Sunday, June 7
REGISTRATION OPEN
Steinbeck Lobby, Monterey Conference Center
WPTC BOARD MEETING
Ferrante’s Bay View Room, Monterey Marriott
WELCOME RECEPTION AT THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
Shuttles will begin pick up in front of the Portola Hotel at 6:15 pm. The last shuttle will depart the Aquarium at 11:00 pm.
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940
Monday, June 8
REGISTRATION OPEN
Steinbeck Lobby, Monterey Conference Center
8:30 am - 9:00 am
CONGRESS AND SYMPOSIUM JOINT OPENING CEREMONY
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Welcome Address from Organizers
Mike Montna, CTGA on Behalf of Organizing Committee
Welcome Address from WPTC President
Manuel Vazquez, President of WPTC
Welcome address from ISHS
Luca Sandei, Chair of ISHS Working Group Production of Vegetables for Processing
Welcome to California
Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
8:30 am - 11:30 am
GUEST/ACCOMPANYING PERSONS - WHALE WATCHING TOUR
9:00 am - 10:00 am
CHALLENGES TO FEEDING THE WORLD IN THE 21ST
CENTURY
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Richard Sexton, UC Davis
10:00 am - 10:30 am
COFFEE BREAK
Steinbeck Lobby & 1, Monterey Conference Center
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
CROP RESULTS AND 2026 FORECASTS
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Session Chair: Manuel Vazquez, President of WPTC
Amitom
Antonio Casana, Amitom President
North America
Mark De La Mater, The Morning Star Packing Company
South America and Rest of World
Manuel Goncalves, WPTC Vice President
China
Zhu Chenhui, Deputy General Manager of COFCO Tunhe
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
ISHS - SESSION 1: INNOVATION IN TOMATO PROCESSING AND PRODUCT QUALITY
Moderators: Luca Sandei & Montaña Cámar
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
LUNCH
Club Room, Jacks Terrace & Beer Garden, Portola Hotel
12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
GUEST/ACCOMPANYING PERSONS - CARMEL VALLEY WINE TOUR
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
CONSUMER CLARITY IN A MULTI-POLAR WORLD
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Session Chair: Nick Kastle, Vice-President of WPTC
Thomas Bailey, Head of North America-Consumer Research at Rabobank
Q and A from Participants
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
ISHS - SESSION 2: BREEDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROCESSING TOMATOES
Moderators: David Francis & Patrick Smith
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
COFFEE BREAK
Steinbeck Lobby & 1, Monterey Conference Center
“EUPHORIA OR DESPAIR”: A look at the historical cycles and what the future may hold
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Martin Stilwell (Tomato News)
Q & A from Participants
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
ISHS - ROUNDTABLE INDUSTRY - RESEARCH
Moderators: Zach Bagley & Matt Stewart
Tuesday, June 9
REGISTRATION OPEN
Steinbeck Lobby, Monterey Conference Center
8:30 am - 10:30 am
NAVIGATING FOOD PACKAGING RECYCLING MANDATES: CHALLENGES AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director, Aseptic Bag Manufacturers Association (ABMA)
Samantha Kappalman, VP of Corporate Affairs, Public Policy US & Canada, Tetra Pak
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Trudi Hughes, President/ CEO, California League of Food Producers:
Trent Norris, Hogan Lovells
Will Prins, General Manager, JG Boswell Company
Rob Salinas, The Morning Star Packing Company
8:30 am - 10:30 am
ISHS - SESSION 3: BROOMRAPE: AN EMERGING GLOBAL CHALLENGE
Moderators: Brad Hanson & Sofia Stilwell
8:30 am - 11:00 am
GUEST/ACCOMPANYING PERSONS - 17 MILE DRIVE TO CARMEL
10:30 am - 11:00 am
COFFEE BREAK
Steinbeck Lobby & 1, Monterey Conference Center
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
PUBLIC BREEDING AND THE FUTURE OF PROCESSING TOMATO IMPROVEMENT
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
David Francis, Professor of Tomato Breeding & Genetics, The Ohio State University
Panel Discussion: How Public and Private Breeding Can Move Faster Together
Moderator: Zach Bagley, Managing Director, California Tomato Research Institute
Chunxiao Jiang (CJ), Tomato Breeder and Head of R & D, Heinz Seed
Taylor Anderson, Processing Tomato Breeder, Bayer Crop Science
Shantel Martinez, Processing Tomato Breeder, H M Clause
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
ISHS - SESSION 4: EMERGING PESTS AND DISEASES IN PROCESSING TOMATOES
Moderators: Brenna Aegerter & Patricia Lazicki
11:00 am - 2:30 pm
GUEST/ACCOMPANYING PERSONS - CARMEL WALKING FOOD TOUR
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
LUNCH
Club Room, Jacks Terrace & Beer Garden, Portola Hotel
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Who Owns Tomorrow? A No BS Playbook For The Leaders Who Refuse To Wait
Brett Schklar, Best Selling Author and Futurist
Moderator: Jason Fritsch, CEO Kagome USA
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
ISHS - SESSION 5: GROWING TOMATOES FOR PROCESSING
Moderators: Carlos Campillo & Domenico Ronga
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
COFFEE BREAK
Steinbeck Lobby & 1, Monterey Conference Center
ISHS - POSTER SESSION
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
THE OUTLOOK FOR GLOBAL FOOD DEMAND: 2025-2030,
NAVIGATING THE CHANGING CONSUMER LANDSCAPE
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Matthew Barry, Euromonitor
Q and A from Participants
6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
GALA DINNER - THE KILLER DUELING PIANOS
Serra Ballroom, Monterey Conference Center
Wednesday, June 10
REGISTRATION OPEN
Steinbeck Lobby, Monterey Conference Center
TRADE AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: PRESENTATIONS ON CURRENT TRADE LANDSCAPES
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
US Outlook
Carolyn Gleason, McDermott-Will and Emory LLP
EU Outlook
Alex van der Laan, Tomato Europe
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Manuel Goncalves, WPTC Vice President
Mike Montna, President/CEO CTGA
Paul Mawdsley, Commercial Director Silbury
Alistair Blake, Chairman of the Board at Merko as well as Frigo-Pak
ISHS - SESSION 6: FINAL SYMPOSIUM DISCUSSIONS & SECOND POSTER SESSION
COFFEE BREAK
Steinbeck Lobby & 1, Monterey Conference Center
CONGRESS AND SYMPOSIUM JOINT CLOSING CEREMONY
Steinbeck 2 & 3, Monterey Conference Center
Questions?
Contact our registration team:
Email: WPTC@executivevents.com
Phone: 844-736-6229 (Domestic)
+1-720-647-0048 (Non-US/International)