To sign up for this course, purchase a ticket in the "Optional Items" section on the Item Selection page when you register.  If you are not attending the conference, select the "Ticket Only" admission item.

Celebrating the Chapter Leaders of 2011! NACE leaders work hard every day, volunteering to make their NACE community something special for their members. Now we want to do something special for them. This celebratory luncheon will recognize chapter accomplishments, President’s Lists recipients and committee volunteers. In addition, we’ll conduct our nominations and speeches to consider your new CPC leadership.

 

A special registration form will be sent for the Leadership Celebration Luncheon closer to the event.

Applications are due by June 24 to be considered for approval to take this exam.  Download an application today!

Chef Jeff Henderson is an award-winning chef, motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author and Food Network television personality. Join Chef Jeff as he talks about his transition from prison life to becoming the executive chef of Café Bellagio in Las Vegas to running his own catering business, Posh Urban Cuisine. Learn how Chef Jeff is inspiring young people to take up a career in the culinary world and be inspired to take charge of your life as he teaches you effective and simple strategies to navigate through the detours and roadblocks of life.

Sharon Charny, CBP, CTC, The Charmer Sunbelt Group

 

 

Why creative catering beverage stations? There are many reasons - below are three:

 

• Enhance your customer’s overall experience

• Stimulate new business and increase guest frequency

• Increase check average and profits

 

Creative catering beverage stations are all the rage in the best hotels in the country as the perfect accompaniment to any food stations event, a wedding poolside or even as a reception station prior to a seated meal! Learn how to “deconstruct” a full bar for an exciting event that people will talk about for a long time! There are many opportunities within the “stations” arena. Discover the latest trends in innovative cocktail stations and creative non-alcoholic beverage stations. See a live demonstration of a liquid desert station and a Bacardi Mojito station and sample the beverages. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Ways to creatively sell beverages and increase profits

• The latest trends in beverage stations

• How to execute different stations through interactive discussions and a live demonstration

 

 

 

 

• The latest thinking on inbound marketing and customer pleasing qualification systems

• Scripts that office managers and salespeople can use that relax shoppers, establish immediate trust and separate your company from competitors

• What buyers dislike most about shopping event venues and what loses sales

 

Therese Cole-Hubbs, Electric Karma International and Ginia Lucas, MWV, Y-Knot Party & Rentals

 

 

We make memories every day, but coming of age events are the milestones that stay in our client’s minds forever. By creating a signature event for a teen, we create clients we can retain for future events. A great bar or bat mitzvah or quinceañera can lead to bridal showers or weddings. Creating themes, marketing ideas and easy to use sales tools will help add to your bottom line. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Where to market for coming of age events

• Theme ideas and how to build on theme names

• How to create marketing and sales relationships for coming of age events

Michael Davis, Cloth Connection

 

 

Learn the keys to sourcing, presenting and selling linen decor for all types of catered events. Gain insight into how table decor has evolved from historical times and how it has influenced our current industry. Update your knowledge on the hottest color trends this season, as well as popular colors over the past couple of years and review classic colors that stand the test of time. See how table linens can give an affordable option to your customers in the current economy and review different looks for various price ranges. See visual displays on how linens have been used at various Hollywood, also Presidential and other high profile events and participate in a napkin folding tutorial. In this session, you will learn:

 

• How to turn your new knowledge of linen decor into a profit center for your business

• What costly mistakes to avoid when ordering linens and dealing with a linen vendor company

• How to differentiate your catering business from others by being able to present unique reception looks to your customers

Dr. David McSwane, REHS, CP-FS, Indiana University

 

 

Food safety is the responsibility of the entire food industry. However, it poses special challenges for off-premise caterers. Fulfilling a commitment to making food safe requires you to have firm control of food products starting from the commissary kitchen all the way through to service at the event. Find out about a variety of food safety challenges, including the new pathogens that are arriving on the scene. Learn how to be prepared to combat these perilous food safety hazards with intervention techniques that can be used to minimize the effect on your bottom line and prevent your next event from disaster. Everyone in the catering and events industry can gain from this important information. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Statistics on how foodborne hazards affect food safety in the United States

• Food safety challenges that specifically affect off-premise caterers, including new pathogens

• Various interventions to protect your food, your revenue and your customers

 

 

New recipes. New ingredients. New styles of cooking. After the Culinary Experience you will go home with a head full of ideas guaranteed to please your most picky customers. The Culinary Experience features a series of expert chefs who will give your taste buds a treat, while suggesting ways that you can present fresh new ideas.

