Small-scale partnerships

When the weather outside is as cold as it has been the last couple of weeks, it’s really hard to think about taking a road trip. A quick look at a U.S. map reveals that there aren’t too many places at present where one can go to experience real warmth, a fact I learned last week when I ventured to Savannah, Ga., for the NACUFS Food Service Directors Symposium and Chefs Summit.

When NACUFS invited us to present a college and university version of The Big Picture, I readily agreed to go, thinking that I would escape the bitterly cold Midwest for at least a couple of days. Savannah, however, turned out to be not much above freezing. Fortunately, NACUFS’ hospitality added the warmth that the weather couldn’t provide.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t spend more time with the participants—I was the after-dinner speaker the night before the symposium officially kicked off and had to return home the next day. But from what I could see, the event underscores the value of partnerships in our industry.

The symposium is an annual gathering of 30 college foodservice directors or otherwise senior-level managers. Two-thirds of the operator attendees receive grants from sponsoring companies that defray much of the travel costs associated with the event. In return, the sponsors receive 20 minutes of quality time with each of those grant-receiving attendees. As the NACUFS website states, “It is not the time for a direct sales pitch—but rather, an opportunity for an in-depth discussion of potential issues, solutions, and partnerships for the future.”

It is rather hard to overstate the value of such one-on-one meetings and small-group gatherings. As eventful as the national conferences of organizations like NACUFS, AHF, SNA and others can be, many manufacturers will tell you that much of their most meaningful business is conducted in smaller venues.

We, and our sponsors, have seen the value of the relatively small size of our own conference, MenuDirections. With only 140 or so operators in attendance at MenuDirections, the more than 20 sponsors we typically attract get to spend a lot of time getting to know a tightly knit group. More than few manufacturers have told me that, in non-commercial foodservice, the selling game is not about touting product. It’s about building relationships, which is why gatherings like the NACUFS symposium are well worth the time and money these sponsors put up.

There is also value for the operators. In my experience, much more is discussed in such gatherings than typically would occur in a large meeting. Think about it: At a national conference, how much time do you get to speak with one other person—in a business sense—during the course of the event? You may speak with dozens of people and pick up an equal amount of snippets of information that may or may not be valuable. But bring together 15 to 30 people for that same amount of time and by the end of that time you will have spoken with fewer people but gathered more detailed intel.

That’s a model worth encouraging, and I would advocate it for all associations. Even at a local level, a small group meeting, unstructured or semi-structured, might be more valuable for your members—with or without the sponsor involvement—than you realize.

I know that most associations have these small meetings at the local or regional chapter level. But the key to taking those meetings to the next level could be as simple as loosening the structure and encouraging more interaction. You won’t solve the world’s problems, but you might just help a few members tackle their most pressing issues.