FPSA auction goes virtual in 2021

McLean, VA – The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) announced it will host the 2021 FPSA Auction virtually with guest auctioneer James Cunningham, as a result of the cancellation of the 2021 Annual Conference. While the live portion of the Auction will take place on May 20^th at 8:00pm EDT, a silent Auction will run from Monday, May 10^th through Friday, May 21^st. The live Auction will take place on MS Teams and all bidding will be through the auction website. In addition, the Auction will be preceded by an optional wine tasting, also held virtually at 6:45 EDT.

The funds generated from the FPSA Auction support a variety of worthy charitable causes including scholarships, veterans’ groups, university research and training and employment of the underserved.

“We are excited about this year’s Auction going virtual as it will introduce this event to many FPSA members and other industry professionals that have never had the opportunity to attend it live at the Annual Conference,” said Bob Campbell, Chairman of the FPSA Auction Task Force, and President and General Manager of Marlen. “James Cunningham has done a wonderful job as the auctioneer of this event for the last several years and even has experience hosting virtual auctions, so we are lucky to have him back with our group.”

“Our membership has asked if we would still hold the Auction after cancelling the Annual Conference due to COVID,” said Matt Malott, Chairman of the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) and CEO/President of Multivac, Inc.  “Our answer to that was that there is even greater need this year on the part of the groups we support than ever before and for that reason, we were even more determined to make sure our auction would be held. Thanks to technologies we have all become more accustomed to over the past 14 months, like MS Teams and apps, it will be far easier to participate in this year’s Auction than in the past.”

There is no cost to attend the FPSA Auction however one must register at https://fpsa2021.givesmart.com to gain access to the event and bid on any live or silent items. Anyone interested in donating an item for one of the worthy causes can do so at https://fpsa.org/auction-item/.

Anyone interested in participating in the FPSA Wine Tasting, can sign up at https://fpsa.org/fpsa-events/fpsa-2021-auction/. The $30 wine tasting kits for this event must be purchased by May 6^th to allow time for shipping.

The 2021 FPSA Auction and Wine Tasting is open to members and non-members alike. For more information on these two events, visit https://fpsa.org/fpsa-auction-frequently-asked-questions/ or contact Elena Sierra at (703) 663-1220 or esierra@fpsa.org.

###

^{The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) is a global trade association serving suppliers in the food and beverage industries. The Association's programs and services support member’s success by providing assistance in marketing their products and services, overall improvement in key business practices and many opportunities to network among industry colleagues.  Programs and services to achieve these objectives include PROCESS EXPO (industry leading trade show), electronic media marketing, education, market intelligence, research, and advocation of critical industry issues such as food safety, sanitary design of equipment, and global trade.}

^{FPSA members are organized in vertical industry councils which focus on specific needs and concerns that are unique to each industry sector. FPSA councils currently represent the Bakery, Beverage, Dairy, Prepared Foods and Meat sectors.}