Baking & Snack - March 2023 - 91

SPECIAL REPORT
Meeting Preview: TIA Convention
TIA
T
Texas-Bound
Members will discuss important industry topics, network and have some fun.
by Michelle Smith
Tortilla Industry Association (TIA) members will be
gathering May 1-2 for the Annual Convention 2023 and
Trade Show, which will be at the safari-themed Kalahari
Conference Center in Round Rock, Texas, just outside
Austin.
The show will feature discussions on timely topics
in the industry and exhibitors representing packaging
equipment, ingredients, machinery and more.
" It's an opportunity to see everything under one roof, "
said Jim Kabbani, chief executive officer of the association.
" People go visit vendors and travel around, but this
is a time when they can see all the different products in
any given category at the same time and talk to the vendors.
It's also a great networking opportunity. A lot of
our members, even the tortilla manufacturers, actually
do business with each other. There's a lot of co-packing
and co-branding that goes on in our industry. That's also
a great opportunity for them as well. "
The association will host educational sessions covering
the topics most important to members now.
" We survey our members, and we ask them to tell us
the topics they would like us to cover, " Mr. Kabbani said.
" You can expect that certain topics will come up on a
recurring basis, like how to handle commodities, food
safety regulation and labeling. We also always have some
topics about formulation and ingredients, best practices
in plant safety or operations, things that have to do with
how the factories are run. "
He said that business for the industry overall has been
booming, so many of the issues members are facing now
revolve around that growth.
" During the pandemic and lockdown, a lot of the
business shrank tremendously, and a lot of it shifted to
retail, " Mr. Kabbani said. " As restaurants have been reopening
and they're modifying their own business model
toward DoorDash and others, we've now found that
business has picked up while retail has not slowed down
to counterbalance it. As a result, there's been some challenges
in terms of supplies, materials, ingredients, labor,
equipment maintenance, all those sorts of things. "
The location of the show, the Kalahari Conference
Center, features the country's largest indoor waterpark,
a variety of restaurants and other amenities.
" The Kalahari not only checked all the boxes, but
when you walk in there, you can tell it's someplace different
and fun, " Mr. Kabbani said.
The show will also include a poolside opening reception,
the annual tradition of determining Hall of Fame
nominations and awarding scholarships to the children
of industry professionals, as well as entertainment.
For more information, including registration details,
visit the association website at tortilla-info.com.
The TIA Annual
Convention 2023
and Trade Show will
be May 1-2 in the
Austin, Texas, area.
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