About the Marketing Executives Group (MEG)

The Marketing Executives Group (MEG) is a year-round community of restaurant marketing professionals who gather each May in Chicago ahead of the National Restaurant Association Show. Build your network with professionals from the C-Suite to Directors and Managers, focusing on key areas like brand, digital, consumer, and field marketing. 

MEG's goal is to raise the level of industry excellence by connecting, inspiring, teaching and challenging each other through the exchange of ideas, thought leadership and best practices.

Questions? Contact MEG Program Manager, Jaclyn Sanford at jsanford@restaurant.org. 

2026 Sponsors

Save your spot - Sponsorship is open for 2026! The Marketing Executives Group (MEG) is one of the Association's marquis events, we invite industry members to sponsor, support and participate in MEG 2026. Industry members (also known as Allied companies) are defined as industry suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, commodity groups and other non-restaurant operator companies within the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industries.

We’re delighted to offer a suite of custom package opportunities in addition to custom and a la carte sponsorships and activations that will raise awareness of your brand and add tremendous value to our MEG community.

If you are an industry (Allied) member company, you must sponsor the conference to attend. Please contact us at partnerships@restaurant.org to register your interest, discuss available opportunities, and learn more!

MEG Steering Committee

Dan Bejmuk
CEO & Co-Founder
Dreambox 

Lauren Berg
Director, Marketing
The Capital Grille, Eddie V's & The Capital Burger

Brandy Blackwell
Strategic Marketing Advisor

Alonso Castaneda
Founder
Taco Culture

Annica Conrad
Marketing Executive

Jennifer Farren
Vice President, Marketing
Hopdoddy Burger Bar

Katherine Goldfaden
Vice President, Brand Strategy
LM Restaurants 

Kaffee Hopkins
Vice President, Marketing & Administrative Officer
Sterling Hospitality: Marlow’s Tavern, Sterling Culinary Management, The Woodall

Kim Lewis
Chief Marketing Officer
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop 

Pam Nedwetzky
Director, Marketing
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

Cassie Pinckney
Vice President, Marketing
Urban Egg

Corey Sax
Marketing Manager
Pizza Luce

  • FAQs

    Who attends the MEG conference?

    MEG welcomes marketing and brand leaders from restaurant and hospitality brands of every size. Attendees range from CMOs and Chief Brand Officers to executives, directors, and managers across Brand Marketing, Communications, and Creative. Built for operators, by operators, MEG features speakers from both large and small brands to ensure diverse, real-world perspectives on stage.

    When does MEG meet?

    MEG will take place in-person May 13–15, 2026, at the Fairmont Chicago, Millenium Park in Chicago. Learn more and register here.

    Which companies attend the conference?

    Be among some of the industry's most successful: American Social Bar & Kitchen, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Black Bear Diner, Blaze Pizza, Bluegrass Hospitality Group, Bottleneck Restaurants, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, CC’s Coffee House, Chick-Fil-A, Inc., Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Craveworthy Brands, Darden Restaurants, Dave’s Hot Chicken,  Dog Haus, Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, FAT Brands, Inc., First Watch Restaurants, GoTo Foods,  Golden Chick, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Inspire Brands, Isaac’s Restaurants,  Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Lettuce Entertain You, LM Restaurants, Marlow’s Tavern, Mellow Mushroom, Newk’s Eatery, Olive Garden, Pizza Luce, Portillo's, Pita Pit, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Ram International, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group , Salsarita's Franchising, LLC, Starbird Chicken, Stonefire Grill, Texas de Brazil, The Old Spaghetti Factory, Urban Egg, Velvet Taco, The Wendy's Company, Wings and Rings, Zaxby's and many more.