Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/704526
16 FEDA News & Views Clearly there was a distinctive buzz in the air at this year's convention in Tucson, no doubt in response to open- ing speaker Tom Peters and the close with boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard. Each commanded the attention of the crowd of 373 with dueling messages on the roles that strategy and execu- tion play in developing a competitive advantage. Necks craned and cameras fl ashed as Leonard rolled footage of his historic bouts with Hearns and Hagler, two towering greats in their own right whom he says he defeated with Power. "It means to prepare, overcome and win every round," says Leonard. Transitions nicely into a commentary on the fl ow of the 2016 meeting. It takes about 15 months to plan a FEDA Convention from start to fi nish and judg- ing by the fi nished product—this year in particular—FEDA Chair Jay Ringelheim and Assistant Chair Paul Parr took full overcome and win every round," says advantage of the time to craft a superior program. Yes, Peters and Leonard were great but there were several other win- ning presentations from the National Restaurant Association's Hudson Riehle, cyber security expert John Sileo and economist (and part-time comedian) Alan Beaulieu. The key takeaway from his talk: Life is good, don't believe the n e g a t i v e press, and invest in your- self. "This is the time that you should be thinking about all of the factors of pro- duction," he says. "Am I adding enough people? Am I adding enough facilities? Do I have the right systems in place? Where am I on employee retention? Recruitment is going to be taking a lot of your time because we're going to be competing against each other for labor? Are you doing all of the things that are necessary, and that means spending money, so you can have a great future?" advantage. Necks craned and cameras fl ashed as Leonard rolled footage of believe the n e g a t i v e press, and invest in your- What Happened in Tucson Highlights from the 2016 FEDA Convention