2018 International Pizza Expo

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Sessions (76)

W01: So, You Want to Open a Pizzeria, Part I: Getting Your Dream Off the Ground ($250) (Room S102-103)

18 Mar 18
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
If you're planning a new pizzeria — or contemplating a new unit — this workshop is a vital first step. Veteran pizza operator and c... More...

W02: Restaurant Business Essentials, Part I: Critical Systems for Success ($250) (Room S104-105)

18 Mar 18
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Due to speaker illness, this session as been cancelled. You've heard the saying, "Great leaders aren't born, they're made.&quo... More...

W03: Marketing Basics for Pizzerias: Establishing Your Brand and Creating a Marketing Plan ($250) (Room S106-107)

18 Mar 18
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
In today’s highly competitive pizza market, good pizza isn’t enough to guarantee success. Differentiation requires a strategic marketin... More...

W04: Recipe for Success: Proven Ways to Increase Sales and Boost Profits ($250) (Room S111-112)

18 Mar 18
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Pizza restaurant owners Mike Bausch and Keith Coffman will teach you their secret tips and tricks to get more revenue and profit in an engaging pre... More...

W05: So, You Want to Open a Pizzeria, Part II: Planning for Profitability ($250) (Room S102-103)

19 Mar 18
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Many pizzeria operators put an amazing amount of thought and work into their location, menu and marketing but don't take the time to build out ... More...

W06: Restaurant Business Essentials, Part II: Quick-Start Guide to Controlling Your Food and Labor Costs ($250) (Room S104-105)

19 Mar 18
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Due to speaker illness, this session as been cancelled.  Operating a restaurant has not changed much fundamentally in the past 50 years, bu... More...

W07: Employee Management Crash Course: Hiring, Training, Accountability and Workplace Culture ($250) (Room S106-107)

19 Mar 18
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Let's face it: Labor is half the prime cost of your business and studies suggest that every new hire costs up to $4,000 to train to full compet... More...

W08: The Million-Dollar Pizzeria X 3 ($250) (Room S111-112)

19 Mar 18
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
There are two pivotal points for small-business owners building a multi-unit pizzeria company: the first store and the third store. Why? With three... More...

W09: Strategic and Sustainable Market-Domination Tools for Pizza Restaurants ($250) (Room S113-114)

19 Mar 18
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Are you experiencing symptoms of lagging performance, facing new competitive threats and pressures, or launching a new pizza-concept business? In t... More...

Finding Your Niche Using Creativity, Absurdity and Street Smarts (Room S220)

19 Mar 18
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
John Gutekanst opened Avalanche Pizza in 2000 in the college town of Athens, Ohio, and has built a business known for thinking outside the box. Whe... More...

Panel Discussion: Is 24 Hours Enough? — Understanding Fermentation and Factors Affecting Dough (Room S221)

19 Mar 18
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Speaker(s): Bill Weekley ; Peter Reinhart ; Tom Lehmann
There are many conflicting opinions about aging or enhancing pizza dough. While some prefer same-day fermentation, others retard their dough for at... More...

7 Essential Systems for Your First Pizzeria — and All That Follow (Room S220)

19 Mar 18
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
A successful launch of your first independent pizzeria is critical. This session will cover the essential systems necessary for your first unit &md... More...

Panel Discussion: Expanding Menus and Profits With Specialty Cheeses (Room S221)

19 Mar 18
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Speaker(s): Ed Zimmerman ; Laura Meyer ; Theo Kalogeracos ; Tim Silva
Upgrade your menu with cheeses that go beyond mozzarella and Parmesan. We’ve assembled a panel of creative chefs who will talk about the expe... More...

Recruit and Retain Top Talent (Room S220)

19 Mar 18
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
In this engaging session, top restaurant consultant Tim Kirkland will identify how to find, engage and keep high-performing team members. Among oth... More...

Panel Discussion: How to Get a Healthy Relationship With Your Distributor (Room S221)

19 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker(s): Brittany Saxton ; Dan Collier ; Mike Bausch ; Scott Anthony
Whether you are just opening a restaurant, redefining your concept or updating your menu, your distributor plays a key role in your success. How ca... More...

Panel Discussion: Common Pizzeria Startup Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (Room S220)

19 Mar 18
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Speaker(s): Keith Coffman ; Melissa Rickman ; Pasquale Di Diana ; Scott Sandler
This session will offer can’t-miss comments of value to anyone who has recently opened a pizzeria or plans a new one in the near future. All ... More...

Keynote 1 (Room S222-223)

20 Mar 18
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
After founding and selling two successful businesses in the U.K. — Seattle Coffee Company and Carluccio’s Ltd. — Scott and Ally S... More...

