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NRA SHOW PREVIEW

Keeping Pace NRA Show 2017

Sharpens the
With Change Competitive Edge

hen doors open to the 98th NRA Show next month, the seemingly endless SHOW LOCATION
numbers of exhibit booths arranged in a neat grid of aisles will contain McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.
Wnearly unlimited clues to help food service operations stay on course with
evolving customer expectations. DATES
The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) NRA Show 2017 is May 20 to 23 at Saturday, May 20, 2017, to Tuesday, May 23,
Chicago’s McCormick Place, and BAR 17 takes place May 21 to 22 in the adjacent 2017
Lakeside Ballroom at McCormick Place.
It is an opportunity to join more than 67,000 food service professionals from EXHIBIT HALL HOURS
around the world, including 2,300 exhibitors representing more than 20,000 products Saturday through Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and solutions in over 900 categories. Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
While most of the exhibit floor comprises individual companies in booths, several ATTENDANCE (2016)
special areas and pavilions specialize in representing top trends, specific products or Total Registration: 67,887
emerging technology. Alternative BiteStyle, for example, focuses on special dietary Exhibitor Personnel: 22,600
needs, including vegetarian/vegan diets, low sodium, gluten-free and allergic sensitivi- Exhibiting Companies: 2,310
ties, while the Organic and Natural Pavilion focuses on items that ingredient-savvy Exhibitor Footage: 683,511
consumers want to see on the menu.

EDUCATION
The exhibit floor also features more than 40, 30-minute-long education sessions MILITARY FOOD SERVICE AWARDS DINNER
presented on three stages, as well as demonstrations by celebrity chefs, such as Rick 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, May 19
Bayless, Maneet Chauhan and Fabio Viviani. Awards presented to the 2017 winners of
the: Air Force John L. Hennessy; Air National
Educational programming during NRA Show 2017 is scheduled for Saturday, May Guard Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth W. Disney;
20, Sunday, May 21, and Monday, May 22, with sessions available on the exhibit Marine Corps William Pendleton Thompson
floor in six topics each day: Business Operations; Food and Nutrition; Foodamental Hill Memorial; Navy Capt. Edward F. Ney, SC,
Studio; Tech Talks; Workforce Development; and World Culinary Showcase. USN, Memorial; Army Philip A. Connelly; and
Military Sealift Command Capt. David M. Cook,
MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS AND TRAINING SC, USN, awards for food service excellence.
For three days during NRA Show 2017, military culinary specialists from all the
service branches participate in a training and education program. THREE-DAY MILITARY CULINARY
Highlighting the three-day training is the annual NRA Educational Foundation TRAINING PROGRAM
Friday, May 19
Military Food Service Awards Dinner, which this year takes place Friday, May 19, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Ill. Culinary and Management Training at Kendall
College includes concept development on
healthy eating, marketing a business, staff-
ing and designing a new dining facility and
developing a menu. Students spend time in
small work groups developing a plan for a
new dining concept.
Saturday, May 21
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Military culinary attendees spend the day vis-
ing the NRA Show exhibit floor and attending
educational sessions. The day concludes with
a group photo at the NRA booth.
Sunday, May 22
8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Military culinary attendees convene at Kendall
College to work on their business plans and
present those plans to a panel of industry
professionals for critique and guidance. Cer-
tificates presented

18 MILITARY CLUB & HOSPITALITY | APRIL 2017