That’s right, I am heading to Las Vegas next week as part of my continuing education. I will be attending the Bar and Restaurant Expo. On Monday I will be attending classes on Communication, social media, customer relations, and more. Some of the classes are just sales pitches and some are boring but I always seem to get something out of each one. Whether it is something I need to fix now or an idea for the future I always seem to get re-energized at this event.
Then there is the Expo Floor. Over 200 vendors including food, liquor, equipment, small wares, décor, and more. Last year I found “Marqii, an all-in-one platform for managing online information, menus, listings, and reviews across 80+ different listing sites. We help our partners create consistent and accurate content online, leading to an increase in SEO visibility in ‘near me’ searches. Hospitality businesses of all sizes use Marqii to save time, attract more guests, and learn what matters most to their customers.” All Danny does is change the hours on our web page and within hours, all the other sites are updated. It has been great using them. I also found Ghost Ice for Clear Cocktail Ice Made In-House and keg dollies from De Vault Enterprises came from this show. I can’t wait to see what I find this year. Plus there are VIP parties every night of the Expo
There is a bonus this year. I got a two for one in Las Vegas. Some of you know that I was looking at buying a pizza restaurant earlier this year. Well For just an extra $20 I will also be attending the International Pizza Expo at the same time. I will get to go to some of their lectures and onto their exhibit floor too. They have a class for new owners or people thinking about opening a pizza place, you know I am going to that one. There are vendors including products, equipment, small wares, décor, and more. Like free pizza for 3 days and a welcome party too. I will try all kinds of pizza dough, cheeses and crusts just to mention a few things.
People always ask me if i was a bartender before Green Growler and did I ever own or run a bar before. The answer is NO, I was a print shop manager, so no, I never managed a bar before. How did I know I could open a bar? Because I took the time to ask questions of accountants, bartenders, bar managers, distributors, and then, most of all, I went to seminars and educated myself. I had a teacher tell my class, do what you know and if you don’t know it hire someone who does or have someone teach you what you need. I do both.