W10: Making Pizzas With Tony Gemignani, Part I: Starters and the Properties of Dough ($185) (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Workshop participants will learn how to make styles of dough for New York, Neapolitan, Sicilian and Grandma Pizzas, plus how to work with starter c... More...

15 Proven Selling and Incentive Ideas to Build Your Top Line (Room S220)

20 Mar 18
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Wouldn’t you like to leverage (or replace) your marketing dollars to make a bigger impact on top-line sales? This tactic-packed session will ... More...

Pitfalls and Opportunities for Today’s Independent Pizzeria (Room S221)

20 Mar 18
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Today’s independent pizzeria operator is faced with new challenges daily. Fortunately for the pizza industry, this segment of the U.S. foodse... More...

Pizza Crust Boot Camp, Part I — Technical (Room S111-112)

20 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
No matter the style, if you don’t have a good crust for your pizza, you don’t have a quality, great-tasting pie. Sponsored by General M... More...

W11: Saving Dollars and Keeping Score With Your Spreadsheets ($250) (Room S102-103)

20 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Most pizzeria operators don't know their true break-even point, or have accurate systems to calculate and track it. In this two-hour session, f... More...

W12: Marketing 2.0 for Independents: Advanced Customer Engagement and Implementation ($250) (Room S106-107)

20 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The best customers are the ones who choose to stay engaged with your brand, the loyal folks who give you repeat business and talk up your pizzeria ... More...

Demo: Taking the Slice Out of New York (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
David Losole grew up in his parents’ Italian restaurant in Omaha and followed his own dream by opening Virtuoso Pizzeria, an artisan slice ho... More...

Demo: Why Are You Still Buying Bread? (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
You can create beautiful signature breads in your pizzeria. Join renowned author and baking instructor Peter Reinhart and veteran pizza maker John ... More...

Demo: Pizza Al Taglio (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Giulia Colmignoli and Christopher Antinucci both grew up in Rome, so it’s natural that they’ve brought Roman-style pizza with them to S... More...

Demo: My Cashew Cheese Pizza (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Scott Sandler has opened two all-vegetarian pizzerias in St. Louis. His second location, Pizza Head, specializes in pies by the slice and offers me... More...

SPECIAL DEMO - Master Pizzaiolo Graziano Bertuzzo (Room Pizza Challenge Contest Area 2)

20 Mar 18
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Italian pizza maker Graziano Bertuzzo is a proven champion, with Pizza Maker of the Year titles at Pizza Expo in both 2008 and 2009 as well as last... More...

10 Steps to Take Your Workplace From Good to Incredible (Room S113-114)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Learn the step-by-step process that allowed two different pizzeria concepts to thrive using similar tools and principles that build healthy working... More...

5 Profit-Generating Essentials for POS Systems (Exhibitor Seminar) (Room Pizza Challenge Contest Area 2)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
POS systems are the lifeblood of restaurant enterprises, yet many of these systems are anemic when it comes to generating sustainable profitability... More...

Delivery and Carryout Excellence (Room S102-103)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Struggling to stand apart from all of your competitors? Learn how to excel with the at-home diner and gain added business by committing your whole ... More...

Demo: Stromboli (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
A full menu including pizza, pasta and salads is offered in Fort Lupton, Colo., by owners Eric and Melissa Rickman, but stromboli is the namesake o... More...

How to Pick a POS System (Room S110)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Upgrading to a new POS system can be one of the most vexing issues pizzeria owners and managers face. Dan Collier, formerly a regional manager for ... More...

Local-Store Marketing (Room S104-105)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
In this highly engaging, information-packed session, best-selling author Tim Kirkland delivers real, immediately usable tactics that will help fran... More...

Panel Discussion: Profiting in Pizza in an Era of Disruption (Room S106-107)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Speaker(s): Aaron Allen ; Sean Brauser ; Tony Gemignani
We’re living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution — both an exciting and tumultuous time to be a restaurant operator. With an ever-incre... More...

Secrets to Holding Your Management Team Accountable (Room S115-116)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Due to speaker illness, this session as been cancelled.  Many business owners suffer from a prevalent, but relatively unknown, condition ca... More...

Time With the Dough Doctor (Room S108-109)

20 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Bring your dough questions and problems to the Dough Doctor and he’s guaranteed to diagnose them and suggest the proper cure. The Pizza Today... More...

Pizza Crust Boot Camp, Part II — Practical (Room S111-112)

20 Mar 18
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
No matter the style, if you don’t have a good crust for your pizza, you don’t have a quality, great-tasting pie. Sponsored by General M... More...

