Featured Sessions and Speakers at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show

Protect Yourself from Employee Theft: Two Bourbon Street Waiters Expose the Secrets of the Scam!
Friday, September 7 – 11:30am – 12:30pm, Room W202BC
John Francis Collins and Nigel Pickhardt - Authors
As featured on 20/20, Fox News and Good Morning America, this session is an absolute MUST ATTEND for any restaurateur who wants to avoid THEFT.  Two veteran Bourbon Street waiters reveal the secret scams they used for over twenty-five years in some of the most notorious bars and restaurants in New Orleans.

Is This Really Grouper? All You Need to Know about Seafood Substitution and the Consequences
Friday, September 7 – 11:30am – 12:30pm, Room W204AB
It’s a serious issue facing the industry and every restaurant owner.  State Officials from the Department of Agriculture and several industry experts give you the inside knowledge you need to protect yourself and your profits.

2007 Lodging Industry Summit: 2008 and Beyond
Friday, September 7 – 12:00 – 1:30pm, W304
Panelists: Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D, Principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Mark Lomanno, President, Smith Travel Research, Douglas Shifflet, President & Chief Executive Officer, D.K. Shifflet&Associates, Peter Yesawich, Ph.D, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brwon & Russell, Patrick Ford, President, Lodging Econometrics
Moderater: John Russell, Chief Executive Officer, NYLO Hotels, LLC
Hospitality visionaries giving attendees the opportunity to hear firsthand about the forces that will shape the future of the industry. Our distinguished panel of Presidents and CEOs are recognized experts who will supply a wealth of cutting-edge data for five key business segments.  This forum will offer information on seasonal performance and future trends, forming a complete picture, to help hospitality professionals plan strategies as the industry continues to find its footing in a recovering economy.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Walter Scheib, THE AMERICAN CHEF – Serving at the Pleasure of the Presidents
Friday, September 7 – 1:00 – 2:30pm, W203
Walter Scheib has quite a story to tell. Personally hired by First Lady Hilary Clinton, he served as the White House Executive Chef for two of America’s First Families. His culinary creations dazzled and delighted White House guests including Nelson Mandela, Emperor Aikihito, Jacques Chirac, Boris Yeltsin, Vaclav Havel, Lady Diana Spencer, Tony Blair, Vicente Fox, and others, not to mention the thousands of congressional members, journalists, and other House visitors who got to know his food.

Healthy Customers, Healthy Profits
Friday, September 7 – 3:00 - 4:00pm, W202BC
Aaron Allen, Founder/CEO – Quantified Marketing Group
During this compelling 90-minute seminar, Aaron Allen will lead an interactive discussion focusing on the dramatic global shifts in consumer dining habits that are creating new menu marketing opportunities, as well as risks, within various segments of the industry. He will also address the “Do’s and Don’ts” of creating and marketing healthy menu items and foodservice concepts, along with the notable difference between following healthy, short-lived trends and creating long-term healthful lifestyles for your guests.

Green Hospitality: Everything You Need to Know
Peter Goren, Environmental Manager, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Friday, September 7 - 3:00 – 4:00pm, Room W204AB
The hospitality industry is continuously faced with reducing its impact on Florida's fragile environment without increasing its costs. Join industry leaders from across the state in learning how environmental and community stewardship has empowered the industry with the resources necessary to improve the quality of life for your guests and a sustainable solution for the environment.

Increase your Profits with a Focused HR Strategy
Friday, September 7 – 3:00 - 4:00pm, Room W207AB
Kristin Appleman, Certified HRC, Gevity.com
Successfully managing people can be one of your greatest challenges. But that challenge presents a great opportunity — research shows restaurants that use effective HR practices experience dramatic increases in sales and profit growth and huge decreases in costly employee turnover.  Kristin Appleman will provide you with the solutions to give you an edge over your competitors.

Publicity and Promotions: Guaranteed Strategies to Build Exposure and Buzz about your Restaurant
Saturday, September 8 – 11:30am - 12:30pm, Room W202BC
Linda Duke, CEO – Duke Marketing
Unearth valuable new ways to increase your restaurant’s profile in the community and target your desired market. Explore unique marketing tactics via case studies that include outside the box public relations and cause marketing strategies.  

Using Technology to Build Profits and Win Customers
Saturday, September 8 – 11:30am - 12:30pm, Room W204AB
Moderated by Dave Miller, Founder – JTech Communications
Restaurant operators wanting to discover ways to increase same-store sales, manage and reduce operating costs and improve guest satisfaction through technology will hear these strategies and more from a panel discussion of leading industry executives, moderated by Dave Miller, founder of JTech Communications.

Restaurants & Institutions Magazine Food Executive Round Table –
Leading Industry Executives Discuss the Hottest Topics
Saturday, September 8 – 11:30am - 12:30pm, Room W203
Sponsored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine
In the ever-changing business environment, there is a growing need to strategically align, partner, and work with other entities to ensure the success of future business goals. The R&I Food Executive Roundtable will bring together key restaurant and foodservice industry executives who will discuss, debate, and provide insight on how companies see their future in the current business environment. This roundtable forum will be published in its entirety as a special supplement with Restaurant & Institution's November issue.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Ralph Brennan – Rising Tide: The Rebirth of the New Orleans Restaurant and Foodservice Industry
Ralph Brennan, Owner – Brennan Restaurant Group
Saturday, September 8 – 1:00 – 2:30pm, Room W203
Every hurricane season brings an unpredictable set of challenges to restaurant owners across Florida.  New Orleans’ restaurant legend Ralph Brennan will discuss the true stories that kept the Big Easy’s Foodservice in business after Hurricane Katrina.  This MUST SEE event will uncover the secrets to protecting your restaurant, even in the face of natural disaster.

