Last week, team techtown swapped the miserable Chicago winter for a few days in the Miami sun to attend the first FEDD conference. FEDD stands for Food Equipment Digital Disruptors and we'll let founder Rich Malchy explain what this means below.
techtown: Can you explain to our members what FEDD is and why they should consider joining?
Rich: Initially, I started it to build a community online for the food equipment industry as a whole. It quickly evolved into something much bigger. Now, we believe the FEDD Group will be the conduit for all channel partners to unite with one voice, creating stronger partnerships across all businesses and helping to attract new talent to the industry.
techtown: What is the main goal of FEDD?
Rich: The goal is to help people connect, educate and learn across all channels and uniting us all for a brighter future.
techtown: We've had a great time here, and will be heading home with new friends and new knowledge. One of our highlights was hearing from industry experts who started off as a small family owned business, and turned it into a multi-million dollar company. What were your highlights of the event?
Rich: The highlights for me was the outpouring of support and interest in something so new. The 2 days we spent in Miami were jam-packed with speakers within the industry but also some of the brightest minds in media today like Carlos Gil. The panels were raw, uncut and flat out real talk as we discussed YouTube's importance to the industry and how we can unify the channel partners through digital media, using the FEDD group as the conduit.
techtown: What is next for FEDD? Are there any other events coming up?
Rich: You can look forward to the Women's FEDDpowerment Event coming in August 2020 where we put the women of foodservice at centerstage. Details will follow but it will be about inspiring more women to come in to the industry and hearing the women of the industry tell their stories with talks and panels. Content equals currency! The FEDD group will facilitate the content out into the world and promote our industry!
Who can join FEDD?
techtown: Who can join FEDD?
Rich: “FEDD welcomes manufacturers, reps, dealers, consultants, service companies, technicians, people aspiring to be in the industry and anyone with a passion that cares about putting people first”.
To sign up, just visit the FEDD Facebook Group.
We'd like to thank Rich Malachy for putting together such a great event, as well as all the speakers and amazing people we connected with. Hopefully we'll meet techtown community members at the next FEDD meetup!
#feddnation
Of course, a digital marketing event like this wouldn't be complete without its own hashtag, so be sure to include #feddnation when you promote it on your own social channels!