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being incorporated, bringing
something different to theshow, so that visitors will keepreturning, Hull continued. And to get the ball rollingwas renowned journalist andinterviewer, Charlie Rose, who delivered a rivetingpresentation in his keynote
address at the show, which was on how businesses canlearn to navigate throughtheir challenges by askingthe right kind of questions.
Bringing green backKeeping their ear to theground, the NRA introduced the Con-
serve Solutions Center, designed tohelp restaurateurs who were lookingfor ways to step up their efforts towardsa more environmentally friendly andsustainable business, as awareness oneco-friendly practices has grown amongconsumers. According to the latest
NRA survey, 56% of American
consumers stated that they aremore likely to visit an estab-lishment that utilises organicproducts and supports greeninitiatives; going green isnot only the right thing to dofor the environment, but alsoa smart way to do business in
todays market.The Conserve Solutions
Center was created specificallyto help participants [easily]find sustainability-related
products and services Together with the acclaimed
Organic and Natural Pavilion,participants could walk, for the firsttime, in an area completely dedicatedto green products and solutions, Hulladded. The pavilion, which showcaseda variety of eco-friendly products andideas for construction and remodelling
projects, also hosted presentations
and discussions to illustrate how best
to incorporate such ideas into their
operations.
First-time exhibitor at the show andsupplier of organic bulk ingredients to
food-service distributors, Multiple Or-
ganics director of sales, Peter Tortorici,
also noted that, increasingly, more
people have been educated as to the
benefits of organic growing, farming and
eating. Organically grown ingredients
lack the pesticides and chemicals that
are used in farming methods They
do not leach pesticides and chemicals
into soil, streams, oceans and drinking
water. These chemicals have been, and
are being linked to various forms of
cancer [and other ailments], as well as
adverse environmental effects.
While more studies are under way
on the benefits of organic produce, for
HELD from May22-25 this year at
McCormick Placein Chicago, Illinois,USA, the NRA showbuzzed with activityas over 42,000 trade
visitors from 120 countries trawled the482,000sqf exhibition space, looking
for some of the newest products in theindustry, as well as meeting suppliersand business associates.
At the IWSB event, which ran onMay 23 and 24, 3,500 registrants turnedup this year, a 17% jump from last year,to source for some of the newest brands
and labels in the wine, spirits and beerindustry. The event also had a rangeof educational sessions that looked atindustry trends and challenges.
Backed by industry forecasts re-leased by the NRA, which stated thatthis year could be a record year for the
restaurant industry in the US with salesincreasing 2.5% to US$580 billion, the
total number of registrants surged toalmost 58,000 over the four-day event.No other industry event [in the
western hemisphere] offers more vari-ety and range of products, services and
learning opportunities for the restaurantand food-service industry in the US,said Derrek Hull, marketing and com-munications manager of NRA.
Beyond statistics, the show has con-tinued to evolve, with great new features
NRA Show 2010 sees renewedgrowth as recession wanes
Backed by industry forecasts released by the NRA, which projected a 2.5% sales
growth to US$580 billion, the total number of registrants surged to almost 58,000 over
the four-day event.
Food-service and hospitality professionals from across theglobe turned up in renewed strength to the National Restaurant
Associations (NRA) 91st Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show 2010.Buoyed by improving consumer sentiment and with economicrecovery on the horizon, the 2010 NRA Show, together with theInternational Wine, Spirits and Beer Event (IWSB), saw a double-digit growth in attendance this year by 11.2% from 2009.
Jolene Klassen reports from Chicago.
NASDAs DeWitt
Ashby: Our
exhibitors are very
pleased the
audience is lively,
and there are a lot
more people here
this year.
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now, consumers who purchase organic
produce are also supporting a product
that is contributing to a cleaner, safer and
more sustainable world, he continued.
DeWitt Ashby, director of trade
shows at the National Association
of State Departments of Agriculture(NASDA), also noted that environ-
mental consciousness is one of the
trends that are starting to pick up in
the industry. People are beginning to
incorporate [eco-friendly practices] into
their business. Theres a certain segment
of clientele who are doing things that
are good for the environment so
by having a greener approach to their
quantity usage and other practices, they
know its also going to be good for their
business, he elaborated.
Markets look set for recovery newtrends emergeConfident that the economy will con-
tinue to improve, Ashby maintained
that things are starting to look up for a
number of exhibitors at the show.
