Enjoy a morning of golf on the picturesque fairways of the Wildfire Golf Club. This is the perfect opportunity to continue building business relationships while practicing your swing. After the tournament, enjoy lunch with your fellow golfers.

Two different hikes will be offered by our professional guides: one for the more fitness-oriented hiker seeking a unique outdoor workout and one for the more leisurely hiker looking for an up close and personal tour of the desert's beauty.

Climb on board in an open-air Jeep and experience the beauty and serenity of Arizona's Sonoran Desert on this guided tour. Learn about the spectacular trails from a genuine cowboy guide.

How is your competitive energy? Test it out with pickleball, one of America’s fastest growing sports. Participate in a tournament on the new pickleball courts at the JW Marriott. Winners will take home a cash prize!

Test your racing skills at Octane Raceway and zoom in your very own go-kart at up to 45 miles per hour. Will you have the fastest time on the track? Enjoy some friendly competition and get to know your fellow racers.

Test out your lumberjack skills with a fun day at the Octane Raceway.  Get competitive with fellow participants at this state-of-the-art facility featuring multiple axe throwing games like Duck Hunter, Tic-Tac-Toe, Moving Bullseye, and more!

This is your ticket to the gun show- at the premier shooting range and training facility in Arizona.  You will have the opportunity to learn unique gun shooting techniques from trained professionals with time in a simulator room and on the range.  Finish your day with a fierce bullseye competition complete with bragging rights!

This spirited class will impress even the most distinguished palate!  The day will kick-off with a guided tequila and mezcal tasting to highlight the different expressions of agave and showcase the unique aging process; Ending with an interactive mixology lesson to shake things up.  Learn how to make trend forward cocktails like the Aguachile Margarita and the Yuzu Bergamot Paloma by Tia Carmen’s Master Mixologist.  Each participant will receive a special monogramed shaker and strainer to take home.

Since 2020, hot-button issues like COVID-19, the election, and the Anti-Racism movement have dominated conversations in the news and social circles. Tensions remain high as increasing demand for strong, authentic support for equity and inclusion clashes with established business systems and differing personal beliefs. A company culture built on empathy and integrity is the key to increasing retention and attracting top talent, but leaders need help navigating conflicts while effectively communicating their values in the workplace and public arena. 
 
MFHA has used its Cultural Engagement Model for more than a decade to increase cultural intelligence and improve cross-cultural communication. Using real-life scenarios, participants will learn how this model can help de-escalate tense conversations, build understanding and respect, and enhance engagement in the workforce.

Technomic will provide a journey through yesterday, today and tomorrow’s foodservice landscape and explore opportunities and challenges to consider for growth.

Join NCR and restaurant industry leaders in a panel discussion on how restaurants are maximizing revenue and creating exponential growth with the optimal digital footprint.

Are you giving your customers the power to order their way? What do your customers want post-COVID from digital and multi-channel experiences? What does the future QSR and fast-casual landscape look like? Join us for an eye-opening presentation with Tillster Chief Marketing Officer, Hope Neiman, as she shares our newest consumer research study where we uncovered how technology is influencing the way they engage and order from their favorite brands. What do they love and what makes them say “eh.” From mobile apps to kiosks, we'll examine how consumers want to engage with your brand. Discover how to use the insights to gain a competitive edge, and learn how to leverage technology to create personalized, seamless experiences that keep your customers coming back for more. Whether you're a franchise owner, a marketing executive, or a technology provider, this presentation will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to stay ahead of the curve in the dynamic world of digital expectations.

Hear two industry veterans speak to the experiences, techniques, and tools used to drive value and business outcomes from the Restaurant Brand-IT partnership.

This panel will explore the challenges in accelerating tech into the Brand operation, loyalty, and CX/personalization, the approach to striking the right balance of speed and care for talent, and how this applies in the small/large chain, single/multi-brand, QSR/Fast Casual/Casual/Fine Dining, and international context.

Today's consumer has a new level of expectation from your brand to earn their business and retain their loyalty. Join as we explore research from the 2023 Consumer Trends Index revealing what consumers want from your Relationship Marketing strategy. Get insight on how to acquire new customers, what they expect from your personalization efforts and the key drivers of retaining their business while building brand loyalty.  Attendees will also be offered multiple, complimentary versions of the research reports, including a restaurant specific paper.

The forum focuses on curating experiences that will captivate diners and build loyalty to your brand. This is a great opportunity to learn from industry experts, explore innovative approaches for reaching the next generation of diners and creating experiences that will keep guests coming back. 

The impact of soaring inflation and wage pressure continues to affect the restaurant industry, with many brands increasing their menu prices to offset rising costs. As prices rise, and the cost of loyalty programs increase, guests’ engagement can falter if brands fail to anticipate and exceed their expectations. To turn guests into repeat visitors, restaurant marketers will need to evolve their marketing strategy to be even more personalized. By leveraging identity resolution solutions and an understanding of the guest outside of their own organization, marketers can create an accurate portrait of a guest, their context, and what they likely want at specific moments— allowing brands to super-serve unique and memorable messages that bring guests back. 

In this interactive forum, a group of restaurant leaders will share restaurant trends, innovation and influences predicted to impact the restaurant and hospitality industry. The audience will take part in a live survey around topics to help decide how restaurant leaders can affect or improve changing trend of all. The categories discussed will fall into 1 of 3 categories of: Workforce/labor, Supply Chain/Procurement, Transparency and efficiency in operations.

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, it's crucial to adapt and adopt new methods of conducting operations. For the food industry, virtual remote assessments using technology offer a more collaborative and effective way to ensure standard adherence, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction.  The partnership between Focus Brands and RizePoint is leading the way in revolutionizing operational assessments by leveraging technology to generate better results. By embracing virtual reviews, operators can guide the process, offer critical observations, and achieve a much larger impact that benefits the brand, the operator, and the customer.
 

Outdated approaches to operational assessments often result in a punitive process that leaves operators feeling like they're being evaluated, rather than being part of the solution. Virtual assessments, on the other hand, create a welcoming engagement that allows all stakeholders to be involved and guide the process, ultimately resulting in better outcomes.  By embracing the future of operational management with virtual assessments, companies can maximize their food safety and regulatory compliance programs, while also generating more revenue. It's time to leave behind outdated methods and adopt new, collaborative strategies that will set the industry up for success in the years to come. Let's embrace the future and build a more effective, efficient, and innovative food industry.

Quick Service Restaurants face unique challenges such as speed of service, drive-thru efficiency, and order accuracy, making the “Quick” in QSR a moving target.

Fortunately, innovating with artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to unlock enormous value for operators eager to improve operations, reduce labor constraints, and enhance customer service.

But knowing where to start is always the big question. So, we’ve brought together an AI Innovation expert from Taco Bell, the CEO of an AI software company, and an AI solutions deployment specialist to talk about real-life applications of AI in QSRs that are already paying big dividends.

An interactive panel discussion with top CEOs focusing on delivery, ordering, payment innovation, and customer service. 

Restaurant Business presents the award to the 2023 Restaurant Leader of the Year. Listen as Jonathan Maze hosts a fireside chat with this year's winner.

An inspirational mini session presented by the RLD@RLC program team.  Learn why The Missing 33%™ will help take your business to new levels!