Society for Foodservice Management 2008 National Conference

Program

Download printable Registration Brochure

AGENDA

Monday, September 8, 2008

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Registration

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

6:00 am – 7:00 pm

Registration

6:00 am – 7:00 pm

SFM Communication Center

6:00 am – 1:00 pm

Golf Tournament

Hilton Austin Hotel Lobby

Teravista Golf Club

(Optional: Additional cost for participation)

Start your conference networking early by joining your friends and colleagues at Teravista Golf Club, Austin’s premier golf destination. Teravista’s 18 hole championship golf course features some of the best golf in Texas! This 7,200 yard course, designed by Floridian George Clifton, will challenge golfers of all ages and abilities. The strong Texas winds will test the best of players, while the beginner friendly tees will make the game fun for all newcomers. A breakfast buffet will be available at the club upon arrival. As always, the traditional awards lunch will be served following the tournament. Boarding begins at 6:00 am in the Hilton Austin Hotel lobby. The bus will depart promptly at 6:15 am.

Price per Person: $195 (Breakfast and Lunch will be provided)

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Optional Social Tours

Inner Space Cavern

Discover the unknown of the Inner Space Cavern with other SFM National Conference attendees, located just 40 minutes from the Hilton Austin! Join us for an afternoon of mysterious and magical exploration of the beautiful caves below the Earth’s surface. Attendees will have the chance to experience incredible displays from thousands of years ago to present day!

Price per Person: $27.00 (Lunch will not be provided)

Mandola Estate Winery

Established by Carrabba's founder, Damien Mandola, experience the essence of wine-making on a serine tour through the Mandola Estate Winery. Located just 30 minutes from the Hilton Austin in historic Driftwood, Texas, the Mandola Winery offers Italian flavors in the Texas hills. Stroll through the 20-acre vineyard on a guided tour and learn the intricate process of wine-making. At the conclusion of the tour attendees will have the opportunity to taste a sampling of what the vineyard has to offer and enjoy a true Italian meal at Trattoria Lisina.

Price per Person: $60.00 (Lunch will be provided)

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Liaison & Self-Operator Section Forum

This year's Section Forum will encourage SFM liaisons and self-operators to unite together to exchange ideas with industry professionals who share similar membership classifications. The discussion will be facilitated in order to maximize its educational benefits and allow for critical conversations on issues of joint interest. (please note that you must be a liaison or self-operator to attend this session.)

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

FMP Exam

The Foodservice Management Professional (FMP) certification exam will be administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

New Member/First-Time Attendee Reception

This special event is designed to give a warm, Texas welcome to those who are new to the SFM network. The New Member reception offers the opportunity to network with colleagues and build contacts in the industry. Get a sneak peak at what to expect at upcoming SFM events and meet members of the Board of Directors and SFM Committees.

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Opening Reception – Long Center for the Performing Arts

Kick-off the conference at one of Austin's newest and most impressive venues—the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Savor traditional southern barbeque and some of Austin's most unique culinary creations. Gather old friends and network with new ones on the breathtaking City Terrace and enjoy striking city views and music from live entertainment.

While experiencing the flavors of Texas Barbeque, you will have the opportunity to network with Texan Chef and author of The Texas Cowboy Kitchen, Grady Spears.

This is one event you won't want to miss!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

6:00 am - 7:00 pm

Registration

6:00 am – 7:00 pm

SFM Communication Center

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Buffet Breakfast

8:45 am – 10:45 am

Open General Session

Culture Waves

Andy Ford

11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Concurrent Educational Sessions

Infusing Sustainability Into Your Foodservice Operation

Gain a better understanding in developing a holistic plan for sustainability into your operation.

Learn the importance of conducting current operational sustainability assessment and audits, while understanding and better utilizing available resources that can help you develop your plan and accelerate your progress--including-- community, products, and consultative resources. Discover how to creating your Sustainability Task Force and communicate your strategy and successes.

Flavors of Texan Cuisine

Learn the art and flavors of Texan cuisine with Chef Grady Spears. Chef Spears, founding chef and co-owner of the Reata restaurants in Alpine and Fort Worth, Texas and Beverly Hills, California, will illustrate his style and techniques of good ole' Texas cooking! Experience the food he created that is now a hit at the historic Nutt House Hotel restaurant in Granbury, Texas and at the Chisholm Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Mobile Work Force

Business has changed dramatically over the years with more customers having limited time for meal periods. Examine the ways that today's and tomorrow's customers are becoming more mobile and the tools and learnings necessary to keep them buying from your food service operation.

Communicating When Strangling Isn’t an Option: How to Boost Influence and Effectiveness

Based on established coaching and counseling principles, Sue Hershkowitz-Coore will present this intense and practical workshop and show participants how they can communicate with anyone, even brick walls, while maintaining professionalism and dignity. Self-defeating behaviors will be replaced with strategies that will achieve better results.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

President's Luncheon

SFM's elite will be recognized and honored at this special luncheon. The Director's Awards will be presented to those who have displayed exceptional community involvement, leadership, spirit, and other forms of distinguished service. Attendance to this event supports SFM's finest individuals.

