Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America Announces Agenda

Portland, Maine — The organizers of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America announce this year’s keynote speaker, Global Economist Megan Greene, and plenary speaker, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee, who headline a robust conference program featuring more than 30 educational sessions. Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, North America’s largest seafood trade exposition and produced by Diversified Communications, will take place from March 12-to-14, 2023 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. 

Global economist and keynote speaker Megan Greene’s presentation, “Economic Update for 2023 – Where are we headed?,” will provide predictions and an outlook for international supply chain challenges, inflation and climate change. Greene is a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, Global Chief Economist at Kroll and a regular columnist at the Financial Times, writing about global macroeconomics and policy.

The conference’s plenary speaker, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee, will lead the session “A Call to Action: Good Work in Fishing is Smart Business.” A long-time advocate for workers’ rights, Deputy Undersecretary Lee will address harmful labor conditions that often are associated with unregulated fishing globally and underscore the responsibility that the private sector bears in curbing these widespread abuses. 

Noteworthy educational sessions topics include:

• In the annual “Power of Seafood 2023” report update, speakers from Hy-Vee, H&N Group, Publix Super Markets and the Food Marketing Institute will share shopper behavior data that provides insightful information for retailers interested in growing seafood sales. 
• During “The Evolution and Future of Seafood Processing” discussion, an expert panel of speakers from BAADER North America, Bristol Seafood and Marel will address how processing has changed, what the current market demand looks like and where there are future opportunities.
• The “Seafood Trends in Foodservice” presentation will draw from Datassential’s extensive resources to offer attendees information about seafood trends in the U.S. and provide suggestions about how companies can build more targeted strategies to reach consumers.
• The session “Supply and Demand Trends in Shipping and Logistics” will feature speakers from Air France KLM Cargo, Blue Water Shipping, Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett AS and Ocean Network Express who will discuss shipping and logistics trends that affect the U.S. such as exports from Europe and/or Chile to the U.S. 
• The session “Increasing the Seafood Industry’s Voice in Global Climate Policy” will feature speakers from COMEPESCA, Global Tuna Alliance, Environmental Defense Fund, Seafood2030 and Walton Family Foundation who will explore the value and opportunity for the seafood industry to communicate climate-related issues impacting oceans, fisheries and seafood production more effectively.
• “Retail Seafood: Where is the Tide Going?” will review key trends in how the retail seafood market has evolved over the past decade, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify trends that will impact its future. 

The conference agenda also features a session for companies interested in learning more about  integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives into their businesses. Through this course, titled “Unpacking DEI: Why it Matters in the Workplace,” participants will  become more aware of their own mindset related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion while considering ways to lead with a new, more effective approach to improving relationships, navigating difficult topics and challenging automatic patterns of thinking.