Fast-casual operators can get the latest dish on restaurant technology and equipment during the International Foodservice Technology Exposition and the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers show, Oct. 10-13, 2007, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
This year marks the first FS/Tec and NAFEM co-located event. The partnership arose as part of a multi-year agreement set to run through 2017. Under terms of the agreement, NAFEM will be held every other year in conjunction with FS/Tec. Additionally, beginning in 2009, both shows will be held in February, with NAFEM continuing its schedule of an event every other year.
"Operators worldwide are looking for total solutions for their foodservice facilities," said NAFEM president Carol P. Wallace. "Bringing equipment, supplies and foodservice-related technology under one roof helps us showcase all that the manufacturing community has to offer our customers."
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FS/Tec
More than 150 exhibitors and 2,500 restaurant-industry executives are expected to attend the 12th FS/Tec expo. Exhibitors include Cisco Systems, Digital Dining, Epicure Digital Systems, DTT Surveillance, First Data, MICROS Systems Inc., Microsft Corp., Par Tech Inc. and QSR Automation. The show floor will open at noon Oct. 10 and will remain open until 5 p.m. Oct. 13.
"We have exhibited at FS/TEC every year since 1998, so this will be our 10th year at the show," said Heather Pitts, marketing director for Louisville, Ky.-based QSR Automation. "FS/TEC is the only show of its size in the industry that is focused on technology, which is why we continue to exhibit every year."
Kicking off the event Oct. 10 is the general session, "What's New in the Automated Restaurant." Speakers for the session include Carrie Maun-Smith, director of engineering and strategic planning for Wendy's International Inc., and Cyrus Mokhtari, franchise area director for Galardi Group.
Other educational seminars during the event include:
- The Changing Face of Payment Technology
- The Latest in Food Safety Technology
- Mobile Marketing to an On-the-Move Audience
- Hot in the Kitchen: Looking ahead to 2020
- The Brave New World of Digital Menu Boards & Other In-Restaurant Communication Technology
Two panel discussions are scheduled during the event. On Oct. 10, a panel from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. will examine the types of internal and external pressures that drive decision-making for chief information officers. Panelists include Jeff Chasney, EVP and CIO of CKE Restaurants Inc., and Robert Whittington, SVP and CIO of Wendy's International Inc.
The second discussion, "Feedback from the Top: CEO/COO Panel" will take place at 8 a.m. Oct. 12 and features Robert Baxley, COO of Zaxby's Franchising Inc., and Jim Grecco, CEO of Bruegger's Enterprises Inc.
NAFEM
FS/Tec attendees will be able to join nearly 20,000 foodservice operators and 600 exhibiting companies estimated to attend this year's NAFEM show, Oct. 11-13.
Exhibiting companies include AARCO Companies Inc., DayMark Safety Systems, ECOLAB, LaRosa Refrigeration & Equipment and Panasonic Commercial Foodservice.
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The show floor will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and the show's 20 educational sessions will cover four industry issues: food safety, overhead, personnel and quality. Additionally, this year's event boasts a slate of experts providing free foodservice design and management advisory services in the Consultants Services Center.
A new show feature, Spotlight Presentations, will provide two views of future trends: "The Future of Opportunity: A 20/20 Vision of Your Success," presented by Steven S. Little, senior consultant, Inc. Magazine, and "CIA Master Chefs Explore the Future of Kitchen Technology," presented by CIA master chefs Ron DeSantis, CMC, and Victor Gielisse, CMC.
Other sessions include:
- Developing a Sanitation Accountability System for Foodservice Personnel
- Training Employees for Efficient Use of Equipment and Food Safety
- Integrated Food Safety Management Systems: HAACP Reality 2007
- Building a Customer Service Power Team: What is the Soul of Your Organization?
Each session is designed to give attendees a chance to access information from industry thought-leaders. All sessions are complimentary for show participants, from 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. each show day, with a Spotlight Presentation from 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 13.
** Image provided by NAFEM.
