The University at the Show
What’s New in Education at the Industry’s Main Campus 

    School’s back in session, and this year’s curriculum provides the best education money can buy.
    Consider a trip to “The Show” this year to be the industry’s greatest crash course in how to drive revenue and improve the intelligence and efficiency of everything from operations to promotions and all points in between. The result? A virtual master’s degree in profit in bar, restaurant and hotel beverage and food business.
    Two great new shows co-located with “The Show” now create a one-of-a-kind mega event, all in America’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas. The two new shows are the International Las Vegas Restaurant Show, which is held in partnership with the Nevada Restaurant Association, and the Las Vegas Hospitality Expo.
    Various tracks in key aspects of on-premise operations create the industry’s best curriculum for operators at every level of beverage and food business across all segments of the industry, including restaurants and hotels.
    What follows are the sessions and opportunties that are new this year in each of the subject areas covered.

Operations
    In Ultra Lounge 101 a panel of leading industry lounge operators and experts will share inside secrets on how to open, operate and promote an ultra-lounge concept. A unique panel of operators and distributors provide insights on what every operation should expect from the distribution side, and vice versa, in Profits From the Label to the Barstool.
    Learning to pick the right partners and develop the right way to work with each other is the focus of Working on the Perfect Partnership. Also new is Obtain Financing for Your Start-Up Club or Bar, a must for anyone looking to start off on the right foot — or start at all.

Promotions
    This track is all about increasing traffic. For operators tired of running the same old promotions every year, A Calendar of Campaigns, new this year, is the opportunity to discover new and exciting ideas. Tips for creating and delivering profitable promotions is what Get the Most Out of Your Promotions is all about, led by James Auerbach, vice president of RumRunners USA.

Super Sessions
    Five Super Sessions are just that — super — and a couple of them are brand new this year. Industry Innovations is an open forum discussion, providing attendees with current and upcoming innovations in the industry. Industry Veterans is a team of the industry’s top names, covering promotions, operations, marketing and management.

Management
    Mike White, CEO of Omni Career Search, will share strategies for recruiting, hiring and training staff in the competitive on-premise industry in Secrets and Successes of Recruiting, Hiring and Training Generations X and Y. Leadership and Operational Excellence tackles the issue of what makes a leader great.

Top 100 Panel
    Operators from the Nightclub & Bar Editors’ Top 100 bars and clubs form panels to present a variety of seminars. New this year among them are Creating the VIP Vibe and Keeping Your Concept Fresh.

Marketing
    New in Marketing is Setting the Advertising Budget: How Much Should You Spend on Advertising? Marketing on the Internet delves into cyber marketing, which is about much more than Web sites.
    The Advanced Track this year features Beyond the Basics of Marketing, in which Jennifer Kramer Williams — marketing director for Barmuda and former editor of Nightclub & Bar magazine — looks at maximizing your marketing dollar.

Safety/Legal
    Randy Durnal of Alcohol Management Services Inc. helps operators limit their liablities in Liquor Liability and the Standard of Care.

Off-Premise
    “The Show” has added a few fresh, new seminars for off-premise operators as well. Who’s the Buyer? features a panel of experts, led by Ron Breitstein of Chicago Wine Merchants, to talk about methods for off-premise proprietors to identify and target their prime customers.
    Leslie Hennessy, a 34-year veteran of the industry, highlights growth in the Pinot Noir category, the new varietals of Pinot Grigio, Roussane, Marsanne and Movedre, and the emerging new South American wines and how to sell them.
    Off-Premise and On-Premise Synergy, also hosted by Brietstein, looks at how a symbiotic relationship of the two can benefit with for increased sales.                        NCB