Who's hungry?!!? Join us and a number of your peers as we explore Indianapolis ... through our stomachs!

You'll get a chance to try a couple of unique local restaurants while networking with your peers on a food crawl hosted by Rev Ciancio.

Schedule:

• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Futuro, 19 Cruse St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
• 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm | ClusterTruck, 729 N Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Participants are responsible for their own food costs and transportation, however, both locations are within walking distance of the hotel.

All attendees, sponsors, and speakers must check in at the registration desk and pick up a name badge. Please wear your badge at all times during the Workshop.

Everyone thinks good marketing looks like going viral when the truth is it’s actually about having consistent, always-on communications in a number of the right channels and sharing actionable content of what your guests want.

Join this session for a tactical look at how to operationalize and execute an omni-channel strategic marketing plan that is guaranteed to increase the number of new guests to your brand, the number of return visits and evangelists falling in love with your restaurant.

You'll discover:

• Principles and strategies that work
• What to stop doing / What to start doing
• The North star metrics you need to have in place to execute a 5-star marketing program

Third-party delivery can be a blessing and a curse. In this high-energy, game-show-style session, join Zack Oates and a panel of restaurant pros as they unpack the most common guest complaints, delivery disasters, and operational pitfalls. You’ll learn how leading brands are turning frustration into loyalty by getting in front of the guest, owning the experience, and shifting more orders to first-party channels.

Ever wonder what makes a restaurant go viral while one with a similar menu fails?

Two words: Amazing marketing.

These winning restaurants aren't just serving delicious food; they're serving experiences. And more importantly, they are telling the world. Behind every sizzling social media post, craveable campaign and packed house is a talented restaurant marketer. These are the culinary creatives, the data-driven dynamos, the storytellers who make mouths water and brands thrive.

Let's raise a glass in congratulations to our inaugural class of Top 35 Marketers as they strut their marketing prowess during our "Parade of Top Marketers."

Smalls Sliders went from a single container unit to one of the fastest-growing QSR brands in America—with simplicity, energy and creativity — but without a massive marketing budget. How? By aligning their brand from the inside out with their team culture, service model, physical space, and marketing all pulling in the same direction.

This session uses the Push Brand Convergence Model to showcase a variety of examples and brands that showcase no matter what size or service model, you can use practical strategies to break down internal silos and unify internal teams as you create craveable consistency and activate your brand purpose at every touchpoint—from the dining room to drive-thru to digital.

This dynamic panel discussion features four winners of the prestigious "Top 35 Restaurant Marketing Movers and Shakers" award. These industry leaders will share their insights, experiences and proven strategies for success in today's ever-evolving restaurant landscape. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain actionable advice on a range of marketing topics. 

Attendees will hear best practices from social media experts and then break up into small groups to dive even deeper into what works and doesn’t.

Everyone talks about segmentation and personalization, but no one shares which segments matter the most and how to market to them. In this discussion you'll discover the top segments you should be creating, how to create them and what kind of marketing moves the needle.

Attendees will learn from journalists and PR specialists what editors really want. Learn how to make the media pick up your story.

Discover:

• What to pitch
• When to pitch
• How to avoid frustrating a journalist
• What goes into a perfect pitch
• Topics that work
• Topics to avoid

Attendees will receive strategies and tools to create more effective and engaging loyalty programs for their restaurants. They’ll learn how to increase loyalty sign ups, drive redemptions and how to measure the impact of a well-built reward system.

They’ll also address common challenges to implementing successful loyalty programs and will learn about customer segmentation, discuss customer preferences and tailor loyalty programs and create customer journey maps to visualize the customer experience and identify opportunities for improvement.

The workshop will also reveal components of a compelling loyalty program, such as a tiered loyalty program, reward structures, gamification, personalized rewards, limited-time offers and offering exclusive perks to loyal customers.

Lastly, attendees will discuss how to measure the success of their programs.

Drowning in data but not sure what to do with it? Restaurant franchise marketers it’s time to turn your brand’s data into your biggest growth asset. Don’t miss this exciting, actionable conversation with Imaginuity, Jessie Galioto-Grebe, Director of Marketing at Via313 Detroit Style Pizza and Kelsey McManemin,VP of Marketingat HTeaO.

Learn how to move from scattered data insights to scalable marketing success by:

• Aggregating data across locations, platforms, and partners
• Building actionable customer segments and personas
• Aligning metrics with brand and franchisee goals
• Visualizing insights to fuel smarter, faster local marketing decisions
• Activating campaigns that drive loyalty, traffic, and sales at scale

Your data is calling—it wants to do more. Don’t miss this session that shows you how.

Marketers from leading brands will walk us through how they use data to plan, run and measure the success of marketing and menu launches. We’ll get tactical on a range of topics, including:

• Proving the success of a new LTO or menu overhaul with guest data.
• How even crazy loyalty promotions can drive short-term conversions and long-term, repeat guests.
• How to meticulously map out the number of visits needed to create frequent guests, then optimize your engagement strategy to achieve it.
• How tight segmentation can drive a 2-3x increase in conversion rates over typical SMS and loyalty marketing campaigns.

This will be a masterclass in how marketers can achieve exceptional outcomes in their roles through guest data.

Local. Local. Local. It’s the heart of every thriving business, yet many brands struggle to truly connect with their communities.

Local Store Marketing is the secret to not just getting noticed, but to creating lasting relationships with customers right in your neighborhood.

In this session, you'll hear from industry experts who know that successful customer acquisition starts with local engagement. You’ll discuss which techniques move the needle and how to develop them effectively through tailored marketing strategies.

Discover how to turn your restaurant's gift card program into a six-figure revenue stream with Kathleen Wood Partners' proven strategies. This engaging and actionable workshop will transform your thinking about gift cards, turning them from a passive offering into a powerhouse of profit and customer engagement.

You'll learn:

• 5 proven steps to drive extraordinary gift card sales year-round.
• Ideas to amplify your holiday campaigns and boost team engagement.
• Tap into top restaurants' secrets to maximize revenue, drive brand loyalty, and attract new customers with gift cards.
• Strategies to generate immediate revenue and increase customer trial.
• Ideas for leveraging seasonal and philanthropic opportunities to supercharge sales.
• Tips to engage your team and ensure sustained success.