With eight out of 10 restaurant operators saying social media will be an increasingly important marketing tool, the National Restaurant Association will feature leading social media players at its Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in May. Event attendees will interact with companies like Facebook, Google, Groupon, LivingSocial, Social Grub, TravelZoo, Where and Yelp to explore how their services can help restaurants become more talked about and recommended, grow business and build customer loyalty. NRA Show 2011 will be held May 21-24 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
“Social media savvy consumers dine out more often and show a higher level of engagement in the restaurant community than other consumers, so building a strong social media marketing strategy is a smart move for restaurateurs,” said C.W. Craig Reed, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2011 and Director of Food and Beverage, Broadmoor Hotel. “This year’s NRA Show presents social media marketing leaders to help restaurant and hospitality operators navigate the world of online word-of-mouth marketing to reach and interact with more consumers.”
NRA Show 2011 will host a series of social media-focused education sessions to highlight best-in-class strategies and implementation, featuring both social media companies and restaurant operators. Attendees will learn about group buying, integrating social media and geo-social applications with POS systems, using social media channels in human resources, and more.
Social media education session highlights include:
Making Friends, Building Followers and Turning Fans Into Ambassadors Through Social Media
Saturday, May 21, 2:00PM – 3:30PM
Learn tips and insights on what to post, who will manage it, how to attract followers on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites from restaurant operator Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, The Castle Group, Langdon Flynn Communications, and CoverBoom.
Using Social Media Technologies to Reward Brand Loyalty
Sunday, May 22, 12:00PM – 1:30PM
Discover how Tasti D-Lite integrates conventional loyalty programs with Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social media and geo-social applications to build loyalty activity online and receive tangible benefits through social-friendly POS applications and TastiRewards program.
Collective Buying: How Social Commerce Can Help Your Restaurant Find New Customers
Sunday, May 22, 2:00PM – 3:30PM
Gain insights from Groupon, Geja’s Cafe, PYT Philly, Butter Lane Cupcakes, Wyndham Hotel Chicago about what collective buying is all about, how it can help attract and retain customers, how to prepare when you run a deal, what to avoid and more.
The Power of Social Media INSIDE Your Organization
Monday, May 23, 12:00PM – 1:30PM
Learn from P.F. Chang’s, Taco Bell, CiCi’s Pizza and Hoffmann and Associates about how to use social media successfully to recruit, engage and communicate inside your organization.
The Future of Social Media and Word of Mouth for the Restaurant Industry
Monday, May 23, 2:00PM – 3:30PM
Join Johnny Rockets Restaurant Group, Inc., Cold Stone Creamery, Facebook, LivingSocial, SCVNGR and Zócalo Group as they highlight what you need to know to fully capitalize on the most compelling social media trends today, and tomorrow.
Debate: Are online reviews a good or bad thing?
Tuesday, May 24, 12:00PM – 1:30PM
Top Chef runner-up Stefan Richter and Yelp’s Luther Lowe will debate the merit of online reviews, including why chefs and restaurant operators often view online review sites as a double-edged sword, moderated by Corby Kummer, Atlantic senior editor & curator of The Atlantic Food Channel.
Google will be the keynote in the Technology Pavilion on Sunday, May 22, 12:00PM – 1:30PM
Additionally, NRA Show 2011 and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) now have the ability through eventSocial – an online social media tool – to log into their social networks and e-mail accounts, identify fellow registrants already in their networks, connect with them, and post show-related updates to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Visitors will also be able to check in for the first time to NRA Show and IWSB and key show floor areas using Facebook Places from your smartphone.
NRA Show 2011 will feature more than 70 free education sessions on trends, strategies and best practices led by top industry leaders and experts. Seating is at a first-come, first-served basis – no separate tickets are required.
Education sessions will be held in McCormick Place’s South Hall on Level 4, and in the Technology Pavilion on Level 3 in the North Hall, all four days of the Show. For a full schedule of sessions, visit www.restaurant.org/show.
NRA Show education sessions may be accepted as continuing education credits (CEUs) by certifying bodies of several associations, including the School Nutrition Association, the American Dietetic Association, Foodservice Consultants Society International and the American Culinary Federation. Check with the respective associations for the documentation needed to validate participation and credit.
The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest and most comprehensive global gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. The event attracts tens of thousands of attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases more products, services, innovative ideas and other growth opportunities than any other industry event. For more information, visit the Show website at www.restaurant.org/show.