NRA Show 2008 Schedule at a Glance
| Saturday, May 17, 2008 | |
| 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | 2008 Hennessy/Hill Awards Breakfast Sheraton Ballroom, Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers |
| 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Restaurant Executive Breakfast: “Surviving the Margin Crunch” North Hall, Level 4, Room N427 |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ice Carving Classic |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signings & NRA Show Bookstore Book Signings: McCormick Place's Grand Concourse; NRA Show Bookstore: North Building Mezzanine |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ask the Design Experts South Hall, Level 3, Booth #1072 |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Culinary Scene Booth #2493 (South Hall, Level 3) |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Kitchen Innovations Pavilion South Hall |
| 10:00 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Craig Priebe Grand Concourse |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | What's a Chef Like Me Doing in a Place Like This? South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | It's All About Results: Sustainability in the Food Chain - Emphasis on Animal Products South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Get a Great Training Department! South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Paying for Sustainability: Using Technology Tools to Minimize Waste and Reduce Food Costs Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 11:30 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Art Smith Grand Concourse |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Women in the Hospitality Industry: Unique Perspectives South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | China's 1.3 Billion Consumers: Cashing In on the China Miracle South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Building a Strong Supply Foundation: A Template for Successful Growth South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | 5 Things Operators Must Know About Energy Efficiency South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Differentiation in a Shifting Economy Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 1:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Grady Spears Grand Concourse |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Understanding the Millenial Employee: Harvesting Talent from Generation South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Recruiting in a Multicultural Environment South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | How Your Distributor Can Help You Compete South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Restaurant Marketing in a Digital World Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Trans-formation of Restaurant Oil Use: Greasing the Health Wheel South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Protecting Margins in the Face of Staggering Food Cost Inflation Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 2:30 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Mario Batali Grand Concourse |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | International Reception North Hall, Level 4, Room N427 |
| 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | 21st Annual Salute to Excellence Awards Gala and Banquet Hilton Chicago |
| Sunday, May 18, 2008 | |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ice Carving Classic |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signings & NRA Show Bookstore Book Signings: McCormick Place's Grand Concourse; NRA Show Bookstore: North Building Mezzanine |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Kitchen Innovations South Hall |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Culinary Scene Booth #2493 (South Hall, Level 3) |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ask the Design Experts South Hall, Level 3, Booth #1072 |
| 10:00 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Robert St. John Grand Concourse |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Word of Mouth Marketing for Restaurants: Fill the Room Without Spending Money Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Protecting Your Investment: A Legal Compliance Guide for Restaurants South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | You Gave 'Em The Pickle... Now What? South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | How to Lower Your Food Cost 5% in 30 Days! South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | The Road to the C-Suite: Success Strategies for Women in Foodservice South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Dispelling the Myth: Automation DOES Benefit Your Business Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 11:30 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Govind Armstrong Grand Concourse |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Organic Growth: Being Green to Build Customer Loyalty South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Fundamentals: 7 Ways to Be Brilliant at the New Basics of Profitable Foodservice South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Kitchens of the Future Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | The Fast Casual Phenomenon South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | The Dollars & Sense of Responsible Alcohol Service South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Real Credit Card Data Security is More Than Compliance Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 1:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Sara Foster Grand Concourse |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 a.m. | Growth, Competition, and a Challenging Economy: Restaurant Mergers & Acquisitions South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Keynote Address: Jim Skinner Grand Ballroom, McCormick Place, Chicago |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Get Covered: Foodservice Public Relations Pointers Straight from the Editors South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Making Your Seafood Choices More Sustainable South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Click Here: How to Build Loyalty and Drive Revenue on the Web Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Casual Dining Goes Organic South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 3:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Charlie Ayers Grand Concourse |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2008 | |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | High School Visitation Day Program |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ice Carving Classic |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signings & NRA Show Bookstore Book Signings: McCormick Place's Grand Concourse; NRA Show Bookstore: North Building Mezzanine |
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Chef Day |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Ask the Design Experts South Hall, Level 3, Booth #1072 |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Kitchen Innovations South Hall |
| 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Culinary Scene Booth #2493 (South Hall, Level 3) |
| 10:00 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Chris Schlesinger and John Grand Concourse |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Culinology® at the Table: Mixology and Creative Beverage Product Development South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Hotel Industry Leadership Panel 2008 Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Gaining the Competitive Edge in Guest Service South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Lean, Green, & Clean: Environmental Practices in Collegiate Foodservice South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Loyalty Programs: A Recipe for Success South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Transitioning from Chef to Restaurateur: A How-To Guide South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 11:30 a.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Cheryl and Bill Jamison Grand Concourse |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Profit Generating and Money Saving Ideas for Caterers South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Chef, Inc.: Building a Celebrity Chef Brand South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | To Infinity & Beyond... Leading, Managing, and Staffing the Restaurant Industry in 2020 South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Hottest Trends in Healthy Dining South Hall, 4th Floor |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Taking the Mystery Out of Global Sourcing for Restaurant Supplies Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | SolveOne Session: Attracting Tomorrow's Leaders to the Food Service Industry South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 1:00 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Ellie Krieger Grand Concourse |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | How to Reduce the Risk of Becoming a Breaking News Story! Technology Pavilion (North Hall, Level 3) |
| 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | A Culinary Perspective on Menu Development South Hall, 4th Floor |
| 2:30 p.m. | Celebrity Book Signing: Gale Gand Grand Concourse |