Pizza Tomorrow: Get Prepared for a Courageous New World

• The Pizza Tomorrow Summit, happening November 9-10 in Orlando, brings collectively the pizza world’s movers and shakers for brand spanking new merchandise, seminars, cooking demos and extra.
• Skilled audio system embrace Billy Manzo, David Scott Peters, Alex Koons, Bruce Irving and Dale “The Lease Coach” Willerton.

Associated: Pizza Tomorrow Summit to make “Grand Slam” debut in Fall 2022

The pandemic modified the pizza business in additional methods than one—not all of them for the higher. However the place others noticed issues, Glenn Celentano of Grand Slam Occasions noticed a chance. He realized that the pizza business didn’t simply survive the pandemic—it saved thriving—and that the time was ripe for a pizza commerce present on the East Coast. Thus, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, happening November 9 to 10 in Orlando, Florida, was conceived.

This occasion, produced by Grand Slam Occasions, will deliver collectively the pizza world’s movers and shakers for 2 days of moneymaking merchandise, academic seminars, cooking demos and competitions, all in one of many world’s hottest trip vacation spot cities.

If there was ever a time to ponder what the way forward for pizza will appear to be—and to mildew it to our personal imaginative and prescient—it’s now. The Pizza Tomorrow Summit is the place to start out.

A Resilient Trade
Celentano and his companion, Doug Miller, are commerce present veterans, with 60 years of expertise operating large-scale B2B and B2C occasions between them. Celentano, who beforehand labored for Reed Exhibitions and Clarion Occasions, has spent a long time operating commerce exhibits particularly within the foodservice business.

The pandemic was in full swing when he stumble on the Pizza Tomorrow Summit thought. His favourite eating places have been closed, a few of them by no means to reopen. However pizza was a unique story. “One night I referred to as my go-to pizza place on the town, and my traditional 15-minute wait was 90 minutes,” Celentano remembers. “After I arrived to select up my pie, the road was across the constructing. It was in that second that the sunshine bulb went off. This business is so resilient! If pizzerias might be doing so nicely throughout difficult instances, I might solely think about how nicely they’d do as issues started returning to ‘regular’ once more.”

And people pizzerias can be searching for recent concepts, merchandise and traits to gas their inevitable rebound. “I knew there was one other present out West, however I additionally knew that it’s an actual monetary and time dedication to get on the market from the East Coast. I wished to provide these operators an occasion in an reasonably priced vacation spot metropolis that’s simply accessible from all over the place. The remaining, as they are saying, is historical past!”

Nothing Like a Commerce Present
There’s nonetheless nothing like a commerce present for locating the substances, inspiration and gear you might want to make higher pizza—and the improvements and applied sciences to promote extra of it. A Google search can solely take you to this point. “I’ve been operating occasions within the foodservice business for 25 years,” Celentano says. “I selected foodservice as a result of it’s an business that requires face-to-face interactions to outlive. With out individuals within the eating room or choosing up takeout, there isn’t any restaurant. It’s the identical for operators who’re making shopping for choices. I don’t find out about you, however I can’t style meals by way of my pc display. I can also’t scent what’s cooking or get actual hands-on demonstrations of the most recent gear. To not point out the peer interactions you get when the business comes collectively. All of us get misplaced in emails and chat conversations, and it’s straightforward to lose sight of the significance of assembly your fellow operators and sharing finest practices, successes and concepts. It simply doesn’t get any higher!”

The Pizza Tomorrow Summit will provide loads of these alternatives. Skilled audio system embrace Billy Manzo of Billy Manzo Pizza and Federal Hill Pizza in Warren, Rhode Island; restaurant coach and creator David Scott Peters; Alex Koons, a plant-based pizza knowledgeable and proprietor of Purgatory Pizza and Scorching Tongue Pizza in Los Angeles; Bruce Irving, host of the Sensible Pizza Advertising and marketing podcast; and Dale “The Lease Coach” Willerton.

“We’ve constructed this to be an immersive and enjoyable expertise,” Celentano says. “From the second you arrive, you’ll know you’re not at your peculiar, on a regular basis commerce present. You’ll be greeted by stay music carried out by an Italian trio. The doorway to our present appears to be like and feels such as you’re getting into a pizzeria! Now we have nonstop pizza competitions going all day lengthy and a few actually compelling academic content material, together with subjects like vegan pizza, recruiting and retaining a profitable staff, pizza know-how, and a lot extra.”

The exhibit flooring will characteristic business leaders like Sysco, Grande Cheese, Bellissimo Meals, Fiero and Pizza Options. “We’ve additionally simply added an thrilling meals truck part that shall be detailed within the coming weeks,” Celentano notes.

Lastly, he provides, “It’s no secret that our pizza business is rooted in household, and there’s no larger household vacation spot within the nation—or, arguably, the world—than Orlando. Convey the household and switch it into a brief trip! When you’re mingling along with your friends and getting enterprise achieved on the present, they’ll benefit from the theme parks and the entire different enjoyable stuff Orlando has to supply.”

In different phrases, there’s lots for the partner and children to do whilst you’re busy discovering—and constructing—the pizza world of tomorrow.