The National Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show kicks off in Chicago this weekend, and who better to guide attendees, whether old or new, than the show’s director. Mary Pat Heftman has been a part of the NRA Show team for 21 years, and has been running the show since 2001.
Nation’s Restaurant News stole a few minutes of Heftman’s time just days before kickoff so she could highlight what’s new at the McCormick Place this year.
What do you think is most exciting for restaurant operators at this year’s show?
The launch of the Food and Beverage Product Innovations Awards will be key for operators. The list of winners serves as a cheat sheet of what’s really innovative, from whole grain stuffed pizza crust to all natural snacks. The panel of 13 experts who picked these products really wanted to find the must-haves for the show. The gallery of the winners is in the North Hall at Booth #7129.
Restaurant executives need to be armed with the best intelligence to make business decisions. How is the NRA Show helping to make that happen?
We have 70 educational sessions this year. A big concern in the industry today is access to capital. Our Restaurant Executives Breakfast on Saturday morning is filled with operators and financiers that will provide insights into achieving that access to capital. We also have a tremendous amount of social media content. We’re proud to boast sessions and topics that haven’t been done at a lot of trade shows. And the wine courses at the International Wine Spirits & Beer Event include some really high profile folks that will cover different aspects of the beverage business.
What new tool set is the NRA offering to help show-goers navigate the 4-day affair and take away the most information?
The new NRA Show app is really easy to download — even for me on my Blackberry, which isn’t always the case. It’s easy to search, easy to find exhibitors and is really functional.
The Daily Deals program is also great, and has been going on since Monday. We thought, “What if we take this group buying trend into a trade show?” And since you activate it at the show — the buyers get a code to take to [the supplier’s] booth — it brings buyers and sellers together face to face.
What are your top tips for attendees?
See as much as you can, take it all in. The NRA Show really is the very best of what this industry has to offer, so enjoy it and take it as an opportunity to learn. Test products you wouldn’t normally consider, look at new things, let yourself be inspired. Have fun.
After all is said and done, what do you like to do to recover from the NRA Show?
I have a bit of a unique way of recouping. Memorial Day weekend is spent on a little league baseball field and some time in the pool. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Contact Sarah Lockyer at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter: @slockyerNRN