Our exhibitors are very pleased
the audience is lively, and there are
a lot more people here this year, he
said, stating that, last year, attendance
was stumped by the downturn and the
H1N1 outbreak. This year, however, new
exhibitors have also joined the show,Ashby added. Buyer groups have also
grown to include visitors from Costa
Rica, China, Nigeria, the Caribbean,
Russia, Japan and the UAE, with the
strongest buyers from Mexico, Taiwan
and China.
Hull also noted that the buyer
groups from China remained as one
of the largest groups of international
exhibitors and participants that attend
the show annually. Japanese and Ko-
rean buyers and exhibitors have [also]been more active than ever. This year,
we [had] a big delegation of buyers
coming from both countries as well,
said Hull, adding that the show saw
great exhibitor representatives from
Asia with pavilions this year from Japan,
Korea, China and New Zealand, while
Australia sent a number of buyers to
the show too.
Speaking on the trends in the indus-
try, Ashby continued that over the past
few years, the biggest change to have im-
pacted the restaurant and food-serviceindustries, especially with the economic
downturn, is that the expenditure on
food has shifted to the retail segment.
Fewer people were eating out. But we
expect it to start shifting back gradually
as things improve, he maintained.
Kim Hamilton, international mar-
keting representative at the Illinois
Department of Agriculture, also pointed
out that another trend in the market was
the growing demand for private labels.
Private-label sales has really gone up
because people are really looking [to get]items at a cheaper price, said Hamilton.
She added that while the organic
industry is starting to grow, sales in the
industry are hurting because people
dont have the disposable income tobuy these items.
Over the last year, restaurants were
hurt bad, but retail was actually grow-
ing because more people were buying
from the stores and preparing at home,
instead of going out to eat. But gradu-
ally, there is an increase in the number
of people going out to eat again,
Hamilton noted.
Tortorici also added that his com-
pany has seen a tremendous demand
for gluten-free ingredients, especially
ancient grains like quinoa and ama-ranth, while for fruits, demand for
antioxidant-rich ingredients, like dried
blueberries, as well as exotic fruits, such
as mango, pineapple and papaya, are
also increasing.
And as the effects of the market
slump are beginning to wane, Hamilton
maintained that for the exhibitors from
Illinois, which had over 20 companies at
their state pavilion, showcasing every-
thing from meats to processed food
and beverages, the show was going
very well. At the Michigan pavilion, which
saw about 10 companies taking part,
Jamie Zmitko-Somers, manager of the
International Marketing Program at
Illinois Department of Agricultures Kim
Hamilton: Another trend in the market
was the growing demand for private
labels.
Do the foodie dance
Shaking things up at the 2010 NRA Show was the
first foodie flash mob dance, choreographed
by Chicago-based dancer, Christina Chen of
Cerqua Dance Theatre. Modelled after media
mogul Oprah Winfreys flash mob in Chicagos
Magnificent Mile last year, the NRAs flash mob
saw over 100 participants, ranging from attend-
ees to chefs, students and exhibitors, dancing
in unison to Lady Gagas debut hit,Just Dance.
Weeks before the scheduled mob
dance, the NRA posted a learning video on
YouTube, inviting everyone coming to the
show to learn the steps and join in. To watch
the 2010 NRA Shows first foodie flash
mob dance, visit http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WxJx69FTe34. ra
The 2010 NRA Show which featured the first foodie flash mob dance, saw over 100
participants dancing in unison to Lady Gagas debut hit, Just Dance.
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the State of Michigans Department of
Agriculture, said that attendance has
been really good this year. Everyones
really busy. All the companies are very
happy with the contacts theyve made,
she stated, adding that production within
the state has grown, with local consump-tion steadily improving.
Platform for new productsOther exhibitors took the opportunity
to unveil their newest solutions for the
food-service and hospitality industries at
the NRA Show this year. The Coca-Cola
Companys pavilion drew a constant
stream of visitors forming long lines to
try out the companys latest high-tech
soda fountain that can mix up over 100
drinks to create new beverages accord-
ing to preference. The new Freestylemachine, encased in a Ferrari-designed
curved metal shell, featured a touch-
screen menu, with a selection of 104
drink flavours, both carbonated and
non-carbonated, which consumers can
choose from to create new flavours.
Coca-Cola is incorporating some
of the latest technologies into the
fountain, among them the companys
patent-pending Perfect Pour techno-
logy, that makes sure each drink tastes
like it should with just one nozzle. The
company said that it is planning to rollout another 500 machines in various
outlets across the US, where it is cur-
rently testing about 70 such fountains.
The show maintained its status as a
platform to break into the global market.
