Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 8:00 AM PT.

Location: Outdoor Sinder Lounge - Lobby Level
Prior registration is required and meeting times are sent individually. Please check in at the One-to-One Help Desk before to heading to your meeting room. Meetings will be 10 minutes and the complete schedule is posted at the Help Desk.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Retail data provider Nielsen IQ delivers high-value numbers and insights on brand and trend growth for food CPG, and looks into the way that GLP-1 medications and other weight loss medicines and strategies are affecting the landscape of the packaged food business and its consumers.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Nearly a decade ago, Jesse Merrill spotted an opportunity to reinvent the cottage cheese into a premium, protein-rich superfood with the launch of his brand Good Culture. Over the past year, the category – and the company – entered a boom period. As an entrepreneur, how do you identify opportunities for disruption? And how do you keep pace when demand rapidly outstrips supply? How do you keep investors patient when a seeming slam-dunk product takes years to catch fire?

The packaged foods industry is constantly working to commercialize novel concepts, but how do you take an idea from its “challenging the status quo” stage to captivating consumers and key stakeholders? Anthony Corsaro is leading efforts to support the commercial viability of regenerative agriculture by advising, informing and funding brands in the space via the ReGen Brands ecosystem. Learn why finding new routes to market, tapping underutilized financial products and building a bit of community can generate a solid foundation for future growth.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Is your food brand ready for its fifteen seconds of fame? Learn the ins and outs of building and operating a successful business on TikTok Shop.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
A panel of expert judges will offer participants and attendees valuable insights on what makes for a successful food brand. They’ll evaluate the emerging brands, business plans and innovative products presented by our contestants.

Pitch Slam Finalists:

Location: Promenade Ballroom - Lobby Level
Join us for an exciting and informative workshop on exploring a diverse portfolio of unique food and beverage ingredients that are sourced exclusively from California Grown pomegranates. Attendees will discover how the unique properties of pomegranates can enhance their products by improving flavor, color, quality and stability, while also reducing the need for added sugars and salt, all while sampling products featuring pomegranate ingredients.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Don’t call it a comeback: Within seven years, Brad Charron transformed a distressed company into a profitable, employee-owned B Corporation with more than $100 million in sales. Attendees will learn how he did it – and how to diagnose distress within their own organizations.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level

It's been a lean couple of years on the funding front -- but it's not the first time. Rodney Clark was one of the first investment bankers to focus on advising the new generation of CPG brands, and his nearly 30-year career in the space will provide a look at the way founders should think about both their operating plans and their options for seeking growth capital during different funding cycles. Clark will provide insights into the immediate future of capital availability for emerging food brands -- and advice on the best ways to secure that capital.

Location: Bayview Ballroom - Rooftop
Lunch is served in the Bayview Ballroom on the rooftop level and is included with registration. Sampling continues in the foyer of the main ballroom and a live recording of Elevator Talk on the livestream takes place in the Venice room on the lower level.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
A panel of expert judges will offer participants and attendees valuable insights on what makes for a successful food brand. They’ll evaluate the emerging brands, business plans and innovative products presented by our contestants.

Pitch Slam Finalists:

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Shawn Bushouse is an industry triple threat, having worn the hats of investor, operator and acquirer during his dynamic career. Attendees will learn how to view their goals and the overall market for investment through these three distinctly different lenses. Whether or not you’re a brand seeking capital, this talk will offer attendees the chance to see things from the acquirer’s and investor’s side, while also providing advice on what brands themselves should do to put them in the best possible position for the future.

Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
The founders of two high-growth brands will share strategies for expanding into new parts of the grocery store. Learn best practices for building platform brands and identifying product development opportunities in adjacent categories while aligning with company mission and values.