May was a fun month, spending time at important industry events for the industries I focus on. I attended The National Restaurant Association event in Chicago and share my experiences and thoughts on this event which is very different vs the highly technical SAMPE show in Charlotte I attended that focuses on aerospace and new highly technical materials and composite solutions. The NRA also focuses on new products and solutions, but much more fun.
The National Restaurant Association Show is the largest foodservice event with 43,000 executives attending the 100th anniversary event. This is the event to explore everything that’s happening in the industry—from equipment and supplies to food & beverage to technology. The show is where companies introduce new products, equipment, solutions and position their business for growth. I get to understand the growth companies, as I work only on commercial positions in this industry. I can meet with the growth companies and identify great candidates to support the unique needs and growth objectives for my clients.
The show is also fun, filled with great food and you can only be energized and excited by the networking and energy shared at the show. While I learned a lot, Sunday’s Signature session and panel set the stage and expressed how competitive the industry is and how all companies are trying to get their share of the customers stomach and wallet. The discussion around the growing need for restaurant operators to offer delivery service and the challenges of hiring for their critical needs to support growth in a highly competitive environment fits my business model. I focus on commercial positions and having the expertise and experience recruiting sales executives in all food markets and knowledge in packaging, which is a large challenge for the delivery service of the future, is of great benefit to my clients.
Having Fun!!!!!! Always great to run into family and friends while working. Timing is everything as we visited the Impossible Foods booth. I was able to grab an impossible burger with a friend and was impressed. The booth could not keep up with the demand for sliders, meatballs and other items made with its products, which are slowly making their way into mainstream restaurants. The bad news is they have a recruiter focused on their volume needs, but never know when they have a special hiring need where RSW Recruiting Solutions brings value. Working and having fun is the reason I continue to focus on foodservice and I have some great clients and candidates I work with to meet the challenges. Always have fun at the NRA show every year.
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