Upcoming Events & Happenings

Making AI Work in Food and Beverage: Plan, Prioritize and Scale AI

October 1, 2026
Webinar

Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation, but many food and beverage organizations are still determining how to translate early AI initiatives into sustainable business value.

As AI capabilities continue to evolve, leaders face important decisions about where to invest, how to prioritize opportunities and what it takes to scale AI beyond isolated use cases. Join RSM’s food and beverage, consulting, and AI leaders for a practical discussion on how organizations are developing enterprise AI roadmaps that align with business strategy, deliver measurable outcomes and support long-term growth.

Rather than focusing on specific technologies or product demonstrations, this session will explore how organizations are assessing AI readiness, identifying high-value opportunities, strengthening data and governance foundations, evaluating technology investments, and avoiding common implementation pitfalls. Through industry perspectives and lessons learned from client engagements, attendees will gain practical guidance to help plan, govern and scale AI with confidence.

Webinar attendees will learn:

How food and beverage organizations are assessing AI readiness and planning for enterprise adoption

Practical approaches for identifying, prioritizing and scaling high-value AI initiatives

Common barriers—including data, governance and organizational alignment—that can limit AI success

How to evaluate AI investments, including when to leverage existing capabilities versus build custom solutions

Insights from enterprise AI implementations across the food and beverage industry

Key decisions that can accelerate AI adoption while reducing operational, technology and security risk 

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WAFP Fall Meeting 2026

October 5-6, 2026
Kohler, WI & Plymouth, WI

The Full Experience: October 5 at 1:00 p.m. through October 6 at 5:00 p.m.
We’ll begin Monday afternoon in Kohler with a tour of Woodlake Market and a visit to The Greenhouse, a beautifully reimagined historic space that is now one of Kohler’s most distinctive coffee shops. The highlight of the afternoon will be an exclusive Kohler Chocolates experience offered to food safety professionals for the first time. Attendees will hear the story behind the storefront and then go behind the scenes for a closer look at the people, processes and craftsmanship involved in producing Kohler’s luxury chocolates. We’ll end the day with dinner at a popular, family-owned Italian restaurant in Sheboygan—a relaxed opportunity to enjoy great food and connect with colleagues.
On October 6, we’ll gather at Lakeland University for the WAFP Fall Meeting. Located in the heart of Wisconsin’s food-production region, Lakeland is surrounded by many of the state’s leading dairy, meat and food-processing companies.

Fall Meeting Only: October 6
If you cannot join us on October 5, you can still register for the Fall Meeting at Lakeland University. Spend the day learning from other food safety professionals, discussing current challenges and building valuable connections across industry, academia and regulatory organizations.

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PACK EXPO International 2026

October 18-21, 2026
Chicago, IL

No other event on the continent brings you more possibilities in packaging, processing and automation than PACK EXPO International. And it only happens every two years—making this your biggest opportunity to see live product demos, discover new tech, get inspired, gain strategic insight, compare solutions and move projects forward fast. Priority registration is open!

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Farmfork Champion Event

October 23, 2026
Milwaukee, WI

Join fellow community champions for a chef-prepared meal created and served by participants of Farmfork, Neu-Life’s culinary workforce development program. During this special gathering, you’ll hear firsthand how Neu-Life is empowering young people through education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, as well as learn about the transformative vision behind NeuVue, a new development creating workforce housing and opportunities for Milwaukee’s next generation.

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