Article

Summit will help fast casual restaurants 'think mobile first'

CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit coming up Aug. 18-20 will feature the CEOs of Firehouse Subs and McAlister's Deli.

August 12, 2014

Have the recent data breaches at restaurants got you rattled and wondering how to protect your customers -- and your brand -- from theft and fraud?

Thinking about adding mobile payments to the mix?

Wondering how to get the most out of the data you're collecting from all your digital efforts?

Later this month, retail and restaurant executives will convene in Chicago for the CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit, presented by Networld Media Group, the parent company of FastCasual.com. The two-day event aims to cut through the clutter and hype surrounding mobile technology, and help brands understand how to use the channel to increase sales and boost customer engagement and loyalty.

"I'm really excited about this event," said David Drain, senior vice president of events with Networld Media Group. "The speaker line up is amazing. Every speaker has a deep knowledge of mobile. We're covering a wide range of hot topics for customer-facing applications such as beacons, personalization, localization, loyalty, messaging, mobile wallet and social media. We're discussing enterprise applications such as mobile POS, analytics and how to manage your workforce. And finally we're talking about protecting consumer privacy and data."

Highlights from the agenda include:

• Hear from Firehouse Subs CEO Don Fox and McAlister's Deli CEO Frank Paci about how their organizations are "thinking mobile first."
• Nikki Baird, managing partner with Retail Systems Research, delivering a keynote session on "Privacy: Shifting attitudes, unintended consequences"
• Jack Philbin, chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association, leading a panel on the future of mobile relationships and engagement
• Insights from the Groupon Mobile Landscape Study
• Breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics, including mobile/POS integration, mobile analytics, beacon-based marketing, best practices in personalization, security and fraud prevention, and more

"We're packing in a lot of education and networking in less than 48 hours," Drain said.

The CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit takes place Aug. 18-20 at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. Advance registration ends Aug. 15.