Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced Wednesday that it will retire the 2017 FMI show, known as FMI connect, which was scheduled to be held in Chicago next June.

FMI president and CEO Leslie G Sarasin offered a state to its members, announcing the association's refocused events strategy.

"After much deliberation and guidance from FMI Executive Committee and Board of Directors, we came to the decisions to no longer host FMI Connect 2017," she says. "As you can imagine, a decisions of this magnitude was not reached easily. At FMI we continue to believe that events designed to bring together the entire food retail industry and their partners for meaningful conversation, education, exploration and networking are desired and needed, but we have concluded these gatherings should occur in a framework that differs from the current FMI Connect design. We also recognize that in recent years this even has fallen short of achieving the precise formula necessary for meeting today's industry needs, particularly as the industry continues to change and evolve so quickly.

"The industry we serve is learning it must rethink and, when appropriate, redesign all aspects of its business, including everything from customer service to checkout, and from the number of items on the shelves to innovative ways of getting products to shoppers. Likewise, FMI must adapt and look with fresh eyes at the opportunities this new frontier holds, even when it requires letting go of old methods that hold places in our hearts."