Australian-based bar tools company,
Uber Bar Tools, which designs and
markets equipment for the hospitality
industry and has a strong presence in
Asia, namely Hong Kong, Singapore and
China, said that it is looking to launch its
brand and introduce its products in the
US. It exhibited at the NRA show this
year for the first time. Michael Silvers,
the companys CEO and founder, said:The NRA is the perfect platform to con-
nect with leaders of the hospitality world.
Brands looking to either break into or
better secure their future on the world
stage cannot go past the NRA Show.
Chris Daniel, assistant manager
of sales and marketing at Taiwanese
water-purification company, Cashido
Corporation, also revealed that this is
the companys first participation at the
show. Since our products conception,
we have been aggressively marketing
this product in Taiwan, and this year,
we decided to take it to the American
market, he quipped.
Daniel explained that with the
growing concern over food safety andits impact on the industry, the company
chose to feature its Ozone Antibacterial
Sanitizer, a system that helps ensure food
safety in restaurants, by killing over 99%
of bacteria and removing more than
70% of pesticides found in fresh foods.
A number of restaurants in Taiwan use
reverse osmosis (RO) water to cook and
wash with. However, it was found that
their food contained traces of E.coli
(Escherichia coli). This is due to the fact
that RO water cannot kill bacteria, he
elaborated, adding that the system alsoremoves odours, keeps food fresh and
easily connects to a faucet, making it
more user-friendly.
The product is ideal for all aspects
of the food industry. Daniel continued:
The restaurant professionals we spoke
with proclaimed their need for cleanli-
ness in the kitchen. They were very
surprised at how easy it is to install and
maintain as well as how small the product
is. It was very different from other ozone
products they have seen.
Over 70 free education sessionsNRAs Hull noted that another key
feature was the impressive line-up of
education sessions at both shows. At the
NRA show alone, over 70 free education
sessions were held to keep hospitality
and trade professionals in-the-know.
These [sessions] addressed industry
The new Coca-Cola Freestyle machine,
encased in a Ferrari-designed curved
metal shell, features a touch-screen
menu, with a selection of 104 drinkflavours.
World-renowned chefs turn up for the inaugural
NRA World Culinary Showcase
Aside from cooking demonstrationsat the various booths and pavilions,
the NRA Show 2010 also hosted
the inaugural World Culinary
Showcase, which featured a range of
chefs from around the world, show-
casing their cooking techniques and
recipes, each featuring products that
were native to their own countries.
Top chefs from across the US, as
well as from Europe, Canada and
Mexico, took to the stage, pre-
senting dishes that ranged from
Medilatino (Latin-Mediterranean)
cuisine to Mayan flavours.Among the culinary celebri-
ties featured was Chef Graham
Brown of Cervena, New Zealand,
Culinary Olympics Gold Medal win-
ner, highlighting the benefits of NewZealand farmed venison. Turkeys
founding director of the Istanbul
Culinary Institute, Hande Bozdogan,
also demonstrated how to whip up
simple recipes of Turkish cuisine
with easily accessible ingredients.
Another award-winning chef, Rick
Bayless, who won the Julia Childs
IACP (International Association
of Culinary Professionals) and the
James Beard Best International
Cookbook of the Year awards, also
hosted a cooking demonstration on
Mexican cuisine, which saw an over-whelming turnout at the showcase.
The showcase also held edu-
cational sessions to share ideas
for cooking sustainable seafood as
well as to discuss the various uses
of different spices and ingredients,
how to enhance the natural flavours
in fruits and vegetables, and how to
introduce good food to children in
kid-friendly meals. ra
Award-winning chef, Rick Bayless, received an overwhelming turnout
at a cooking demonstration on Mexican cuisine.
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A new spin on the International
Back-of-the-House Restaurant Tour
Further enriching the experience for interna-
tional participants at the NRA Show 2010, was
the Back-of-the House Restaurant Tour, which
has become a popular favourite for overseas at-tendees. Organised in collaboration with some
of the best restaurants in Chicago, this year,
the tour took a different spin with a brewery
and two dining establishments: one in a hotel
and the other featuring international cuisine.
Attendees were introduced to the
C-House Fish and Chops, housed within the
Affinia Hotel Chicago, allowing them to learn
the synergies involved in setting up a restaurant
within a hotel. One benefit of doing so is that
the hotel ensures a certain amount of diners to
the restaurant, which helps when business slows
down, said Gian Garofalo, general manager of
C-House Fish and Chops.
