|
March 2006
SPECIAL REPORT:
NRA 2006: Make The Most Of It
By Beth Lorenzini
Hear that? It’s Chicago calling. The 87th National
Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show will hit
the Windy City’s McCormick Place May 20-23, and you need to
answer the call. You’ll be able to see 2,000 exhibitors, sit
in on 60-plus educational sessions, and peruse the equipment
showcased in the Kitchen Innovations area.
And this year, be sure to take advantage of breakthrough
technology the NRA’s rolling out to help you navigate the
show floor. A new system, called NRA Show Connect, is a
system that can completely customize show offerings to your
needs. NRA’s partner in the technology is creator BDMetrics,
a company that mines data to pair tradeshow attendees with
the people, products and information they’re really looking
for at the show and in educational sessions.
The technology, coined “You-Based Events Reporting,” gathers
and analyzes information you input—equipment you want to
see, technology you want to learn more about, etc.—and then
creates a personalized show planner for you. “We have six
miles of exhibits,” says Greg Kirrish, senior director,
marketing & communications. “This technology creates the
most detailed show strategy just for you, even producing
maps to the booths and events you ‘must see’ based on what
you input as your needs and goals.”
There
are two ways to participate: Click on the NRA Show Connect
when you register online for the NRA Show, or take a few
minutes to input your data at a special kiosk when you
actually arrive at McCormick Place in May. Just tell NRA
Show Connect your goals and needs, and watch while it
creates your ideal show experience.
Before The
Show: CFESA, HSM, MAECO
Before the show even starts, Chicago will be hopping with
several allied association meetings. The Commercial Food
Equipment Service Association’s annual Spring Conference
will run May 17-19 at the Hotel InterContinental. A full
slate of presentations will cover
such topics as realistic warranty rates; installation,
testing and certification; dispatch methods and principles,
and inventory stocking methodology.
In addition, CFESA members will induct officers
and directors for 2006-07 and honor outgoing Pres. Tina
Reese, Commercial Appliance Parts & Service. She’ll pass the
gavel on May 19, at a luncheon. Also, during
the show you’ll find CFESA and the Manufacturers’ Agents
Association for the Foodservice Industry partnering at Booth
7633.
Just down the street, members of Hospitality Supply
Management, a forum of the Institute for Supply Management,
will gather at the Hotel Monaco for the annual HSM Spring
Conference May 17-19. A jam-packed agenda will include a
foodservice industry trends update presented by Technomic
Pres. Ron Paul. A panel will discuss how to
manage fuel surcharges, while other sessions will review
“Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Specs” and “New
Equipment Development and Testing.”
Finally, after enduring a year of volatile prices, you’ll
hear where the markets will take us in the next 12 months in
the session “Economics
and Commodities: Looking Back at 2005, Looking Out for
2006.” The meeting will wrap with a live cooking
demonstration by Chef Martin Yan.
Meanwhile, the Multi-Unit Architects, Engineers &
Construction Officers, an NRA study group, will get down to
business May 17-19, as well, but at a different hotel this
year: the Wyndham. Attendees will hear presentations on the
latest issues surrounding The Americans with Disabilities
Act, and how ultraviolet light technology and other devices
are helping in pollution control. Attendees will also be
brought up to date on the phase-out of R-22 HVAC systems and
the introduction of R-401 systems.
FCSI At The
Show
Returning once again to offer design advice, members of the
Foodservice Consultants Society Int’l. will participate in
the “Ask the Design Experts” program during the show.
Operators who visit the “Ask the Design Experts” pavilion,
located on the show floor, will be able to get free advice
from design experts. Representatives from individual design
companies, with both back- and front-of-house expertise,
will be available for one-on-one sessions. The hours are 10
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each show day.
Operators can choose to make an appointment—at the “front
desk” of the design pavilion—or take a chance and walk in.
And in addition to participating in “Ask the Design
Experts,” FCSI member Tom Costello will present the seminar,
“Hats Off to Service, Living the Values,” on May 21, at 12
p.m. in McCormick Place. During the show, FCSI also will
exhibit in the Power of Partnership pavilion.
May’s just around the corner, but you still have plenty of
time to get your schedules in order. Next month we’ll bring
you details on the must-hear educational sessions planned
for the show.
And make a note now to visit Booth 5452, where you’ll find
your FER editors discussing all the new
equipment and technology we find on the show floor, and no
doubt nursing tired feet.
www.restaurant.org
|
