Viva Fresh Brings In Bloom Reception, Challenge Accepted!, and YTIPA Networking Event; Michelle Cortez, April Flowers, Kristen Davis, and Rebecca Garcia Detail
MISSION, TX - Produce peeps, get your buzzer hands ready, because the Texas International Produce Association’s (TIPA) In Bloom Women’s Committee is bringing a taste of game show fun to Viva Fresh. The group will host its Challenge Accepted! session on March 31 featuring four female produce professionals as panelists.
“After last year’s Speak Easy: Real Women, Real Talk, we thought long and hard about how we could try to top its success,” Michelle Cortez, In Bloom Committee Chairwoman and Sales Director at Babia, commented. “We wanted to add a component where the audience was able to get in on the fun, and we think Challenge Accepted! will do just that.”
The session will be taking place from 3:15–5:15 p.m., a release stated. Challenge Accepted! will feature Jeopardy-style questions, with attendees invited to join in on the fun as industry women answer questions about the obstacles they have faced in their careers and helpful strategies they have used to build their networks and amplify their voices.
Registration will go live on March 1, and those who previously registered for Viva Fresh can go back and add this can’t-miss event. The session is free to Viva Fresh attendees with prior registration.
The event is sponsored by Pure Flavor, London Fruit, Lone Star Citrus, Coast Tropical, and Fox Packaging.
“In dreaming up this event, we knew we wanted to allow the audience to help direct the conversation,” said April Flowers, In Bloom Committee Vice Chairwoman and Marketing Director at Lone Star Citrus. “This event really is so much more than a typical panel. It's a genuine conversation and an opportunity for women in our industry to acknowledge and connect over the topics that most affect us.”
After tackling topics that industry women face each day, the event will pivot into a YTIPA’s networking hour as well as the opening reception, which will take place from 5:30–6:30 p.m.
“YTIPA aims to welcome newcomers into the produce industry with open arms,” commented Kristen Davis, the Food Safety Coordinator at Tex-Mex Sales and a Chair for the YTIPA committee.
The reception will follow the conclusion of In Bloom’s cocktail event and will be held in Mission Plaza at the Gaylord and will host special guest speaker Tom Thompson, Chief Revenue Officer at Revol Greens.
“We want to allow our generation and future generations the opportunity to network and educate one another as we go through the same challenges and opportunities we face day to day,” continued Rebecca Garcia, sales manager at Origin Fresh Produce and YTIPA Vice Chair. “And, of course, have fun in this beautiful, constantly changing industry.”
Registration for the YTIPA reception will also open on March 1.
For more updates about Viva Fresh and other industry events, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
