Pizza Expo fizzling out?

[Pete44]

Is pizza expo on a budget now? The two people you could count on for great marketing ideas and running a good operation are completetly gone from the show.
Kamron Karrington wasnt’ there last year or this year. And now Big Dave is missing from the roster!
He’s in the print stuff but his seminars have been pulled from the website. What’s going on?! looks pretty lame and I’ll be staying home this year.

 

[Daddio]

The reason Big Dave is not going to be there this year is his failing health. From what I have heard his partner Bill Marvin will still be there.

As for Kameron there was a parting of ways between Pizza Today and him. That is why we are privelidged to have his input here at the Think Tank.

 

[Daddio]

I had a chat with Pete Lachapelle this morning and with his permission I am posting part of that conversation.
Pete Lachapelle:

Rest assured the show is on track. Yesterday we sold out booths space on the show floor for the 7th year in a row.

As for the seminar program, yes it correct. Dave Ostrander has been removed from this year’s schedule. He and I discussed it 3 weeks ago. In his heart, he wants to be there. He thinks there’s even a chance. I told him if he makes the show …I’ll send the limo and roll out the red carpet …he’ll be the Guest of Honor …but, he doesn’t need the stress nor do his doctors anticipating his need to make a specific date …Pizza Expo. So we agreed to modify the seminar schedule.

My bet is, this year’s seminar schedule is better than it’s ever been. A little more than a year ago, we re-hired Bruce Allar as our VP Meetings & Conferences. You may may remember him …he’s was the editor here for Pizza Today for several years prior to Jeremy being tapped for the position. His editorial experience combined with his pizzeria industry experience has given us an advantage in our ability to select the right speakers.

This year’s will include some of the most successful pizzeria operators in the country… they’re all listed with their bios in the program delivered with the magazine over the last several months. Our goal is to eliminate those professional speakers who have difficulty generating a relevant presentation in lieu of a line up of super successful folks from within our industry. You know what they say “If you’ve never been to the concert …you can’t describe the show.” I feel very strongly about that.

Obviously …I’m jaded. But, in my opinion, this year’s speaker line up is the best we’ve ever had. Anyone who shows up …and goes home with the opinion the show was lame …probably doesn’t have a very successful business to begin with …and really isn’t trying to make it any better.

Rich …spread the word if you like …International Pizza Expo is headed for yet another record breaking year in attendance (we’re already running 50% ahead of 2011 in pre-registrations) …the floor is once again larger than it has ever been.

For the “haters” out there who want to be critical …yes, we’re down 2 of our best buddies in the industry, Pat Bruno and yes, Dave Ostrander. With some good luck …one or both may show up this year …hopefully they’ll be back on the schedule next year. But rest assured the success of the show is dependent on far more than 2 individuals.

Best regards

Pete

 

[Kamron_Karington]

I concur with Pete…

Dan Collier has some great marketing stories to share… and Scott Anthony is about as “in the trenches” as you can get… both solid operators.

You’ll learn a great deal about how to move sales from either one…

Expo is a wonderful experience, (tax deductable too)…

Keep your fingers crossed for Big Dave…

Kamron Karington

 

[314]

I am all booked with 8 of us attending from my stores.

No offense to Kamron - Dan Collier is kinda not worth it…but the list of other speakers is spectacular.

Although I did not notice Kamron was not there…I guess I just assumed. Maybe I will venture over to the RR offices and check in with my favorite people if they are not in the building at Expo.

 

[MPPTaniaP]

I dont see it Fizzling out at all.

I have attended the last 4 years, even during the spike of the recession I couldn’t believe how busy it was. I expected 2009 and 2010 to be slower, which it was but no where to the level I thought it would be.
Last years 2011 show was the busiest I have seen and this year I have already had many of clients contacting me and setting up appointments to meet at the show.

With regards to the speakers . . . . . . health and peoples schedules can conflict on occasion but at the end of the day the line up they set up this year is great and im looking forward to a fresh set of speakers. BUT Kamron you will be missed too

The Expo is thee show to visit for the entire year, there are smaller shows out there that we consider each year but our company knows the importance and value of this specific show and we make sure we always attend.

 

[Kamron_Karington]

Dale…

Stop by for sure… I’m hooking up with lots of my Expo buddies this year…

Just let me know when… I have some owners stopping by for meet and greets, consultations… and I am doing two private speaking engagements for some groups at their hotels…

But we’d love you to stop by and say “hi” if you can make it…

Kamron

 

[Pete44]

Kamron, your book Gun to the Head Marketing is a great book! The best little book, weekend read I think I ever read. It’s a great resource and I actually bought 5 copies to give to my friends (not competitors).
What other marketing books or systems do you recommend?

 

[Kamron_Karington]

Listen, I appreciate the comments… GTTHM actually hit the top 40 in amazon last year for advertising books… thanks for getting 5 more.

Anyway… you can’t go wrong with John Caples “Tested Advertising Methods.”
David Ogilvy “Confessions of an Ad Man” and “Ogilvy on Advertising.”
Your best starting “read” will be: Claude Hopkins “Scientific Advertising.”
Get it free on my site: http://www.karingtongroup.com/?current_ … &page=gtth

(just scroll down the page a bit)…

Hope that helps man…

Kamron

 

[Daddio]

This is why Pizza Expo is such a magical experience.
Monday Morning Memo:

Do you want the recipe for magic? Real magic? World-changing, life-altering magic? Here it is:

1. Gather about a dozen or so really curious people.
2. Let them share meals together, have coffee together and drink wine together between multiple sessions of mind-stretching stimulation.
3. The magic will emerge during the times of casual discussion, relaxation and recovery as these people bring out the best in each other with questions and stories and the sharing of personal observations.

 

[NicksPizza]

The professional program and vendor access is very important and invaluable. That is hard to refute. The immense treasure of this sort of conference/expo/convention is the access to networking with vast numbers of successful people in the industry who talk and share ideas and musings and brainstorming. Spontaneous generation of brilliance can happen when all of this comes together.

 

[Pete44]

Talking to ordinary, everyday pizzeria owners is helpful. Learning from the best of the best is ever better. I learned a lot of cool things from Big Dave (I hope for the best his health)! Kamron’s black book has put more money in my pocket than anything else - period! In fact the keynote speaker from last year referred to Big Dave and Kamron as two of the biggest influences on what made him successful. So, yes I’m disappointed that the two giants of pizza marketing are not at Expo. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s disappointed.

But because I made the decision not to attend based on that, Pete Lachapelle goes on a hot-headed defensive tirade about “haters” and “if you don’t like the show you are not successful anyway”.

Tell Pete to calm down, registration is ahead of last year. Keeps getting bigger every year, right. If the show is such a screaming success, my deciding not to attend shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

And who is Pat Bruno?

 

[Daddio]

Pete44:

And who is Pat Bruno?

Pat Bruno is Pizza Today’s resident chef and a regular contributor. He is the former owner and operator of a prominent Italian cooking school in Chicago and is a former food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.

 

[Kris]

Have yet to attend an expo but I have to agree with daddios post. Get a group of us together and you are sure to learn tons!
It has been said a sign of a good teacher is a teacher who teaches others to be better than themselves. Thankfully big Dave and kameron are great teachers.

 

[famouspizza]

i try to get there every 3-4 yrs…have never regretted it and always learn something that makes my business better…if it was not in vegas though I cannot say that I would have gone at all