FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2024
Contact: The NGA Show
thengashow@clarionevents.com
Gourmet Foods International Sponsors Deli Education Session at 2024 NGA Show
GFI certified trainer among expert panelists exploring specialty deli
Shelton, CT – Gourmet Foods International is an educational session sponsor for the 2024 NGA Show and will participate in one of the sessions during the packed education lineup scheduled for the annual conference and trade show.
Nathan Aldridge, a certified trainer with GFI, will be among the panelists for “Curing an Irresistible Deli,” to be held Monday, March 11.
The 2024 NGA Show is being held March 10-12 at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas. The event is hosted by the National Grocers Association and Clarion Events.
GFI’s session will delve into the art of curating a diverse and appealing specialty deli in your store. Presenters will cover topics such as the importance of a strong specialty cheese program, sourcing high-quality products, understanding regional preferences and creating themed assortments. Attendees will leave with practical tips on how to optimize their specialty cheese and deli offerings to meet customer demands.
Moderating the session will be Harold Lloyd, president of Harold Lloyd Presents. For the past 34 years, Lloyd has been the featured speaker at the food industry’s most popular events. He has created 30 top-rated seminars and written four books, and currently facilitates nine industry-related share groups. Lloyd has been the president of a company with 1,000 employees and 14 stores, and was a franchisee of a 3-unit, award-winning family restaurant group.
Lloyd and Aldridge will be joined on the dais by Jessica Little, co-owner of Sweet Grass Dairy, a creamery and cheese shop in Thomasville, Ga.; Pat Ford, co-founder of Beehive Cheese, a Utah-based artisan cheesemaker; and John Spencer, the deli and foodservice director at Lee’s Marketplace, an independent grocer with seven stores around Salt Lake City and Utah’s Cache Valley.
Georgia-based GFI imports and distributes a wide variety of products from basic items to a comprehensive line of gourmet and imported foods from around the world. The company’s national footprint includes multiple distribution centers located across the United States. With a customer-centric philosophy, GFI is dedicated to being the preeminent solution for the distribution and education of specialty foods to all consumer segments.
The NGA Show has been the place where grocers gather for more than 40 years, connecting supermarket retailers and wholesalers, food manufacturers and service providers from around the world to share innovative solutions and best practices that support and strengthen the independent supermarket channel. The NGA Show is produced and managed by Clarion Events as part of the Food & Beverage Group in partnership with the National Grocers Association (NGA). For more information and to register, visit www.theNGAshow.com.
About NGA
NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
About Clarion Events
Clarion Events produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. Clarion Events, which is the U.S. division of Clarion Events UK and backed by The Blackstone Group, has become one of the fastest-growing event companies in the U.S. with aggressive growth through both acquisition and launch. Clarion acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing four Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and supercharging the already rapid growth. Clarion Events has offices in Shelton, CT; Tulsa, OK; and Fairlawn, NJ. www.US.ClarionEvents.com.