The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has revealed its keynote lineup for the 2026 Global Produce & Floral Show.
The show will run October 14-16 in Orlando, and this year’s speaker roster mixes corporate strategy with personal stories of purpose and resilience.
Three keynote sessions anchor the event, according to a press release from IFPA. Each one targets a different piece of what drives leadership in the fresh produce and floral world: industry data, humanitarian grit, and bold reinvention.
Burns Opens with a Direct Challenge to the Industry
IFPA CEO Cathy Burns will open the Global Produce & Floral Show on October 14. She will present the annual State of the Industry address. She’ll walk attendees through the trends, pressures, and openings shaping the produce and floral supply chain right now.
Burns framed the show as more than a networking stop. “The Global Produce & Floral Show isn’t an event you attend. It’s where you bring the toughest problems facing your business and leave with the people, the answers, and the momentum to solve them.”
That framing sets the tone for what follows. Rather than treating leadership as an abstract theme, the show’s speakers ground it in real struggle and real payoff.
From the Octagon to the Front Lines of Humanitarian Work
On October 15, Justin Wren will speak in a session called “Fighting for What Matters.” Notably, he fought at the highest level in the UFC and Bellator. However, IFPA notes his path changed when he saw serving others was more important than winning bouts.
Through his nonprofit, Fight For The Forgotten, Wren has helped bring clean water, restore land, and open up opportunities for underserved communities worldwide.
His session promises more than inspiration for inspiration’s sake. IFPA expects Wren’s story to push attendees toward sharper leadership and stronger community ties, connections that IFPA says extend well past the show floor.
That thread, with an impact that reaches beyond the event itself, carries into the final keynote, too.
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Jade Simmons Closes the Show with a Call to Lead Bolder
The keynote program wraps Friday, October 16, with the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Breakfast. Concert pianist and self-described “activational speaker” Jade Simmons headlines the session, titled “Play Bigger. Lead Bolder.” Simmons runs Jade Media Global and has built a reputation for blending performance with leadership coaching.
IFPA describes the session as a customized, high-energy experience built specifically for the fresh produce and floral community. Simmons will push attendees to expand their influence, navigate industry change, and tap into potential they haven’t yet used, the release states. Organizers expect the crowd to leave ready to lead with more purpose and more confidence.
Burns tied the full lineup back to a broader point about collective strength. “When we come together, we stop being individual companies and become one industry,” she said in the release. “That’s the power of advocacy: your voice, joined with thousands of others, becomes an amplified and elevated force that moves fresh produce and floral forward.”
What Attendees Need to Know
Access matters here. Only attendees holding an All-Access Pass can sit in on the general sessions, IFPA confirmed. Registration and further details are available through IFPA’s website.
The Global Produce & Floral Show remains the fresh produce and floral industry’s biggest annual gathering, drawing more than 20,000 professionals from across the supply chain, according to IFPA.
Between the education tracks, the deal-making on the show floor, and now this keynote lineup, the association is positioning the event as a place where the industry doesn’t just meet; it moves forward together.