Restaurant Leadership Conference – 20 years of leadership

Great relationships are the key to growth and long-term success.  For the restaurant industry, the premier event for twenty years is the Restaurant Leadership Conference, held annually in Phoenix. It is where new relationships are started and old ones are fostered. Many people come back year after year, knowing that the content and the connections that they receive in those 4 short days are worth the investment of time spent away from the office.

What You’ll Find

I’ve been attending as a sponsor for 15 years and I’ve found that the quality of interactions can’t be found anywhere else. We get to interact with high-level multi-unit and multi-concept operators who are looking for high growth ideas from new vendor partnerships. These operators want to help their businesses grow and out-maneuver the competition.

While You’re There

Face to face time is critical in the current business environment. Getting to know someone personally helps us get to trust that much quicker. Digital marketing and all the content strategies cannot take the place of spending time together with the people we are trying to reach. A familiar face and shared history work in our favor as we pitch ideas and form relationship bonds. We’ve become invested in the industry that provides their livelihood. And it’s an exciting industry with constant change and new challenges around every corner. It forces us to be better and continually improve to meet that expectation.

Our Past Takeaways

Over the years we have developed working relationships with many household name brands from our time together at the RLC. This year is their 20th anniversary. During the keynotes, we’ve heard from former presidents, best-selling authors, and world-class athletes, and consequently, the conference attendance has multiplied based on the content caliber. It is now a large conference feel but it still provides the time and space to get to know others and hear about the problems they are trying to solve. You just can’t get that from any other marketing channel.   I hope to see you in Phoenix soon. Please stop by our table and pick up your conference shirt.