Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit kicking off in March
The event is targeted to corporate executives and will focus on powering franchise growth through technology and leadership.
Networld Media Group is launching a new event called the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit March 29-31, 2016 at The Highland Dallas. The official announcement was made in Miami at the opening of the Fast Casual Executive Summit, an annual restaurant industry conference produced by Networld now in its 10th year.
The Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit is targeted to corporate franchising and technology executives in the restaurant space, said Cherryh Butler, managing editor of Networld's foodservice and retail publications, including FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. The goal of the event is to help franchisors be more progressive in many areas of their business to attract both investors and customers, particularly digital-native millennials.
"We noticed a need for a summit dedicated to restaurant franchising after realizing how many brands are revving up their franchise models," Butler said. "And it's not just new brands that are using franchising as a tool to grow. Even established brands that haven't focused on growth in years are implementing new franchise plans. As the restaurant industry's main news source, we believed it was part of our responsibility to help franchisors tackle the challenges they face when growing their businesses."
Andrew Gruel, CEO and founder of Slapfish Restaurant Group, an award-winning food truck turned international brick-and-mortar chain, will be a keynote speaker at the event. Gruel has appeared on the TODAY show, PBS, Cooking Channel, and as a judge on the Food Network show, "Food Truck Face Off." He is also the star of a new reality show on FYI called, "Say It To My Face," where he helps restaurant operators handle online critics.
Other speakers confirmed thus far include:
- Anke Corbin, founder/CEO, Globig
- Laura Rea Dickey, CIO, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants
- Paul Hicks, senior vice president of operations services & new concept development, Corner Bakery Café
- James Walker, president of operations & development, Johnny Rockets
"If you are involved on the corporate franchising side of the restaurant and foodservice business, this summit will give you powerful insights into helping your franchisees drive product, enhance customer-experience innovation, improve new franchise development and help your franchisees become early adopters of new systems, equipment and technologies designed for today’s business success," said Kathy Doyle, executive vice president and publisher of Networld. "If you are a supplier offering contemporary innovation that is designed to make quick-service and fast casual restaurants more attractive to millennial consumers and others by delivering superior customer experiences, you will benefit by marketing your services at this summit."
She also noted that Square and Cardfree, two mobile POS innovators, are the first companies to sign on as sponsors of the event.