CHICAGO —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
From marketing its events on such hip social-networking sites as Facebook and Twitter to showcasing popular celebrity chefs, innovative foods and beverages, and strategies intended to help operators weather the economic crisis, the 2009 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is all about moving forward with vigor. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
In fact, that attitude is just what show organizers say they hope to convey with this year’s keynote presentation, “Seize the Moment: Energize the Guest Experience and Drive Sales in This Economy.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Unlike past keynote addresses from such heavyweights as Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush or Gen. Colin Powell, this year’s event will be an interactive panel featuring five notable operators representing different industry segments. The speakers include Joseph Bastianich, partner in B&B Hospitality Group, New York; Daniel Boulud, chef-owner, The Dinex Group, New York; Steve Ells, founder and chairman, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Denver; Damian Mogavero, chief executive and founder, Avero LLC, New York; and Sally Smith, president and chief executive, Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., Minneapolis. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
“Right now, in listening to the industry, insights into successful operations are really key,” says Mary Pat Heftman, the NRA’s executive vice president of convention. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
The panel, which will be moderated by award-winning food journalist Steve Dolinsky, will take place on Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m. It is designed to be interactive, and attendees are encouraged to submit questions to the panel beforehand through the show’s social-networking channels, including Floored!, the show’s official blog; @NRAShow09 on Twitter; or the show’s Facebook page. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Speaking of social networking, the show, which is scheduled to run May 16-19, will kick off with a discussion on word-of-mouth marketing and social media during the annual Restaurant Executive Breakfast, to be held Saturday, May 16 at 8:30 a.m. The breakfast is open only to management-level executives attending the show. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Panelists include Billy Dec, chief executive and founder of RockIt Ranch Productions, Chicago; John Moser, marketing and brand officer, Denihan Hospitality Group, New York; Margie Myers, senior vice president of communications, Dunkin’ Brands, Canton, Mass.; Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing,The Krystal Co., Chattanooga, Tenn.; and William Whitman Jr., vice president of communications, McDonald’s USA LLC, Oak Brook, Ill.The panel will be moderated by marketing expert Andy Sernovitz, chief executive of GasPedal in Chicago, and author of “Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
The 2009 show also will offer 65 educational sessions intended to help operators improve their customers’ experiences, operational efficiencies, marketing strategies and human resources practices, Heftman says. Among the sessions are “How to Build Your Workforce into a High-Performance Team,” “Target and Attract New Customers,” “Food and Style Trends in the World of Catering,” and “How Technology Enhances 21st-Century Service.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
“The key is not only reducing costs, but giving operators a menu of things they can look at, like enhanced service” to improve business, Heftman says. “No one thing right now leads to success or growth.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
In keeping with the goal of helping operators through the economic downturn, the NRA will offer up demonstrations by master butchers at its Culinary Scene section on the exhibit floor. Under the theme of “profitable proteins,” the demonstrations by experts from the Beef Information Centre in Canada, Texas de Brazil Churrascaria in Dallas, and Shoup’s Country Foods Inc. in Frankfort, Ind., will highlight recipes for both new and traditional cuts of meat, as well as uses for less common proteins, including alligator tail and hog’s head. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
The winner of the Hot Chef Grilling Challenge, which is now underway on YouTube, also will appear at the Culinary Scene during the show. While the YouTube competition is in its second year, it is being more aggressively marketed to both professional and home cooks this year, Heftman says. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Also in its second year is the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event, which features a variety of educational sessions focused on bar programs, drink and food pairings, and product exhibits.Among the educational sessions are “Leveraging Your Relationship with Distributors to Become More Competitive,” “How to Develop Signature Drinks that Work,” and “Increase Your Beverage Sales through Creative Promotions.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
For the fifth year, operator attendees can register for a free, 30-minute consultation with designers or management consultants to be found at the “Ask the Design Experts” pavilion. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Other pavilions to return to this year’s show floor include the Franchise Pavilion; the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion, featuring the winners of this year’s Kitchen Innovations Awards; the International Cuisine Pavilion, highlighting products from several countries, including France, New Zealand and Japan; the Technology Pavilion; and the American Food Fair. Of special note, Heftman says, is the rapidly growing size of the Organic & Natural Pavilion. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Those looking for celebrity sightings will not be disappointed, as some of the industry’s notable personalities are expected to sign books on the show floor. Among those who will be wielding their pens are business mogul Ted Turner, co-founder of Ted’s Montana Grill in Atlanta; Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass.; Boulud; Rick Bayless, chef-owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago; Stephanie Izard, a winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef”; and Marcus Samuelsson, executive chef of Aquavit and Riingo in New York. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Show organizers aren’t yet sure what impact the dismal economic environment will have on attendance, but it’s logical to expect some falloff, Heftman says. —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
Nonetheless, she notes, pointing to 90 years of history, “this will still be the biggest event in the industry.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
She adds: “The key is the quality professionals who are still interested and motivated to share and learn from each other. So the energy remains high, and people are more excited than ever to come.” —The NRA Show may be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, but the industry’s biggest trade event is hardly acting its age.