 

 

Monique G. Studak, CSW, E&J Gallo Winery

 

The wine industry has become a global market full of exciting and juicy flavors. Even in a down economy wine sales continue to grow. Customers are continuing to ask for different, more unique flavors and experiences, while keeping an eye on a conservative budget. Informed and interesting presentations of wine can help accomplish this goal for the customer while elevating your revenue and profits. Does your team have the vocabulary to excite their customers about wine? Are they maximizing the opportunity to sell wine into all levels of events? Can they generate additional revenue while maintaining value to their customers? In this session you will learn:

 

• How to speak enthusiastically to the newest trends in wine sales, sample five of the fastest growing varietals in the US

• How to identify the opportunities within your sales organization to incorporate wine to increase customer satisfaction and/or increase revenue and profit

• How to utilize effective presentation and selling techniques to maximize wine opportunities

 

Gary Hernbroth, Training for Winners

 

 

This interactive workshop will give you the opportunity to "face your toughest elephants" regarding your business and your industry along with your peers. Come prepared to learn and share solutions and ideas together in this peer-to-peer learning laboratory. Facilitated by nationally recognized hospitality speaker and trainer Gary Hernbroth of Training for Winners, you will come away with ideas and solutions to help move your business forward. In this session, you will learn:

 

• How to share your toughest challenges with others who face the same in order to come up with workable solutions together

• How to mentor others in ways to overcome their biggest hurdles to success

• How to create your own action plan as a takeaway based on peer-to-peer idea sharing

Lynne LaFond DeLuca, Beverly Clark Hospitality Training

 

 

Now more than ever, with the corporate event market showing increased positive trends, your selling style, presentation and value proposition must be sharp and on point in order to attract and book the events you want. Topics will include corporate event booking trends, attracting high-end events, creating a corporate event marketing plan to target the most beneficial corporate markets for your business and building relationships and working with destination management companies and corporate event planners. In this session, you will learn:

 

• How to determine the best corporate markets for their business to target

• How to create a sales presentation that will include all of the key elements for receiving a positive response and a booked event

• The steps involved in building and maintaining relationships with the most influential DMCs and event planners

Bruce Vassar and Matthew Trettel, The Wedding Guys

 

 

From a common thread woven through their look book, The Wedding Guys bring ideas for experiential weddings, which include overall design, tabletop concepts, unique room layout, serving styles and menu options. If we are going to talk about experiential weddings this session should be experiential as well. This is a hands-on creative brainstorming session to create three unique weddings given specific criteria. Bring your crayons, creativity and get ready to have fun! Chefs are welcome! In this session, you will learn:

 

• What brides need vs. want

• How to create an overall event that’s not “theme – e”

• Take away wedding concepts you can implement when you return from Experience 2011

Mark Lopez, Crave Catering and Sustainable Catering Association

 

 

On premise and off premise caterers, event planners and hoteliers, do you need help with sustainability? Do you normally eat pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones as part of your daily diet? Would you feed them to your family? Sustainable Catering…It’s the right thing to do, but how? And how do you do it profitably? Join me "on a three course meal" of sustainability, one bite at a time. Farmers and fisherman all know fresh is best! Buying local helps the community and tastes so much better, and your clients will agree! In this session you will learn:

 

• A strategy for becoming sustainable, one bite at a time. Learn our strategy of 10% more than the year before

• Food miles - how far your food travels on its journey from farm to fork and why buying local and in season is better for you and the economy.

• Sustainable Seafood – state of emergency, how to stay informed, how to purchase sustainably and how to avoid the fish on the DANGER LIST

7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Foundation Fundraiser
BuBinga Lounge, Eldorado Hotel Casino

 

Become a Believer at the Foundation of NACE fundraising event, taking place at the BuBinga Lounge in the Eldorado hotel conveniently connected to the Silver Legacy Resort Casino. This event includes entertainment, heavy hors d'oeuvres and a complimentary specialty cocktail.

 

 

   

Paul Moss, Blueprint Studios

Julie Nobis, Red Carpet Events

Karen Nichols, CPCE, Red Carpet Events

 

This is what makes the NACE Experience unique. Join Robin Brockelsby of Creative Coverings as she moderates this session presented by Paul Moss of Blueprint Studios in San Francisco and Julie Nobis and Karen Nichols, CPCE of Red Carpet Events in Reno as they demonstrate how to transform a room at three different budget levels. Learn new ways to make the most memorable event your clients have ever attended.

 

 

Hayley Boles, The Boston Beer Company – Samuel Adams

 

Get a short lesson on the history of beer and find out about the current trends in the craft beer industry, as well as what trends are on the horizon. We’ll teach you the benefits and best practices for serving craft beer at your events. Finally, you will be immersed in the experience with a craft beer and food pairing, where you will find out how to taste craft beer and learn unique ideas for how to pair beer with food so that you can sell it to your clients. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Why craft beer is the hottest growing segment in the beer industry

• How to satisfy customer needs through “beer optimization”

• The ideal standard set to serve craft beer at a catered event.