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm

Educational Sessions

Vending 2008: The Up and Coming Healthier Wave of the Future!

Today's consumers are more interested in health and wellness than ever. The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) recognized that health and wellness would continue to dominate in our society and created its national health and wellness initiative entitled, Balanced for Life. Vending 2008 will educate consumers to help identify and promote health and wellness oriented vended products within their facilities.

Triple E's: Energy, Efficiency, and Equipment

Energy costs will continue to rise and there is no end in sight. Discover how energy and resource-efficient technologies and equipment can make designing or renovating a kitchen an economically-sound future option for your foodservice facility.

Strong Dreams Don't Die

 We all have dreams for our lives and careers. Sometimes, however, we bury our dreams, thinking that they are not possible. Whether the dream is to get into superior physical condition, advance your career, close more business deals, become more assertive or fortify a personal relationship, this session is for you. Discover how you can find unstoppable motivation mixed with powerful goal setting and work/life mapping techniques from the world of high performers and health and sport psychology that truly work.  Join Fred Schafer, a nationally recognized trainer, coach, author, columnist and speaker and find out how and why you must dust off your dreams before you die, look fear straight in the eye, drop the excuses and no longer “Try”. Start building momentum today and then victoriously progress with strength, dignity and purpose.

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

General Session

Featured Keynote

Andrew Zimmern

9:00 pm – 12:00 am

SFM After Hours Party

Thursday, September 11, 2008

7:00 am – 5:30 pm

Registration

7:00 am – 7:00 pm

SFM Communication Center

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Buffet Breakfast

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Committee Breakfast Meetings

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Women's Council Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast with the leadership of the SFM Woman's Council! Members of the steering committee and sub-committee will be available to discuss current and future initiatives and obtain suggestions from members on what issues they would like the Council to address.

9:15 am – 11:00 am

General Session

Afterburner Inc

11:15 am – 2:00 pm

Innovations Fair

Innovative and creative solutions to your most specific industry needs are displayed at this information exhibition. Vendors will be available to show you cutting-edge products and services first-hand and will demonstrate ways to affectively enhance your everyday business with a “going green” approach.

11:15 am – 8:00 pm

Mary Hofer Memorial Silent Auction Benefiting the SFM Foundation

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm

Educational Sessions

Triple E's: Energy, Efficiency, and Equipment

Exploring New Directions in Latin Cuisines: A Guided Tour of Chiles and Salsas

Join Elizabeth Kossick, Latin Cuisine Specialist, The Culinary Institute of America, at San Antonio. She will be the expert guide for an immersion into authentic chiles and salsas, twin anchors of Latin cuisine and invaluable components of modern menus. Kossick will lead participants through a flavor discovery tour that highlights ingredients, history, techniques and modern-day applications.

Health and Wellness

The United States sent $2.1 trillion in healthcare in 2006. National Health expenditures are rising a average of 7% every year. Corporations cover at least 1/3 of these expenses. A robust health and wellness program can be a critical factor in not only reducing the health expenditure, but also increase employee morale, attendance and performance.  Whether running a restaurant (Quilty's in NYC), getting a best new Chef nod from Food & Wine, opening a gourmet Food Market (Balducci's), upgrading menus for a contract caterer (Great Performances) or writing a cookbook (Sparks in the Kitchen) wellness has been the focus of Katy Sparks culinary journey. Katy will share her unique vision of wellness and how to deliver a quality wellness offer in any environment.

Purchasing Cage or Non-Cage Eggs: Laying out the Facts on Humane Production

Sustainability and a Greener Environment

Interest on the topic of Egg Sustainability is widespread today more than ever before. This session will discuss the issue of whether to purchase and serve conventional cage eggs or switch to cage-free eggs which continues to be a controversial subject within the foodservice industry. The United Egg Producers (UEP) will provide accurate science-based information about the egg industry and the different egg production systems in order to make informed purchasing decisions. The session will also cover:

The science behind the UEP Certified animal welfare program and guidelines for cage and cage-free egg production
History of egg industry and UEP Certified
First hand experiences from a foodservice professional

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

General Session

Closing Keynote

Paul B. Handel, M.D. and Eduardo Sanchez, M.D.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

President's Reception

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Taste of SFM

Taste of SFM showcases the amazing talents of our SFM member Chefs that can rival any top restaurants. Attendees will be treated to succulent appetizers during a special cocktail reception prior to the President's Banquet. Immediately after the President's Banquet, attendees will enjoy a special After Hours event where SFM member chefs will also prepare delicious desserts to perfectly compliment dinner. This event will be one to remember…

8:00 pm – 1:00 am

President's Banquet and Dessert Party

The President's Banquet is a black-tie optional dinner, which is the perfect opportunity to bond with members and fellow attendees. Following dinner, mix and mingle over desert and drinks while reminiscing about the 2008 National Conference activities and events.