2023 Agenda
Meet up with your restaurant industry peers and immerse yourself in the desert vibes that only Palm Springs can offer! Choose from among multiple local tours and activities to spend a fun and relaxing afternoon. These tours are complimentary for restaurant operators only. However, we have a limited number of spots on each tour. Sign up is first come, first served. Pre-registration required.
- (FULL) Red Jeep Tour: Extraordinary scenery abounds as your guided Jeep winds its way through the labyrinth of geological cuts and canyons of the San Andreas Fault Zone. (Departure: 1:00 p.m. Return: 5:00 p.m.)
- Restaurant Tour: A taste of the Desert. This unique epicurean walking tour in downtown Palm Springs will give guests a one-of-a-kind private tour of 6 locally owned restaurants to taste culinary delights of all kinds. In addition to enjoying the tasty treats, learn about the Hollywood connection and famous architecture. (Departure: 12:00 p.m. Return: 3:30 p.m.)
Sponsored by:
- St. Somewhere Spa Experience: Enjoy a massage at Margaritaville’s award-winning Spa, St. Somewhere. In addition to your spa treatment, you will have all-day access to their relaxation space that includes private hot tubs and comfy lounge seating. (Reservations between 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
- Aerial Tramway/San Jacinto Mountain: The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car provides spectacular 360 view of the magnificent valley floor and surrounding area as it covers over 2.5 miles of Mt. San Jacinto. (Departure: 12:00 p.m. Return: 4:30 p.m.)
- Poolside Cabana Experience at Margaritaville: Just want to relax? We have you covered. Join us at the CREATE Cabanas located poolside, where you can lounge in our VIP area with other attendees, enjoy a beverage and snacks. (Cabanas are reserved for CREATE attendees from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Hosted beverages and snacks will be provided during scheduled times.)
Join us for a fun, poolside party! Connect with your restaurant industry tribe for cocktails and appetizers.
Enjoy the vibrant Palm Springs restaurant scene for dinner on your own.
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The CREATE Experience Welcome Desk is open all day. Check in with us to get your CREATE swag and snacks!
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Join us at the CREATE Main Stage as we kick off CREATE: The Experience with a high-spirited opening session featuring headline speakers sharing valuable insights in dynamic presentations.
Jack Li, Founder of Datassential, a global leader in food and beverage intelligence, will share the results of exclusive custom research, The State of the Eater, conducted by Datassential and revealed for the first time at CREATE. Get the latest insights on consumer preferences, emerging trends, and key drivers that will shape the future of foodservice. Hear it first at CREATE!
A series of fast-paced, TED-style talks designed to share tangible business-building ideas in the areas of Finance, Technology and Customer Experience.
Join us at the Pop-Up Festival to enjoy lunch and connect with the morning’s speakers in the Media Lounge.
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Participate in fast-paced, interactive roundtable discussions designed to tackle the biggest challenges for emerging growth restaurant leaders. These roundtables are repeated, with opportunity to participate in two discussions.
1:00 p.m.-1:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 1)
1:40 p.m.-1:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
1:00 p.m.-1:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 1)
1:40 p.m.-1:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
1:00 p.m.-1:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 1)
1:40 p.m.-1:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
1:00 p.m.-1:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 1)
1:40 p.m.-1:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
Participate in fast-paced, interactive roundtable discussions designed to tackle the biggest challenges for emerging growth restaurant leaders. These roundtables are repeated, with opportunity to participate in two discussions.
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
2:20 p.m.-2:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 2)
2:40 p.m.-2:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
2:20 p.m.-2:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 2)
2:40 p.m.-2:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
2:20 p.m.-2:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 2)
2:40 p.m.-2:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Conversation Starter Panel Discussion
2:20 p.m.-2:40 p.m. - Table Talk Roundtable Discussions (Round 2)
2:40 p.m.-2:45 p.m. - Wrap Up Remarks
Enjoy afternoon snacks, network with your CREATE tribe and connect with speakers for follow up questions.
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Inspirational conversations with restaurant company founders who have blazed new trails for emerging restaurateurs. Audience Q&A is encouraged!
Join us at “CREATECHELLA” for an unforgettable night of music and culinary innovation sponsored by Johnsonville Foodservice. Our headline band, Daring Greatly, is ready to rock the stage with a performance that channels the spirit of Coachella. Daring Greatly is a premiere original rock band that has graced many stages including opening sets with Bon Jovi, The Doobie Brothers, Sublime, White Buffalo and many more. Connect with your restaurant industry tribe, enjoy great music, delicious food, and spirited conversation.
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Join us for the Nation’s Restaurant News CREATORS Awards and panel discussion, sponsored by Keurig Dr Pepper. Whether they’re reimagining the customer experience, forging a path into the metaverse or investing in employees’ mental health, these leaders represent the height of innovation and creativity in the restaurant industry and they are ready to share their keys to success with you.
Ask the Experts – Lightning Keynotes – Fireside Chats
The Festival Program features 30-minute bursts of future-focused, interactive conversations and informative presentations designed to provide you with the key takeaways you need to move your business forward.
This session will cover:
- Virtual Restaurants
- Brand Building
- Digital Marketing
This session will cover:
- Should you franchise?
- Figuring out the right pace for expansion
- Building a more efficient footprint
This session will cover:
- Kitchen of the Future principals for growth
- Overcome operator challenges
- Real time design solutions
This session will cover:
- What is a Sensory Scientist?
