattacks and labor market changes wreak havoc on global logistics, members need to stay informed of new developments to ensure that their companies are prepared for possible delays and interruptions. To help with this immense task, we will be introducing a new educational format, a Power Series of 30-minute to-the-point updates that aim to deepen members’ understandings of supply chain, geopolitical, legislative and technology-related developments in our world. We want to ensure members are provided with timely and succinct analyses that help them understand changes and phenomena that might impact or are already affecting their businesses. These analyses will be grounded in and responsive to our industry’s practical needs and questions and will be available to watch on demand.
While the external forces impacting our industry are important to understand, FEDA will continue to provide educational opportunities that help employees develop leadership skills that guarantee the long-term viability and success of our industry. We are excited to announce that, in 2024, we have partnered with Ice-O-Matic to present a two-day Young Industry Leaders Retreat at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Denver. The retreat program will cover leading organizations through economic downturns and business transformations, with separate presentations and activities geared toward both those early in their careers and those who are more established. Speakers from Ice-O-Matic’s leadership team will walk participants through how companies manage economic downturns and share strategies for how they can help guide and support their organization through those transformative periods. See more about the retreat on page 20.
Those who cannot attend an in-person event won’t be left out of FEDA’s leadership skills development efforts. Next year, we are excited to start a new webinar series called “Ask a CEO.” This series will introduce members of FEDA’s Young Industry Leaders group — and all other members who would like to participate — to leading chief executive officers in our industry. The executives featured in the series will share their leadership stories, how they’ve overcome major challenges on their leadership journeys and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. FEDA members will have an opportunity to send their questions in advance and we will ask the executives as many of these questions as possible. We believe this will be a fantastic opportunity for those who are in the early or middle stages of their careers to benefit from the experiences and knowledge of the top leaders within our network.
The FEDA team is thrilled to present this robust educational lineup for 2024! As we continue to refine our programming, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions, ideas or if you would like to participate in a program. Thank you for being a FEDA member and we can’t wait to see you at these events.