 

Rosemary Manning, Tahoe Health Touch

 

 

Do you find yourself getting frustrated or angry with unrealistic clients, difficult vendors or non-compliant employees?  Interested in learning an easy and highly successful way to deal with these challenging situations you encounter every day? Join us to learn the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), described as the leading energy medicine protocol, that is helping thousands of people learn a new way of handling stressful situations. Join mind-body therapist and community educator, Rosemary Manning, in this fast-paced, fun workshop.  In this session, you will learn:

 

Meryl Snow, Feastivities Events

 

 

The event is sold and now you are in control of what happens within the four walls of this five-hour event. Meryl will delve into the fine details of managing each department; the client, flow, service, culinary and design of an event to completion. So, if you are dealing with a social or corporate client you can keep service high and costs low. In this session you will learn:

 

• The contracts that protect you, policies and procedures and MUST HAVE forms

• What makes your client tick, ticked or tip

• Industry partners working together instead of against each other

 

This session is sponsored by Catersource Magazine Tradeshow & Conference, NACE National Gold Business Partner.

Andy Kushner, Andy Kushner Entertainment

 

 

Transformative entertainment—the kind that takes guests on a journey and helps an event become an experience—cannot be generic. Catering and event professionals often think of entertainment as an independent component of their overall plan—but they have a tremendous opportunity to heighten every detail of any event through leveraging entertainment’s hidden power. Geared towards advanced professionals, award-winning Entertainment Producer Andy Kushner will detail his groundbreaking philosophy via a real life production experience at a globally iconic destination—you will go behind the scenes with him to see how he created televised moments to remember. In this session, you will learn:

 

• An advanced perspective on the way to integrate entertainment into the early planning stages

• How to maximize the impact that entertainment has during the event

• New trends in entertainment

 

 

Nicole Fitzpatrick, Calihan Catering, Kirsten Knauer, Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar and Chef John Reed CEC, CCA, ACE, Customized Culinary Solutions

 

Moderated by Greg Casella, CPCE, Catered Too!

The hottest food trends often begin in restaurants by inspired chefs. When clients bring these fresh ideas to catering professionals, the task of translating these unique dishes into feasible banquet menus can be quite a challenge. This panel will provide expert insight for caterers to overcome these challenges. You’ll also find out what is in store for the future of food trends so that you can prepare to wow your clients before they come to you. In this session, you will learn:

 

• The latest developments in restaurant food trends and how they can be adapted for catered events

• How to attract clients looking for something new

• How to incorporate new trends into your business to expand your profit potential

Anja WinikkaSenior Editor, The Knot Magazine & TheKnot.com 

 

Who are the luxury brides and how can you book more of them? Luxury brides are often considered the holy-grail by wedding professionals, but how do you attract them? The digital age has changed the way that all brides plan, but what sources is the luxury bride turning to? From the perplexing trend of DIY, to photography styles, to the economy, only The Knot’s Real Wedding survey has uncovered what luxury brides are really up to and how you can make more of them your customers. What you’ll hear:

 

• Who is the luxury bride?

• Does the luxury bride have a budget?

• Trends that she’s adopting

• Media sources that she’s using

Troy Conklin, Winebow Imports and Jerry Edwards, CPCE, Chef's Expressions

 

 

Unique ideas for creating and selling international wine and food pairings.

In the past year and half we have certainly come to the realization that simply having knowledge of food and wine doesn’t cut it for the savvy consumer. Unique and trendy ideas are coming straight from your clients, and in order to stay ahead of the curve creating, understanding and delivering food and beverage menus is imperative if you want to set yourself apart from your competition. What does this mean? In a word - strategies. A combination of strategies for sales, marketing, menus and wines will help you in your approach to a revolutionizing your business and make the sale.On and off-premise caterers, hotel food and beverage executives and event planners will benefit from this advanced session, which will show you how to create International Wine Tasting EXPERIENCES for your clients. Attendees will experience wines through various event stations that will highlight unique food and wine pairings that are easy to execute and sell to clients. In In this session you will learn:

 

•Create strategies for selling wine and food pairing experiences

•Understand the concept of developing menu items to pair with wines

•Demystify the difference between international and domestic wines and how to make them viable alternatives for your events

 

Jon Goldman, Brand Launcher

 

In today's hyper-competitive catering environment, lame marketing and "me-too" promotions just don't cut it. In this exciting session, a marketing expert will show you how to use bold, out-of-the-box marketing to attract new prospects, get clients buzzing and bring them back for more. Don't come to this seminar for vague theory - get ready to learn specific techniques and practical tools to ramp up your sales. In this session, you will learn:

 

• The deadliest marketing mistakes most caterers make

• How to maximize every marketing dollar with precision targeting

• Three ways to create "buzz" for your catering business as well as the "kiss of death" for your sale and how to avoid it

Cindy Lo, Red Velvet Events, Inc. and Jennifer Westfall, The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas Need affordable, easy-to-create centerpieces for your clients? In this session, we’ll show you 25 centerpieces that you can create in-house when your client’s budget restricts you from working with your favorite floral designer. All of these ideas are creative, versatile, simple and under $25 per table setting. By expanding your services, you will create an opportunity to upsell. In addition, we’ll share with you items we have found and reused in a variety of ways – helping you stretch your dollar just a little more and possibly even profit from something you already have on hand. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Concrete centerpiece ideas that you can create and implement after you leave the conference

• How a low budget can inspire creativity!