Successful Restaurant Marketing is NOT an Accident:
Implementing the SIX Principles of Entrée Marketing®
Saturday, September 8 – 3:00 – 4:00pm, Room W202BC
Mason Harris, Owner – You Got Meals
The most expensive marketing is marketing that doesn’t work. Too many of your marketing dollars could be wasted – especially if you follow the crowd and make the same mistakes they do.  The Six Principles identified in ENTRÉE Marketing® provide the tools you need, from in-store appearance and employee interactions, to impulse buying and consumer psychology, to Pareto’s Law and focused “underground” email marketing. Take an hour to learn these principles and leave with a foundation for making your ongoing marketing decisions, as well as ideas for immediate attention.

Asian Power: The Fastest Growing Cuisine – Catch It!
Saturday, September 8 – 3:00 – 4:00pm, Room W204AB
Robert Danhi, Chef/Owner – Chef Danhi Inc.
The use of Asian ingredients and concepts has taken the industry by storm. Learn from a distinguished panel of chain and independent operators how to successfully incorporate Asian-inspired items in your menu mix that can boost revenues.

MENUS: A Profits Approach
Saturday, September 8 – 3:00 – 4:00pm, Room W203
Gregg Rapp, Menu Engineer – Menu Technologies
Recently named the “Menu Magician” by TIME Magazine, for 25 years Gregg Rapp has traveled the world on behalf of Spago, Marriott, Brinker International and numerous other clients to discover what wording, foods, and designs are most likely to tempt diners and fatten a restaurant’s bottom line. Great chefs may construct delicious dishes, but it's up to menu engineer Gregg Rapp to build a restaurant's profit.  Learn how to make your menu work for you and be more profitable in your operation – GUARANTEED!

ECO-Lighting: Saving Money and the Planet while Building Your Customer Base
Sunday, September 9 – 11:30am – 12:30pm, Room W204AB
Moderated by Jay Cullimore, President – Tropical Lights, Inc.
This interactive discussion will give you the facts on how to reduce your energy costs and enhance your customers’ experience with the next wave of Eco-friendly lighting.  Discussion includes exciting demonstrations of new technologies and their possible applications in your venue. Plus, you’ll also learn how to become a GREEN CERTIFIED BUSINESS and boost your customer base.

Making the Leap: Secrets to Make Managers be Better Managers
Alan Seidman, Hospitality College Department Chair, Johnson & Wales University
Sunday, September 9 – 11:30am – 12:30pm, Room W202BC
Are you ready to take the next step?  This SUPER SESSION will give you the tools you need to prepare you to take your foodservice career to the next level.  Alan Seidman has helped thousands of industry professionals secure the perfect job! His insights and advice will help you make the leap!

Trans-Fat, Alcohol Training and the Biggest Issues Facing Your Restaurant Now and in the Future
Sunday, September 9 – 11:30am – 12:30pm, Room W204AB
Florida lawmakers may soon vote to eliminate trans-fats from your restaurant and impose mandatory training on your bartenders. What does this mean for our industry, what are the alternatives, and how do restaurants remove trans fats from their menu items without compromising taste? The answers to these questions and many more will be addressed by panel of the leading executives in the industry.  You can’t afford to miss this session.

How to Recruit, Hire and Keep the Best Manager Candidate
Sunday, September 9 – 1:00 – 2:30pm, Room W202BC
Gary Turner and Geordy Murphy, Partners - Hospitality Prosearch
Finding and keeping a top-tier labor force are the main priority for all restaurant and hospitality operators. Discover the 5 steps that will re-focus your hiring strategy to increase retention and performance and widen your profit margin

The Future of the Industry: Where Today’s Trends are Taking Us Tomorrow
Sunday, September 9 – 1:00 – 2:30pm, Room W204AB
What’s next?  Foodservice and Hospitality expert and restaurant veteran Alan Seidman moderate this exciting discussion about the future trends shaping the direction of the industry. Among the topics covered will be consumer trends, emerging technology, human resource solutions and the changing legal environment.  This session is a MUST ATTEND for every industry professional.

THE FERDINAND METZ FOODSERVICE FORUM – featuring “MUST SEE” Sessions on various topics:

• Building Revenues and Profits
• Cost Cutting Secrets
• Menu and Food Trends
• Marketing/Branding/Strategic Positioning
• Creating a Strong Business Vision
• Entrepreneurs in the Restaurant Business
• Building Loyalty/Repeat Business
• Successful Restaurant Management
• Trends that Drive the Market
• Customer Experience for Profits
• Using Wine to Grow Revenue and Yield
• Design/Décor/Themes
• Menu Enhancements for Increased Earnings
• Smart P+L Best Practices
• Reducing Legal Risk
• Catering for Profits
• Human Resources
• Managing Staff for Performance and Minimizing Turn Over
• Creating A Superior Customer Experience