Stairway to Success Summit: Vendor Masterclass by Meijer Market Format

Meijer Market Format stores invite Michigan food and beverage businesses interested in learning how to become a vendor, to a first of its kind event providing comprehensive resources to educate and prepare suppliers for grocery/retail opportunities.  The Stairway to Success Summit: Vendor Masterclass by Meijer Market Format event will be held on September 19th at The ICON in Detroit.

Attendees will:

• Learn what it takes to become a Meijer Market Format store food or beverage vendor and thrive in the retail space

• Network with Meijer Market Format store representatives, business resource partners and other participants

• Hear from Michigan businesses who have found success in Market Format Stores

• Participate in one-on-one buyer-supplier meetings, if selected

General Attendance

Registration is open to anyone interested in attending, with a priority focus on food and beverage businesses. A full agenda is listed below; attendees are encouraged to participate in the entire day's event. Please note that while there will be open networking opportunities at the beginning and end of the event, most of the event will be focused on educational sessions to prepare food and beverage businesses for becoming vendors to Meijer Market Format stores. Due to this schedule and anticipated volume of participants, attendees are not guaranteed an opportunity to connect directly with Meijer Market Format store representatives (unless selected for one-on-one meetings). There will be several resource partners available during networking sessions to discuss their services for small businesses. Space is limited; registration is required to participate, and available at the top of the page.

Buyer-Supplier Matchmaking Meetings

***The supplier application for one-on-one buyer-supplier meetings that will take place during the Stairway to Success Summit is now closed. Suppliers selected for meetings will be notified the week of 9/4/23.***

One-on-one buyer-supplier meetings will take place during the event between Meijer Market Format Stores and selected businesses, to discuss upcoming purchasing needs and opportunities to get products on shelves.  Please note these meetings will discuss opportunities with the Market Format stores, not with Meijer supercenter stores.  If you are a food or beverage business that is interested in participating in the 15-minute one-on-one buyer-supplier meetings, you will need to submit a separate supplier application in addition to general attendance registration. If selected for a meeting, you will be notified the week of 9/4.  Businesses not selected for 1:1 meetings will still be able to attend for educational presentations and networking.

AGENDA

8:30am Check-in/Light Refreshments/Networking
9:30am Welcome/Event Overview from Meijer Market Format
10:00am – 10:30am Key Note Speaker: Shannon Cohen

10:30am – 12:00pm What It Takes to be a Vendor

12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch 

1:00pm – 2:00pm Marketing and Branding

1:00pm - 3:00pm Buyer-Supplier Matchmaking

*Not all attendees will be selected for this activity; those not selected are encouraged to participate in educational sessions during this time
2:00pm – 2:45pm Vendor to Vendor

2:45pm – 3:00pm Golden Ticket Winner Announcement

3:00pm – 4:00pm Mix and Mingle

The Stairway to Success Summit is hosted in partnership with Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC), the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), and the MSU Product Center.

*Meijer Market Format stores are neighborhood markets serving the local community and providing a great shopping experience. What they want to be known for: offering the freshest produce, products at fair, competitive prices, genuine customer service, and bringing an involved voice to the communities they serve.

Contact pmbc@michigan.org with any questions.