• Key decor items you can purchase that can be reused to create a variety of looks

Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Network

 

 

Wedding and event vendors, providing goods and services, are seen as an extension of venues, event planners and wedding consultants. This is especially true for day-of vendors. Understanding each other’s needs and expectations is necessary to provide an atmosphere of teamwork for success, especially for the client and their event. In addition, the venue-vendor relationship is key to the sharing and referral of prospective business. The seminar will discuss tricky matters of conflicting business and ethical interests and will utilize critical thinking on challenging grey areas. Hear an unfiltered view from all sides of this important issue. You will be guaranteed to think and reconsider your approach and the approach of others. In this session, you will learn:

 

• What vendors need from planners and venues to be most effective

• What planners and venues need from vendors for a seamless event

• The ethics and business issues surrounding referrals and what is in the best interest of the client

Guy Jacobucci, Assurance Agency

 

 

Insurance is the nucleus of your business. Without it, you can be forced out of business if you have a loss for which you are not covered. Companies require a mix of property and casualty coverages to protect their interest. You must evaluate your exposures which includes an active assessment of operations, loss experience, safety programs and management styles. In this session, you will learn:

 

• To gain a better working knowledge of your insurance needs

• The goals of an insurance program

• Which types of coverage are applicable to your business

Mark Kingsdorf, Master Bridal Consultant, The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants

 

 

Seasoned wedding professionals are sometimes read as being inflexible and a little out of touch by today’s tech savvy couples who are a bit more discriminating and may also be paying for the wedding themselves. Learn how they shop, build relationships, communicate and negotiate. Get tips for working with the “I want it all” couple. Also, discover the importance of creating personalized events that will create lasting memories for your bride and groom and their guests. In this session, you will:

 

• Learn what today’s couples are looking for in terms of quality, service and flexibility – how they shop and negotiate deals

• Learn how to communicate and respond to couples – showing your experience without sounding out of touch

• Learn about current spending trends, how to sell couples a “personalized experience” and how to manage their planning while maintaining control

Andy Ebon, The Wedding Marketing Network

 

 

While you’re working your hardest to book business and service clients, technology is advancing at an exponential rate. This session will provide a highlight reel of practical examples showing how technology (hardware and software), properly applied, can give you a significant competitive advantage. Examples and explanations will range from online software to phone applications, plus a sizable segment on the Apple iPad. In this session, you will learn:

 

• How specific web and phone-based software and applications can supercharge your productivity

• How various customers communicate and how to customize your approach to better meeting their individual needs

• Understand why your publishing of materials needs to be iPad friendly... maybe even develop your own iPad App

Lisa Lynn Backus, CPCE, CMP, Caesars Entertainment at Bally’s and Paris Hotel and Casino Las Vegas; Bob Christie, Christie’s Photographic Studios; Domenick Savino, CPCE, Drexelbrook Catering and Corporate Events Center; Tim Sudall, VideoOne Productions; and Nick Waller, ACE Conference Center

 

 

 

Join our panel of event professionals, catering executives and business relationship professionals for an interactive discussion and multimedia presentation about how to develop, strengthen and maintain positive and powerful relationships. Participants will be exposed to great strategies that will enhance their career success and generate more sales in an uncertain economic environment. Hear best practices and learn powerful lessons about relationship building between Event Professionals and Catering Executives. In this session, you will learn:

 

• Quantifiable benefits of the Power of Relationships as a sound business practice

• Tools to plan specific activities to connect Event Professionals and Catering Executives

• Examples of sales growth generated by these practices

David Reusche, ARAMARK

 

 

Becoming the exclusive catering provider at an institution can be a tricky process. How you respond to an RFP, knowing your selling points versus those of your competitors, and closing the deal are all critical to a successful bid for exclusivity. We will also be talking about the pros and cons of being exclusive – is it something you really want to be? Sometimes, being exclusive is not all it’s cracked up to be, despite what you might think is “guaranteed revenue.” In this session, you will learn:

 

• How to distance yourself from the competition and stand out in a crowd of other service providers.

• How to successfully respond to RFPs and execute a winning bid proposal.

• The pros and cons of being an exclusive caterer.