Roster Of MUFES Speakers, Sponsors and Chain Attendees Fills Up

The sixth biennial Multiunit Foodservice Equipment Symposium, created by FER to bring together multiunit chain specifiers and industry experts, is only two months away. MUFES 2012, set for Jan. 28-30 at the Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, will include a full slate of equipment and supplies oriented educational programs and breakout discussions. The meeting runs a full day on Jan. 29 and concludes at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 30. Pre-meeting events, a golf outing and wine tour, occur Jan. 28.

As before, MUFES ’12 will be host to high-end technical seminars, covering energy- and water-saving technologies, filtration issues, sustainability practices, purchasing issues and the like.

Top chain specifiers, energy consultants, and experts from companies including PG&E’s Food Service Technology Center and Fisher-Nickel Inc. are among those giving presentations and hosting roundtables on a number of timely issues. New topics on the agenda include: “Modeling Facilities For LEED Certification, From Lab to Field,” “Ice Machine Performance & Load Shifting,” and “LED Retrofits: New Standards, Sourcing & Project Implementation.”  

The international marketplace will not be overlooked. MUFES ’12 will launch with an in-depth look at foodservice trends and the competitive landscape worldwide. Bob O’Brien of The NPD Group will keynote. As chains grow their international presence, local certification issues grow too.  Joe Phillips, recently retired from NSF Int’l., where he helped run its foodservice equipment programs, will provide an overview of the entities and processes global operators and suppliers must bear in mind as they build, equip and operate units around the world.

Other highlights include a close look at the problems and opportunities in the global supply chain, especially in this era of quick-turn menu rollouts. Information on MUFES ’12 can be found online at fermag.com/event-calendar/mufes. Or you can e-mail Publisher Robin Ashton at rashton(at)fermag.com or Chief Editor Brian Ward at bward(at)fermag.com  with questions.”””