Be the Face of Your Company — and Inspire Your Team to Deliver on Your Brand Promise (Room S115-116)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
So, how exactly do you go about being the face of your business? It’s not as hard as you think, says Mike Bausch, owner of the 5-store Andoli... More...

Make Yourself a (Social) Media Magnet (Room S113-114)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Our means of reaching and influencing people has evolved to a great extent in the last decade. “Word of mouth” is now “likes&rdqu... More...

Menu Costing and Pricing (Room S104-105)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Getting your menu priced and engineered correctly is a critical step in setting up your pizzeria for profitability and longevity. Veteran pizza ope... More...

Panel Discussion: The Ins and Outs of Gluten-Free (Room S106-107)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker(s): Betsy Craig ; Eric Spata ; Jeff Smokevitch ; Mike Rutledge
Yes, you can offer gluten-free options in your pizzeria. And yes, it will bring you new sales. But you must set it up in a way your kitchen can han... More...

Partnerships in the Restaurant Business (Room S110)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
A partnership can make or break any entrepreneur, and that holds true for the pizzeria business. Hassi Sadri, a principal in the Napoli Culinary Ac... More...

Self-Management for Pizza Entrepreneurs (Room S102-103)

20 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Do you ever feel like you’re working feverishly but get home at the end of the day and feel as though you’ve accomplished nothing? In t... More...

W13: Scott's Las Vegas Pizza Tour ($250) (Room Bus Loading Area)

20 Mar 18
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Here's you chance to take a bus tour of the three top Las Vegas pizzerias hosted by Scott Wiener, famous for his New York Pizza Tours. Attendee... More...

Keynote 2 (Room S222-223)

21 Mar 18
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Speaker(s): Ann Kim
Ann Kim is the owner and executive chef of Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza and Young Joni, all in Minneapolis. A Korean immigrant, she credits her culin... More...

W14: Making Pizzas With Tony Gemignani, Part II: Prepping and Baking Authentic New York, Sicilian, Grandma and Neapolitan Pies ($185) (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

21 Mar 18
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
In Part II, world champion pizza maker and founder of the International School of Pizza Tony Gemignani will demonstrate the skills necessary for ma... More...

Ignore Your Customers (and They’ll Go Away) (Room S221)

21 Mar 18
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Customer service consultant and restaurant mystery shopper Micah Solomon delivers the secrets of five-star customer service and building repeat cus... More...

The Dough Masters: A Conversation With Nancy Silverton and Brian Spangler (Room S220)

21 Mar 18
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Speaker(s): Brian Spangler ; Nancy Silverton ; Peter Reinhart
Join Peter Reinhart (PizzaQuest.com) for a stimulating conversation with two of the most revered pizza heroes in America, Nancy Silverton (Pizzeria... More...

Pizza Crust Boot Camp, Part I — Technical (Repeated) (Room S111-112)

21 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
No matter the style, if you don’t have a good crust for your pizza, you don’t have a quality, great-tasting pie. Sponsored by General M... More...

Understanding and Connecting With Millennials and Gen Z (Room S222-223)

21 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Although not a Millennial as defined by his age, Jeff Fromm is the “Millennial Marketing Guy.” He is president of FutureCast, a marketi... More...

W15: Pizzeria Catering College ($250) (Room S102-103)

21 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
You're leaving money on the table by not maximizing your catering operations — and you know it. Now's the time to do something about ... More...

W16: Franchising for Independents and Small Chains ($250) (Room S106-107)

21 Mar 18
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The founder and CEO of Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co., George Hadjis, opened his first store in 1991 in Del Mar, Calif., and through franchisin... More...

Demo: New Twists on Old Appetizers (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

21 Mar 18
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Often overlooked, appetizers are a real profit center on your menu. Veteran menu-builders Mike Bausch and Glenn Cybulski will present one-of-a-kind... More...

Demo: Multi-Purpose Dough (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

21 Mar 18
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Laura Meyer won the 2014 Non-Traditional Division of the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo and took the top prize at the 2013 competition... More...

Demo: Anchovies: Uses and Abuses (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

21 Mar 18
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Some of your customers love anchovies. So what are you doing to tantalize them and convert others to the tiny fish’s bold taste? Theo Kaloger... More...

Creating a Competition-Proof Pizzeria (Room S110)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Are you sensing that diners in your area are comparing you unfairly with other restaurants? What weaknesses do others have in your market that you ... More...

Demo: My Champion Pizzas (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Pizza Expo’s 2016 Pizza Maker of the Year winner Nino Coniglio has earned a reputation for innovative and delicious pizzas based on the Itali... More...

