Within the Mind, Body, Performance keynote, Competitive Eater Mary Bowers applies her experience as a world renowned athlete to fuel more creativity, productivity, and wellness in the workplace and beyond. This humorous, behind the scenes look inside the world of Major League Eating is sure to feed the soul and inspire audiences to stay hungry for success.

In this session, we will get to know more about ProStart, a cornerstone program from the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. It is a two-year, industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students. It annually reaches approximately 150,000 students in more than 1,900 schools in all 50 states, the territory of Guam and Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Europe and the Pacific. ProStart gives students a platform to discover new interests and talents to open doors for fulfilling careers. Join us to hear more about this incredible organization and how you can align your brand with this cause.

Join Restaurant Directions for a rare - and guaranteed memorable - appearance by David Chang, the chef and founder of Momofuku. Called one of “the most influential people of the 21st Century” by Esquire and one of Fast Company’s “10 Most Creative People in Food of the 21st century,” David has been honored by Food & Wine Magazine and Bon Appetit, named a TIME 100, one of GQ 's “Men of the Year,” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” He has taken home four James Beard Foundation Awards and Momofuku Ko has two Michelin stars; his cookbook, Momofuku, is a New York Times bestseller. He was the first chef to be featured on the Emmy-award winning PBS television show, “The Mind of a Chef,” and along with Academy Award Winning Director Morgan Neville, David is a creative force behind “Ugly Delicious,” an eight-part Netflix original documentary series about foods we love and the stories that shape them. Don’t miss this conversation with one of food’s most fascinating personalities!

With their front-row view of industry performance and trends, the authorities at Technomic and Restaurant Business will provide a timely and data-backed look at what is challenging operators and what strategies are used to build traffic, sales and consumer demand among top brands. Peter Romeo and Joe Pawlak will cover sales trends, consumer demands, a look at new approaches to menu and marketing, and more, in an overview tailored for restaurant growth enterprises. 

Bethenny Frankel has always been ahead of the pack in identifying and capitalizing on business opportunities, from becoming a natural foods chef to creating the low-calorie cocktail category with the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails. In this conversation, Bethenny shares with audiences the mindset of risk, perseverance and passion necessary to be a successful business leader. Adroitly mixing anecdotes from TV and business, heavily spiced with her self-deprecating humor (one of her best-selling books: “I Suck At Relationships So You Don’t Have To”), Bethenny will explore both the business landscape—for both genders—and how to live a balanced life while achieving your dreams.

Dr. Irwin Adam has worked on some of the most innovative experiential projects we’ve ever seen. The award-winning Wndr Museum in Chicago brings beauty and imagination together in immersive experiences. The Museum of Ice Cream reinvents a historic brand with sensory installations. The Stella Artois Sensorium engaged all five senses in a stunning dining event and transformed customers’ feelings about a luxury brand.

How can you create this same kind of magic for your business? In this fascinating talk, Dr. Adam expands on the concepts of “personalizing the personal” and experiential marketing. He looks at customer experience from an innovative new lens, opening your eyes to infinite possibilities. What can you do to wow and excite your customers? How can you develop and promote experiences that are truly innovative? How can you create a campaign that’s a historic event for your brand? How can you make your customers feel the emotional connection that’s triggered when something is just for them? Join Dr. Adam and prepare to see the game-changing power of customer experience.