Restaurant Trainers at a Restaurant Show? Of Course!

The National Restaurant Association show will be held in Chicago from May 18-21 this year, and as usual, tens of thousands of people will show up hoping to learn what the future holds for the hospitality industry.  The booths in McCormick Place will be buzzing with conversations between the many different vendors and all kinds of restaurant personnel: owners, executives, chefs, managers, employees, and hopefully, a lot of trainers as well.

Wait...trainers?  Why would they want to go?

The answer is because the experience of attending the NRA show can be a wonderful opportunity for trainers at all levels to learn more about the industry in which they are employed and to improve their performance back on the job.  Let me provide you with a few examples:

• First and foremost, it’s a chance to forge stronger connections with those working in your restaurants and gain insight into their important issues.  As you travel the aisles with your company’s owners, managers, or operators, you’ll get to listen as they talk with the different vendors and share their concerns firsthand.  You’ll hear about what products are needed, what equipment isn’t working right, and what issues really keep them up at night.  And any trainer who develops a greater understanding of operations and how things work in the real world will be better equipped to create more relevant training programs and provide more effective solutions once back in the classroom.
• Not all of the vendors are related to food and equipment, of course; the show features a Technology Pavilion, where tech companies exhibit new products that can be used to manage and deliver training.  There will also be booths from such HR partners as CareerBuilder.com, 360Training.com, PeopleMatter, and most importantly, from the National Restaurant Association (CHART's only Gold Level Partner).  Visiting the NRA booth affords you a terrific opportunity to learn about the many different training and development programs that can benefit your companies, including ServSafe Food Handler, ServSafe Alcohol, and ProStart.
• In addition to keynote presentations from industry titans such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks, the National Restaurant Association show features over 70 different educational sessions on a wide variety of topics, including many important to those working in HR and training (and they are all free of charge to show attendees).  This year several CHART members will be among the presenters: on Sunday, May 19, Christine San Juan (Boloco), Jason Lyon (Common Man), John Isbell (O’Charley’s), John Kelley (White Castle), and Michele Lange (Habit Burger Grill) will be featured in a panel session on the “Best Practices for Employee Engagement”; and on Monday, May 20, Jim Sullivan (Sullivision.com) will be leading a session titled “Multiunit Leadership 2013: The 7 Competencies of High-Performing Area Directors and Franchisees.”
• For those whose companies sell alcohol along with food, there are even more educational sessions available if you sign up for the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event at the NRA Show.  This event, which takes place on Sunday, May 19, and Monday, May 20, will feature specialty beverage alcohol sessions led by top industry leaders, including one on market trends from Dave Henkes and Donna Hood Crecca of Technomic, which will be teaming up with CHART to produce our upcoming survey on the State of the Hospitality Training Industry.
• Finally, if you have not have been able to attend a CHART conference recently, the NRA show offers you another chance to network with CHART members and partners.  In addition to casually chatting as you meet up at the CHART booth in the Power of Partnership Pavilion, in the aisles of McCormick Place, or at the educational sessions, we will be hosting our traditional cocktail reception on the evening of Sunday, May 19, where you can spend time re-connecting with other hospitality trainers and talking about what you have learned.

I guess I could add one more reason to go, but it’s not because of the NRA show itself, but rather because of the site: Chicago.  If you’ve never been before, then you’ve missed out on visiting the quintessential American city.  You owe it to yourself to spend some time checking out its architecture, shopping, parks, museums, and most importantly, restaurants.  Chicago a place full of unforgettable cuisine, and as someone working in the restaurant industry, you really need to go and experience it for yourself.

Hope to see you there!