Develop the Right Hospitality Management Team (Room S102-103)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
The success of any good restaurant starts and stops with a strong management team. Creating an effective structure that focuses on required managem... More...

Marketing to Gen Z: Playing by the “Pivotal” Generation’s Rules (Room S104-105)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Today’s teenagers aren’t just “tomorrow’s consumers” — they’re already one of the most powerful consumer ... More...

Panel Discussion: Women in Pizza (Room S106-107)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Speaker(s): Brittany Saxton ; Jacque Farrell ; Melissa Ferriman ; Melissa Rickman
Our panel of high-powered women owner-operators will discuss the opportunities and challenges they face in today’s pizza restaurant industry ... More...

Recipe Costing for Increased Profitability (Room S113-114)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Mark Kelnhofer (Returnoningredients.com) has more than 20 years of experience in bottom-line-boosting accounting, including seven years in restaura... More...

The 10 Most Important Customer-Service Touchpoints in a Restaurant (Room S115-116)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Customer service expert Micah Solomon unlocks the secret code that can make or break your restaurant, the 10 moments in the customer-service experi... More...

Time With the Dough Doctor (Repeated) (Room S108-109)

21 Mar 18
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Bring your dough questions and problems to the Dough Doctor and he’s guaranteed to diagnose them and suggest the proper cure. The Pizza Today... More...

Pizza Crust Boot Camp, Part II — Practical (Repeated) (Room S111-112)

21 Mar 18
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
No matter the style, if you don’t have a good crust for your pizza, you don’t have a quality, great-tasting pie. Sponsored by General M... More...

Pizza Today Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Room S220-221)

21 Mar 18
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker(s): Christal Spata ; Sammy Mandell ; Scott Wiener ; Scottie Rivera
In recognition of the tremendous talent and drive a new generation of entrepreneurs is bringing to the industry, Pizza Today and Pizza Expo are con... More...

Connect With Your Customers Via Social Media (Room S115-116)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Overwhelmed by the myriad digital options for promoting your business? Debbie Goldberg, co-founder of 19-unit Fresh Brothers in Southern California... More...

Do-It-Yourself Video Production (Room S104-105)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The stats are overwhelming: Video marketing is the most effective way to engage and convert customers. Yet many pizzeria operators don’t have... More...

Going From Zero to Hero: How to Make Your Concept Go Viral (Room S106-107)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sean Brauser, who built Ohio-based Romeo’s Pizza to more than $20 million in annual sales, will discuss his latest venture: Pizzafire. In jus... More...

Marketing: Go Big or Go Small (Room S108-109)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
There are rules of the road for driving customer demand, but often they vary by market size. Listen in as city boy Nick Bogacz (Caliente Pizza &... More...

Proven Menu Engineering Techniques (Room S113-114)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
In this follow-up to his morning seminar, accounting expert and restaurant consultant Mark Kelnhofer (Returnoningredients.com) will walk you throug... More...

Sales-Driving Tools (Room 102-103)

21 Mar 18
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Increasing traffic into your restaurant is a challenge for all operators in today’s tough environment, but with the right systems and strateg... More...

How Any Operator Can Make 20 Percent Profit (Room S222-223)

22 Mar 18
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
The average profit margin for U.S. pizzerias is in the neighborhood of 7 percent. Is that enough to justify all of the hard work, headaches and ris... More...

Panel Discussion: Legends of Detroit-Style Pizza (Room S221)

22 Mar 18
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Speaker(s): Jeff Smokevitch ; Larry Simone ; Scott Wiener ; Shawn Randazzo
The distinctive square pizza from the Motor City continues to gain popularity on menus all over the country. Pizza troubadour Scott Wiener, of Scot... More...

Panel Discussion: Solving the Third-Party Delivery Puzzle (Room S220)

22 Mar 18
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Speaker(s): Debbie Goldberg ; Melissa Ferriman ; Rick Drury
Pizza operators face countless choices when thinking about partnering with third-party delivery services such as Amazon Restaurants, UberEats, Door... More...

Demo: New Flavor Profiles With Toppings and Garnishes (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

22 Mar 18
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Wow your customers with some new taste sensations on the pizza menu. Doug Ferriman, an International Pizza Challenge winner from Boston, is constan... More...

Demo: Make Detroit-Style One of Your Styles (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

22 Mar 18
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Colorado owner-pizza maker Jeff Smokevitch excels at baking pies in multiple styles, so much so that he won the triathlon baking title in the Parma... More...

Demo: Hell’s Kitchen — the Pizza (Room Show Floor Demo Area)

22 Mar 18
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Weighing in at 12 pounds, this 26-inch round pies is as thick as a Sicilian pizza and broken into four sections — one-quarter cheese, one-qua... More...