THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. |
Registration
All Day Registration Refreshment Station |
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. |
BreakfastÂ
Sponsored by Guckenheimer |
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. |
General Session Vested: The Art of the Partnership Win-WinVestedPartnership Sponsored by PepsiCo Kate Vitasek, Faculty, University of Tennessee | Author | Speaker Exceptional hospitality isn't just about delivering services. It's about creating moments that bring people together and shape culture. The organizations getting it right aren't doing it alone — they are finding ways to leverage strong partnerships to deliver both operational efficiency and elevated experiences. When expectations shift and cost pressures rise, even well-intentioned partnerships can get stuck —and what should feel like collaboration starts to feel like negotiation. Let’s flip the script and challenge the conventional mindset. Hear a more powerful approach: the award-winning Vested® business model. Discover the Five Rules that will help you build trust, spark innovation, improve service outcomes and unlock possibilities in your own partnerships. Hear real stories of organizations that dared to do things differently and never looked back. This one's better together. Grab your partners and take a seat side by side. Because the best partnerships aren't managed — they're built. Win-Win. |
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Innovation Showcase
Make the most of your last chance to visit our sponsors, who are bringing their newest products and services to life right here on the exhibit floor. Connect with key representatives and discover what's shaping the future. Take a moment to recognize the generosity of our sponsors — their support made this event possible, and their innovations are worth exploring! |
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Student / Fellow Session |
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Innovation Showcase Exhibitor Tear Down |
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
Lunch
Sponsored by Agilysys, Bevi, FoodSpace, Kitchens To Go by Mobile Modular, Lavazza North America, Nestle Professional Solutions, RC Fine Foods, & Volanté Systems |
2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. |
General Session The Future of Foodservice 2036 FutureFoodHospitality Sponsored by Compass Group Mike Lee, Author & Designer, Mise, Principal Futurist, The Future Market The next ten years will remake foodservice and hospitality, and the forces driving that change are already visible today. Some of it is genuinely good: better tools, new models, real openings to build a stronger, more connected version of hospitality. And, it’s real pressure too: rising costs, a stretched workforce and technology arriving faster than anyone can absorb. In this closing keynote, Mike Lee takes the signals we can see right now and extrapolates them out to 2036. Using speculative future vignettes that drop you into a day in the life of hospitality a decade from now, he sketches a few plausible futures, some worth wanting and some worth working to avoid. The goal is to see clearly what kind of world we're building for hospitality with the choices we make today, and to leave the room with a sharper sense of how we can envision and create a better one. |
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Committee & Board Meetings
You don’t need to be a current SHFM committee member to attend. Just sit in with the group of your choice for coffee and committee. |
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Student / Fellow Session |
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
Work Catch Up Break |
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. |
President’s Reception Sponsored by CFS Brands, Instawork, ITW Food Equipment Group, & Vivreau |
6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
President’s Banquet
Join us for this incredible evening with special award presentations and the passing of the gavel from 2026 President Jenna Calhoun to 2027 President Rob Yayac. |
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
After-Party Sponsored by Ecolab and National Food Group Listen here — the night's just warming up, and you'd be wise not to miss what comes next. Come on in, enjoy the evening and let's make it one they'll be talking about for years. SHFM style — and that's an offer you don't refuse. |
Experience the Latest
Wednesday and Thursday are your stage for discovery in the Innovation Showcase. Step into conversations with leading exhibitors, explore cutting-edge advancements and forge the connections that matter. Make every moment count — plan ahead to make the most of your time to connect!