Having a restaurant within a hotel has
been very helpful to us because when things get
slower, we always have a population that is in
the hotel. As opposed to being a free-standing
restaurant, with times as they are right now,
I feel much better about being attached to a
hotel, he noted.
Garofalo walked guests through the 90-
seat nautical-themed restaurant, opened by
renowned Swedish chef, Marcus Samuelsson,
candidly sharing their experience of setting up
the restaurant and how they overcame the
problems they encountered. He added that
the trick with opening a restaurant in a hotel
was to create an atmosphere that is not too
fine dining, so that people will walk in without
being intimidated. To do this, the design of
the restaurant needed to convey a warm and
inviting ambience.
The restaurant, which has a banquet on
the second floor and a rooftop lounge area,
also provides for an interesting dining experi-
ence, with features such as the C Bar, which
serves a wide selection of fresh and sustainable
seafood, a long communal table in the middle
of the restaurant that seats about 12 guests,
providing for an interactive dining experience,
and a candy bar, which Garofalo maintained is
a great idea when customers dont want to
have desserts.I think that making sure that you have
the right concept and that youre aware of
the market youre in is very important in this
business. You have to be aware of whats going
on in the city and what your competitors are
doing to make sure that you come up with
something that there [isnt too much] of or
creating something there really isnt a need
for, Garofalo stated.
Introducing participants to a perspec-
tive on international cuisine was a visit to Le
Colonial, an upscale French-Vietnamese res-
taurant located in the heart of Chicago, which
combined flavours of South-east Asian cuisine
with a French faade and dcor. Split into two
areas, dining on the ground floor and the main
bar, lounge and terrace on the second level,
the restaurants cosy ambience has deemed it
the citys most romantic restaurant, said a
spokesperson. Opened about two decades ago,
he shared that the secret to the restaurants
success and longevity is providing its custom-
ers with an experience, not just serving up
drinks and food.
Another first on the Back-of-the-House
tour this year was a brewery trip to the Cly-
bourn Brewpub and the Fulton Street Brewery,
which served hand-crafted beers made by
Chicagos Goose Island Beer Co. The tour took
visitors to experience the brewing process of
some of the 50 beers that the company pro-
duces. At the Clybourn Brewpub, customers
can sample some 20 different brews, alongside a
range of beer food, salads and its famous Stilton
burger. The brewpub also features a weekly
Farmers Market beer series, which infuses
with different herbs and spices in a style of beer,
and has a Chef Collaboration Series, which
was brewed in collaboration with C-House
chef Nicole Pederson. ra
C-House Fish and Chops provides for an interesting dining experience, with features such
as a wide selection fresh and sustainable seafood at the C Bar, and an interactive dining
experience at a long communal table in the middle of the restaurant that seats about 12
guests.
imperatives such as jobs and careers,
food and healthy living, sustainability
and social responsibility, and profitabil-ity and entrepreneurship, Hull added.
Among the topics discussed was the
growing use of social networking to get
the word out to consumers on the vari-ous restaurant promotions and activi-
ties. Sessions included how to leverage
word-of-mouth marketing to generateinterest using social media tools, such
as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, how
best to skew these to improve business
and bring more customers through thedoor, and a presentation on statistical
data to support why businesses should
be using these platforms if they want to
make it in todays competitive businessenvironment.
The NRA also held impromptu ses-sions, which tackled issues in real time.When news of the oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico broke out, a panel of association
leaders and local restaurateurs came
together to discuss the repercussionsof the situation, updating attendees on
the various actions taken to control and
monitor the impact of the spill on the
seafood business.Jim Funk, president and CEO of the
Louisiana Restaurant Association, said
that despite the spill, it was business as
usual in Louisiana, where seafood makesup US$2.4 billion in revenue, with about
70% of its production of seafood coming
from the Gulf coast.While the spill has yet to affect the
industry, which is worth US$77 billion,
according to the NRA, the smallest
percentage decline would have a heftyimpact on the industry, because of its
sheer size, the Louisiana official said.
Hull concluded that the NRA will
continue developing more and more al-liances to bring more newcomers to the
show. We are always working actively via the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture to promoteshow awareness of and motivate new-
comers to experience the NRA Show. In
some cases, we have also been workingwith Trade Offices that some countries
have in the US.
And we [are] developing special
education [sessions] with key industryleaders from different countries. All
these efforts together will certainly
influence international food-service
professionals to attend the NRA Show,he maintained.
The 92nd NRA Restaurant, Hotel-
Motel Show will return to McCormick
Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA, from May21-24, next year. ra