Interactive Educational Sessions Draw Crowds

What will be the most decisive factor in shaping the future of the restaurant industry? The NRA is asking show attendees which is most critical among what it considers the big five—Sustainability Efforts, Consumer Expectations, Economy, and Workforce Development.

Show visitors are voting their thoughts with colored rubber bands on the Centennial Show’s “Be Heard” board. By the end of the show’s first day, blue (Technology) and yellow (Economy) held the edge.

All five of those issues were hot topics in the educational programming on Saturday, including the Learning Center’s focus on menus and sustainability, and branding with modern technology.

The interactive theme and the trend toward customers “doing it for themselves” went a step further with Show Central’s “Ask the Expert” presentations. On a wall of touchscreens and make-your-own demos, attendees had the chance for one-on-one Q&As with Technomic experts; conversations ran the gamut on the pain points and opportunities in the areas of labor, global, off-premise distribution, and packaging.