The 2016 National Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) and Bar 16 will be held in Chicago from May 21-24. The largest foodservice tradeshow, which features more than 63,000 foodservice professionals in Chicago’s McCormick Place, plans to look at the future of food and beverage in the industry.
Here are 10 reasons to attend this year’s event:
Bellavita Expo, a traveling exhibition made up of authentic Italian food and beverage producers, comes to the U.S. for the first time during NRA Show 2016, commanding around 20,000 square feet of exhibit space in Lakeside Center, adjacent to NRA Show booth space and the World Culinary Showcase event area. The event will feature Italian food and beverage producers, wine-focused educational sessions and demonstrations by Michelin-starred chefs.
New feature programming will be introduced for 2016 including the “Grocerant” Conference on May 23 focusing on the convergence of retail and foodservice, and more. Additionally, the Fast Casual and Trends Conference on May 20 features speakers from top founders, research and data gurus, and leaders from high-growth concepts, promising education and networking that will advance the industry's most talked about and highest growth category of operations—the fast casual restaurant.
Startup Alley returns for its second year at the NRA Show, where emerging startups in the restaurant technology space have the opportunity to showcase new technologies to engage foodservice customers on social media, streamline food delivery, execute innovative recruitment, etc., to more than 65,000 foodservice professionals.
World-class celebrity chefs will dish out culinary expertise at the World Culinary Showcase. Winner of Top Chef Masters and multiple James Beard Foundation awards, Rick Bayless; James Beard Award-winner, cookbook author, and Chopped judge, Maneet Chauhan; Michelin starred chef, co-host and judge on MasterChef and MasterChef Jr. Graham Elliot; Winner of Food Network's World Extreme Chef Terry French; and James Beard Award semifinalist and TV personality on A Chef’s Life, Vivian Howard, are among the restaurateurs who will be featured at the Lakeside Center stage.
Foodamental Studio will take place each day during the show. This hugely popular series of hands-on workshops lets you roll up your sleeves with the experts and try out the processes and techniques behind today’s hottest trends.
Engage face-to-face with the latest products, tools, ingredients, and more at BAR 16 at the NRA Show from May 22-23. From Interactive Demo Lounges, showcasing hands-on sessions to Menu Pairing, Craftique, and Bar Necessities Pavilions, and Education Sessions, you’ll gain insight into key skills, new products, and current trends.
The 50-plus Education Sessions are packed with hot topics, provocative opinions, and powerful messages that leave you with the intel that improves operations and sparks new ideas. A sample of hot topics include: wage and tipping options, food waste, nutrition, clean menus, labor, sustainability and technology, and more. Here’s a look at some of the topics.
This year’s Food and Beverage (FABI) Awards recognize the innovators of food and beverage products that make a significant impact in the industry. Award recipients will be showcased at exhibit halls throughout McCormick Place.
The 2016 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards honor equipment and technologies that increase productivity for back-of-the-house operations. Here’s a list of the winners.
The hottest products in the industry, and hundreds of suppliers and manufacturers, will bring their newest and best products to the Show’s expansive exhibit hall space for attendees to see and sample over the course of the event.
