IH/M&R Show Introduces New Format
By Paulette Cortopassi, Managing Editor -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 10/1/2004 12:00:00 AM
Attendees at this year’s 89th annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) in New York City can anticipate a new format that includes a full-day conference program and three days of exhibits. This year’s four-day event is scheduled to run from Saturday, Nov. 13 through Tuesday, Nov. 16, at NYC’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and is expected to attract more than 1,500 exhibitors, as well as 45,000 industry professionals worldwide. Show hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday and Monday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Kicking off the show on Saturday, a new Hospitality Leadership Forum will offer participants a conference agenda designed to provide an entire day of learning and networking opportunities. The forum will feature two lodging sessions, an Industry Summit and an Industry Outlook with concurrent breakout seminars covering government advocacy, leadership skills, lodging food and beverage, sales and marketing, cultural diversity and technology. During the forum’s luncheon keynote session, political pundits Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala of CNN’s political-debate program, “Crossfire,” will share their views on the post-election political climate and its impact on the hospitality industry.
Also on Saturday, the 7th annual Hospitality Career Fair will offer students of hospitality and culinary programs an opportunity to investigate available recruitment positions with participating recruiters and hotel properties.
On Sunday, the IH/M&RS Opening Ceremony will again highlight new products and services introduced at the show, and will include the presentation of the 9th annual Editors’ Choice Awards for Best New Products. Awards will be presented in six product categories – Décor, Flavors, Restaurant, Technology, Essentials and Luxury. When the industry’s trade press editors finish their judging, one company will receive the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award for its new item.
This year’s show will also offer more than 25 free educational seminars scheduled for Saturday though Tuesday, covering an array of topics that includes design, technology, catering, food safety, human resources, and personal and professional development. Show highlights include the 4th annual Restaurant Futurists program, which this year is themed, “Knowledge is Power: Preparing to Meet the Challenges of Today & Tomorrow.”
Networking opportunities and special events at the show this year will include the 24th annual IH/M&RS Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design; a Demonstration Kitchen; the Salon of Culinary Arts; the Luxury Product Collection, a juried section showcasing premium furniture, linens, amenities, tableware and other high-end hospitality-related items; and the Technology Innovation Center, where attendees can examine “cutting-edge” software and internet products.
Returning in 2004 is the IH/M&RS Bookstore, where attendees can browse through selected titles of cookbooks from around the world and other food-related literature – from food-themed fiction and kitchen antiques to the science of food preparation. Events at the store will include daily author appearances and book signings.
After-hours show-related events in-and-around New York City will include the 89th Annual International Hospitality Ball, the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) Greater New York 2004 Party of the Year, the Foodservice Industry Networking Reception 2004 and HOTELS magazine’s Hoteliers of the World Reception. In addition, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) will host its Big Apple Silent Auction where attendees can pick up bargains and support the foundation’s scholarship and research initiatives.
A schedule of events and a listing of seminars current as of Nov. 1 follow. For additional show information or to register online, log on to www.ihmrs.com.
| IH/M&RS Schedule of Events | Listing of IH/M&RS Seminars |
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