The Food Marketing Institute and the Global Market Development Center have been setting the stage for their first combined conference focused on health, beauty and wellness. DSN dialed in Cathy Polley, VP health and wellness at FMI and executive director of the FMI Foundation; Dave McConnell, president and CEO of GMDC; and Bill Anderson, chairman of GMDC and group VP drug store, beauty, GM, floral and services for H-E-B for some insights around the value behind the Health & Wellness @Retail 2013 event.

The Global Market Development Center earlier this week announced the association will be "flip-flopping" its two annual marketing conferences with the Health Beauty Wellness event moving to a spring time frame and General Merchandise event moving to a fall time frame, beginning in 2013.

The Global Market Development Center earlier this week named Mark Mechelse to the role of director of industry insights.