A guide to the NRA Show

The 92nd annual NRA Show starts this Saturday 21 May at McCormick Place in Chicago, USA. The Show, one of the largest international shows for the foodservice industry, is on until Tuesday 24 May. Here are some highlights:

Social media

Visitors can check who else in their social networks is attending the restaurant and foodservice industry’s main events. The eventsocial tool allows visitors to log into their social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, or e-mail accounts, like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Microsoft Office Outlook, to find fellow visitors in those existing networks and post show-related updates. Also helping attendees manage the show from their mobile devices is the new NRA Show app, which highlights floor maps, exhibitor information and personal schedules.

Discount deals

This year, visitors to the Show can take advantage of discounted deals for equipment, services, and technology and to test new products which otherwise may have been out of their reach. Using group-buying demand and the ability to close a deal face-to-face, the Show Daily Deals helps buyers and sellers connect in a new way. The programme is also designed to help exhibitors gain greater brand visibility. Each day, a new product or service is highlighted.

Keynote speaker

This year’s keynote speaker is Four-Star General and former Secretary of the State, Colin Powell, will deliver his keynote address entitled “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values” on Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 PM in McCormick Place’s Vista Ballroom.

Tom Colicchio

Colicchio will be everywhere at this year’s NRA Show. He is hosting a new, Restaurant Rock party and is being honoured by Nation’s Restaurant News as a Hall of Fame inductee to the MenuMasters awards programme. Even after opening 15 successful fast-casual sandwich shops, eight critically acclaimed full-service restaurants and serving as top judge of “Top Chef,” an Emmy-award-winning television cooking competition, Tom Colicchio said he hasn’t yet reached the pinnacle of his career.

See what makes him tick at NRN’s MenuMasters celebration (invitation only). Also celebrate winners including Panda Express for “Best New Menu Item,” and Subway for “Healthful Innovations.”

Restaurant Executive Breakfast

Learn from top restaurant executives about the current resurgence of private equity investment in the foodservice industry, and why it matters. Moderator Ray Villaman, president, MobiMunch will be joined by Steve Romaniello, MD, Roark Capital Group; Richard Fitzgerald, co-CEO, CapitalSpring; Eduardo Rallo, managing partner, Pacific Community Ventures; Keith Cox, CEO of seafood chain Pacific Catch; Scott Gillie, a 17-unit Popeye’s franchisee; and Frank Paci, president and CEO of 295 unit fast casual chain McAlister's Deli. Always a good way to start off the NRA Show, the topics and insights are compelling to those running multi-unit operations. The session is open to senior executives only and requires separate registration.

Food Truck Spot

This year’s NRA Show is set out to showcase the latest in operations, branding and best practices. More than doubled in size from 2010, the Food Truck Spot will showcase at least four trucks, and exhibit every major food truck manufacturer from Mercedes Benz to the Pizza Truck Company. It promises to be a good place to learn how mobile food continues to take the culinary world by storm.

World Culinary Showcase

Each day of this year’s NRA Show will feature world-class culinary demonstrations from the most respected and inventive chefs. From Chicago’s own Mexican-cooking mastermind Rick Bayless to Top Chef All Stars winner Richard Blais, visitors can expect hands on cooking demonstrations and informative discussions based around this year’s theme, “Innovation.” As a bonus, many of the chefs will remain available to sign their books following their presentations.

Kitchen Innovations

At the Kitchen Innovation Pavilion visitors will get to see and interact with this year’s award recipients for the most innovative new kitchen equipment designed to lower energy costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and increase the productivity of your kitchen staff.

NRA Show 2011 Education Sessions

Every day multiple education sessions will be offered by top industry experts on everything from negotiating your lease to labelling your menu, and whether you are a seasoned veteran or budding entrepreneur, there will be many sessions you will not want to miss.