The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show attracts tens of thousands of attendees, all with their own agendas, all searching for ways to improve their business. Curious about a hot new trend? Thinking about launching LTOs, but not sure where to start? Wondering how to compete against the local supermarket? This is arguably the best place to satisfy your curiosity.
At this year’s Show, you’ll also find a one-stop resource to help navigate these challenges. It’s called, appropriately, ShowCentral.
ShowCentral is the newest, boldest feature of the 2019 Show. Centrally located near the National Restaurant Association booth at the entrance to the South Hall, this larger-than-life interactive display is filled with valuable content from across the restaurant industry including live-streamed Show sessions, proprietary research and interviews with industry heavyweights, just to name a few.
A highlight of the ShowCentral display is Ask the Expert, powered and presented by Technomic, the restaurant industry’s leading research, insights and data firm. Subject-matter experts will be on hand to share data, offer insights, answer questions and help attendees understand how to put this valuable content in action in their businesses.
ShowCentral’s video screens will also present recorded presentations, topic-specific content, live feeds of key Show sessions, infographics and research covering a broad spectrum of foodservice-related topics. Attendees can also access a wealth of articles from Restaurant Business, FoodService Director, WinsightGrocery Business and CSP. Selected sponsors will provide additional valuable content.
ShowCentral staff members will be on hand to help operators navigate through the wealth of available information.
On Saturday and Sunday, Ask the Expert at the Show addressed topics from off-premise sales to predictive analytics, healthy eating and distribution. The schedule for Monday and Tuesday includes the following areas and Technomic subject matter experts:
Monday
10-11 LTO Strategy Lauren Hallow
12-1 Sustainability Wade Hanson
1-2 Pricing Strategy Rick Shank
2-3 Adult Beverage Dave Henkes
3-4 Cannabis Donna Hood Crecca
4-5 Industry Forecasting Kevin Schimpf
Tuesday
10-11 Consumer Robert Byrne and Will Notini
11-12 Supermarket Wade Hanson
12-1 Concept/Segment Trends Aimee Harvey
“Our team is looking forward to many valuable interactions during the Show this year, and we can’t wait to answer questions and help attendees understand the most pressing industry topics during our Ask the Expert sessions,” says Joe Pawlak, managing principal at Technomic.
Show attendees seeking a broader perspective on the business need look no further than “Winning at the Restaurant Business: Insights from the Top 500,” a featured Technomic presentation scheduled for Monday. Led by Pawlak and Patrick Noone, Technomic’s executive vice president of business development, this featured session will look at where the restaurant industry is heading, which concepts are winning big (and why) and the latest acquisitions and financial trends. The session will also delve into how best-in-class operators are using the latest insight tools to anticipate and manage industry, menu and pricing trends.
These experts will share their take on “Winning at the Restaurant Business” at 2:00 in the McCormick Place Grand Ballroom.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.