- #1 ranked food item
- Fry attributes that matter the most!
This session will cover:
- Understanding what today's consumer wants
- How to fast-track the feedback analysis process
- Why clarity brings focus that leads to continuous improvements in CX
Ask the Experts – Lightning Keynotes – Fireside Chats
The Festival Program features 30-minute bursts of future-focused, interactive conversations and informative presentations designed to provide you with the key takeaways you need to move your business forward.
This session will cover:
- The future of the food delivery experience
- Autonomy's role in the future of food delivery
- Live robot demo
This session will cover:
- Operational efficiency
- Reaching new demographics
- Growth strategies
This session will cover:
- Finding your brand’s niche
- Developing a unique signature item
- Creating memorable customer experiences
This session will cover:
- The CTO is the new CMO - Your business’ technology strategy is a marketing opportunity
- Leveraging technology and maintaining control of your brand
- Third-party tech impact on profitability, brand reputation and the future of the restaurant industry
This session will cover:
- Transform the dining scene
- Tackle challenges like theft, cost control and operational finesse
- Video + Data paving the way
Join us at the Pop-Up Festival to enjoy lunch and connect with the morning’s speakers in the networking lounge.
Sponsored by:
Ask the Experts – Lightning Keynotes – Fireside Chats
The Festival Program features 30-minute bursts of future-focused, interactive conversations and informative presentations designed to provide you with the key takeaways you need to move your business forward.
This session will cover:
- Technology trends
- Expansion strategies
- Emerging brand innovation
This session will cover:
- Accessing capital
- Startup mentality
- Growth strategies
Join Wisetail Director of Sales, Kat Claypool, for an intimate fireside chat, celebrating the perfect blend of tech and humanity. Discover how to make tech work for you, lightening your load, and amping up your employee learning. Over the course of the conversation, we’ll chat about L&D strategies, AI, and ways to accelerate training, but don’t worry - we won’t forget the intrinsic human element that aids us in crafting unforgettable guest experiences. We’ll dive into how technology can be your trusty sidekick, without losing sight of what makes us all wonderfully unique. We welcome you to join us in this fireside chat that focuses on making tech your friend while keeping the IRL-vibe authentic and alive in everything we do.
This session will cover:
- Technology as your sidekick: Technology can be a valuable ally. Use it to help you work smarter and not harder.
- Enhanced Training and Guest Experiences: Discover strategies to improve training programs; make your L&D initiatives more effective and efficient.
- Preserving the Human Touch: Embrace the idea that, even in a tech-savvy world, the importance of genuine human interaction remains paramount, especially in crafting exceptional guest experiences.
Ask the Experts – Lightning Keynotes – Fireside Chats
The Festival Program features 30-minute bursts of future-focused, interactive conversations and informative presentations designed to provide you with the key takeaways you need to move your business forward.
This session will cover:
- Plant-based menu trends
- Brand building
- Pricing and value
This session will cover:
- Elevating the guest experience
- Crafting your brand’s aesthetic
- How to drive repeat business
This session will cover:
- List of examples of how foodservice and hospitality brands are addressing challenges to keep their brands growing
- How to gain greater control of your purchasing can improve your operations and profitability
- Understand how culinary trends and practices can prepare your businesses for the challenges ahead
Please join Christine Schindler, CEO and Co-Founder of PathSpot - the leading health and safety operating system for smart restaurants and businesses that prepare and serve food. PathSpot will also be having a special giveaway for 3 months free of PathSpot’s HandScanners at 2 locations and your choice of a Nespresso or YETI Roadie Cooler for one attendee. Hope to see you there!
The Big 3 Takeaways:
- How Modernizing and Digitizing food safety is driving unprecedented results and cost savings for Restaurants
- Cleanliness is the new Ambiance for Restaurants — Customers and Team Members are looking for Innovation, ways to engage your team and customers with safety tools
- Data Driven safety insights and the creation of impactful safety trainings, engagement, and food safety culture - we are sharing the top learnings!
Enjoy afternoon snacks and network with your CREATE tribe and connect with speakers for follow up questions.
Sponsored by:
This session is HOT! Let’s celebrate the 2023 Nation’s Restaurant News Hot Concept awards, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. This high-energy session featuring the leaders of the hottest new restaurant concepts in the country.
Panel Moderator:
Fred LeFranc, Chaos Strategist, Results Thru Strategy
Join NRN’s Editor-in-Chief, Sam Oches for a fascinating discussion with famed actor turned restaurateur and cookbook author, Danny Trejo. From years of imprisonment to helping troubled youth battle drug addictions, from acting to producing, and now on to restaurant ventures, Trejo’s name, face, and achievements are well recognized in Hollywood and beyond. Trejo’s expanding restaurant empire includes Trejo’s Tacos & Cantina and Trejo’s Coffee & Donut, with a fifth restaurant opening in downtown Los Angeles in March.
Trejo shares his love of food in Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A. and Trejo’s Cantina, a book about cocktails, snacks & amazing non-alcoholic drinks from the heart of Hollywood (release April 2023).
Join us at the Oasis Garden where keynote speaker Danny Trejo will be on hand for a meet and greet. No “closing” vibes for CREATE! Instead, let’s kick off CREATE 2024 to be held in October 9-11, 2024 in Nashville.
