No matter the size of your operation or your role in it, conferences and trade shows are a great opportunity to get off the treadmill of day-to-day operations and focus on the future of your business.

These shows have been developed to give owners, executives, managers, purchasers, menu developers, IT decision makers and marketers the opportunity to meet suppliers, conduct meetings, discover new products and network with others in the restaurant business.

Clemens is exhibiting at MUFSO, the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference in Dallas this October. We are eager to share our story with operators and demonstrate the quality and profitability of our Hatfield® Premium Reserve Pork® (See us at Booth 207). But we, like operator attendees, plan to take advantage of all the event has to offer: insights from industry legends and pioneers such as José Andrés and Kimbal Musk, networking events, cooking demonstrations and opportunities to learn about the business trends and challenges affecting our customers.

Like you, we’ll be on the lookout for new ideas, flavors, cooking techniques and products that our customers might utilize, and we will also be listening to the presenters who foretell business trends and have solutions that resonate with us and our customers.

To plan ahead, we gathered some tips to help conference attendees get the most out of MUFSO and industry events like it.

1. Think about your goals and the needs for your operation and make a list. Is it to develop a more profitable delivery business? Create and sell more high-profit-margin menu items? Reduce labor costs? Going to such events with a clear agenda will help you reach the business goals you set.
2. With this list, take the time to go over the MUFSO materials—the presentation schedule, exhibitors’ list and exhibit map—and plan your schedule. (Tip: The MUFSO website has an advanced search feature, allowing you to search for exhibitors by keywords.) Also, before arriving at the conference, contact exhibitors that are very important to you and inquire as to whether they will schedule a meeting time with you during the event. Most will be happy to.
3. To help you find presentations that might align with your goals, MUFSO has organized the sessions by searchable “tracks,” including Technology, Culinary, C-Level and more. Be sure to write down in advance the questions you want to have answered in each session. Most presenters will allow Q & A time or meet with you after their sessions.
4. Schedule networking time and downtime. Sometimes your next great idea comes when you least expect it: at a cocktail party with your peers or even something overheard in the hotel lobby. We at Clemens are often inspired by the creativity of our customers and hope you, too, will take the time to find out what your peers are doing in their operations. MUFSO’s 2018 networking events (did we mention they come with fabulous food and cocktails?) are detailed here.

While our goal for MUFSO this year is to show restaurant operators why our Hatfield® Premium Reserve Pork® products deliver satisfaction and profits, we also see it as an opportunity to talk to a wide range of restaurant operators, learn their needs and plan our future product offerings.

In other words, we’re here to connect. We’re here to listen. Please visit with us at Booth 207 to find out how we can best partner with you. Not attending MUFSO? Just call us at 1.800.523.5291.