GAA Heightens Presence At Seafood Expo North America
The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is heightening its presence at Seafood Expo North America (SENA) this year, as the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017.
SENA — North America’s largest seafood trade show, with more than 1,000 exhibiting companies from 40-plus countries — takes place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from March 19 to 21.
GAA is exhibiting at booth No. 481, same as last year. However, the 20-foot by 20-foot exhibit is brand new and double in size.
SENA attendees are encouraged to drop by the GAA exhibit for information on the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program as well as information on GAA’s pre-competitive activities, including GAA membership, GOAL 2017 conference, Global Aquaculture Advocate website, GAA’s e-learning program, MyGAA community forum and GAA Films. Both MyGAA and GAA Films are new to the GAA family.
Among the events taking place are the GAA Membership Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting on March 18, BAP Dialogue Meeting on March 19 and the premiere of GAA Films on March 20.
In addition to the exhibit, GAA has reserved Room 205C for meetings; the room is located on the west side of the BCEC, facing downtown Boston.
Here’s a schedule of GAA and BAP events, which are open to the public unless otherwise noted:
Saturday, March 18
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. — GAA Membership Meeting, Room 205C: Open only to GAA members.
12:30 p.m. — GAA Board of Directors Meeting & Discussion, Room 205C: Open only to GAA board members. A light lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 19
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — BAP Dialogue Meeting, Room 205C: GAA’s annual update on the BAP third-party certification program. Among the topics on the meeting agenda are new facility growth and development, iBAP program, market development, biosecurity area management, program integrity and the new online portal (click here for the full meeting agenda).
1 to 2 p.m. — Cooking Demonstration Featuring Four-Star BAP Tilapia From China, Cooking Demonstration Theater, Show Floor, 3300 Aisle: Chef Rut, who’s affiliated with Sunnyvale Seafood/Guangdong Gourmet Products, will be preparing a variety of Asian-inspired dishes featuring four-star BAP tilapia from China. Learn more about sourcing tilapia from China, responsible aquaculture and the BAP third-party certification program. The cooking demonstration is sponsored by the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA). Chef Rut (Panurat Poladitmontri) has 30 years of culinary experience as a restaurateur, cookbook author, developer of Thai food product lines and foodservice consultant. He owns Harbor Café in Seattle.
2:30 p.m. — BAP Recognition Ceremonies, GAA Booth No. 481: Seven organizations will be recognized and presented with plaques for their commitment to the Best Aquaculture Practices third-party certification program:
JD.com
Sunnyvale Seafood/Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd.
Saudi Aquaculture Society
FEDEACUA (Federación Colombiana De Acuicultores)
Beaver Street Fisheries
The Fishin’ Company
RAI Seafood
Monday, March 20
9 to 10:30 a.m. — Meet & Greet with Chinese Marketplace, Room 205C: Representatives of Gfresh and JD.com will be in attendance to answer questions about new opportunities in the Chinese marketplace and the growth of e-commerce in China. GAA recently opened an office in Shanghai to promote the work that’s being to advance responsible aquaculture. Those interested in learning more about the Chinese marketplace are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP to Steve Hart at steve.hart@gaalliance.org.
3:45 to 5 p.m. — “To Hell With Perfect — Let’s Get To Good Right Now,” conference area: If perfection is the enemy of good, then what does good look like? And how can we get to good, right away? This conference session will explore what steps seafood companies can take when facing a major threat to their business, one that is capturing the public’s attention. This session will be moderated by GAA’s Steven Hedlund and feature Camanchaca CEO Ricardo Garcia and Darian McBain, global director of sustainability for Thai Union.
4 to 5 p.m. — Premiere of GAA Films, GAA booth No. 481: Join GAA for the premiere of GAA Films’ first short film. GAA Films is a short film initiative setting out to highlight the untold stories of the different stakeholders in aquaculture. This first film features the life of a second-generation, women-owned farm raising trout in rural Mexico. Complimentary beer and wine will be served.
See you in Boston!
