Schedule

8:00 AM

8:00 AM-12:00 PM

Lobby, Fairmont Waterfront

Industry Tour

Pre-registration required · CFIG Retailers Only

Must have GSF ticket. Check in at lobby of Fairmont Waterfront 7:45 AM.

Contact: [email protected]

Stores to be toured:
Sungiven Foods Richmond
Save-On-Foods Cambie
Fresh St. Market
Choices Market Kitsilano

Sponsored by:

TOUR

12:15 PM

12:15 PM-3:15 PM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

Category Connect Meetings

Pre-registration required

Spots Limited! Retailers and Suppliers Register: [email protected]

MEETING

5:00 PM

5:00 PM-7:00 PM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

Opening Reception

All Welcome

NETWORK

8:15 AM

8:15 AM-8:45 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | Main Stage | East Bldg.

Breakfast

Pre-registration required

8:45 AM

8:45 AM-9:15 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | Main Stage | East Bldg.

Welcome & Remarks

Pre-registration required

CFIG President & CEO Ron Welke. Highlights of Openings, Store Tour

Ron Welke

President & CEO, CFIG

Sponsored by:

9:15 AM

9:15 AM-9:55 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | Main Stage | East Bldg.

The Health Balancing Act: Navigating Wellness Goals in a Wallet-First World

Pre-registration required

As economic uncertainty grows, shoppers are making tradeoffs that challenge traditional assumptions about health, sustainability, and premium positioning. This session reveals why “doing what’s right” must also fit within today’s tighter spending power and what retailers and brands must do to stay relevant.

Carman Allison

NielsenIQ

Sponsored by:

KEYNOTE

10:00 AM

10:00 AM-10:45 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | Main Stage | East Bldg.

The Next Chapter in Prepared Foods: Winning the Battle for Shopper Attention

Pre-registration required

This session explores how retailers can drive growth through smarter prepared foods and food-to-go propositions, and why success increasingly depends on winning shopper attention. Using practical examples from around the world, it highlights what is already working today alongside forward-looking ideas reshaping how retailers compete in this space.

Stewart Samuel

IGD

KEYNOTE

10:55 AM

10:55 AM-11:00 AM

Trade Show Entrance | Halls A, B, C

Ribbon Cutting

11:00 AM

11:00 AM-4:30 PM

Halls A, B, C | VCC | East Bldg.

Trade Show Exhibition

12:00 PM

12:00 PM-12:30 PM

Insights & Innovations Stage

Customer Experience vs Agentic AI: How to Keep Customers Coming to Your Store in the New Age of Agentic AI

All Welcome

Presented by Patrick Rodmell, Rodmell & Company

Patrick Rodmell

Rodmell & Company

Sponsored by:

SESSION

4:15 PM

4:15 PM-5:00 PM

Insights & Innovations Stage

Insights & Innovations Stage · Networking Reception

All Welcome

4:15 PM presentations: Top 10 Winners and Best Booth Winners

NETWORK

6:00 PM

6:00 PM-6:30 PM

Ballroom C | VCC | East Bldg.

Reception

Pre-registration required

EVENT

6:30 PM-9:00 PM

Ballrooms A, B, C | VCC | East Bldg.

Dinner & Awards

Pre-registration required

Life Member Awards: Independent Grocer: Doug Lovsin (Freson Bros); Industry Partner: Jamie Nelson (Pattison Food Group); Life Partners: Brooke & Linda Kynoch (Scotch Creek Market & Safety Mart Foods)

AWARDS

8:30 PM-9:30 PM

Ballrooms A, B, C | VCC | East Bldg.

Post-Dinner Networking Cocktail

All dinner delegates welcomed

NETWORK

7:30 AM

7:30 AM-8:00 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

Breakfast

Pre-registration required

8:00 AM

8:00 AM-8:05 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

Welcome & Remarks

CFIG Chair, Brian Bradley

Brian Bradley

CFIG Chair

8:05 AM

8:05 AM-8:50 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

Grocers at Your Service: The Customer Experience Imperative

Pre-registration required

Grocers will share how they differentiate through service, local relevance and technology to create shopping experiences.

Moderator · Progressive Grocer

Sponsored by:

KEYNOTE

8:55 AM

8:55 AM-9:35 AM

Ballrooms A, B | VCC | East Bldg.

AI and the Future of Retail Innovation

Pre-registration required

Dan Chuparkoff—technology executive, AI expert, former technology leader at Google, McKinsey and more—breaks down the mystery shrouding AI and shows teams how to make sense of it, harness its power, and combine that with human expertise.

Dan Chuparkoff

Technology Executive & AI Expert

Sponsored by:

KEYNOTE

9:35 AM

9:35 AM-9:45 AM

Ballrooms A, B, C | VCC | East Bldg.

Networking Coffee Break

Sponsored by:

BREAK

Concurrent Workshops Choose one of the selected workshops

9:45 AM-10:15 AM

Main Stage | Ballrooms A, B

How Does Your Business Stack Up?

Pre-registration required

FMS Solutions presents a session on financial planning and budgeting useful ways to use KPIs.

Sponsored by:

WORKSHOP

9:45 AM-10:15 AM

Ballroom C

2026 GroceryIQ Study: The Shopper POV

Pre-registration required

Delve into where and how shoppers in Canada are procuring groceries.

Andie Wright

Sr. Research Manager, EnsembleIQ

Sponsored by:

WORKSHOP

10:20 AM Workshops Choose one of the selected workshops

10:20 AM-10:50 AM

Main Stage | Ballrooms A, B

Cracking the Code!

Pre-registration required

Hear how the Code has already helped independent grocers—from dealing with unilateral payment changes to ensuring fair supply. The Code is now the benchmark for industry behaviour.

Sponsored by:

CODE

10:20 AM-10:50 AM

Ballroom C

How to Attract Top Talent

Pre-registration required

Eric Termuende shares how to create an impactful employee value proposition and leave with key strategies to leverage your existing team of best recruiters to attract the right talent.