Trumbull, CT – Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group, trade show producers of several leading restaurant and foodservice industry events, is thrilled to announce that the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo and Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show will both be taking place as scheduled in August and September 2021, respectively. Free registration will be made available to qualified foodservice professionals. Registration for both events will open in June.

“While the restaurant and hospitality industry has been hit hard by the global pandemic, we are thrilled to see the light at the end of the tunnel and make plans to bring the industry together in both Anaheim and Orlando,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President for the Clarion Events Food & Beverage Group. “As a way for us to support the industry we are picking up the check and offering free registration to all qualified foodservice professionals who will have access to our new education program offering five Summits as well as to the trade show floor which will showcase industry vendors and aisles of new products and services.”

Based on attendee and market feedback, the five new Educational Summits will feature content focused specifically on the needs of: Independent Restaurateurs, Small to Mid-Sized Chains, Retail, Contract Foodservice, and Technology at each of the events. Each of the Summits will focus on similar topics, geared toward the particular segment they represent. Some themes include social media and marketing, human resources, leasing and development, financing and accounting, operations, and technology.  For more information, visit www.westernfoodexpo.com/education-tracks.

Additionally, there will be COVID-specific focused sessions to show what opportunities there are for rebirth and growth that can come from such a challenging time. These sessions will focus on Re-evaluating Leasing and Negotiating Contracts, Post-COVID Opportunities and Franchising and Growth Strategies. The events will also offer operator-focused education providing peer learning from those operating restaurants daily. Attendees will also hear from industry-thought leaders and consultants who can provide firsthand knowledge and insight.

The trade shows will also feature many of the special events attendees have come to expect including Center Stage Culinary Demonstrations, the Torch and Beacon Award Presentations, as well as panels of industry thought-leaders and C-Suite executives. Rapid Fire and Hip Sip Competitions with local chefs and bartenders and Beverage Focused panel with members of the ‘Bar Rescue’ Team are also being planned. For information on participating in these events, contact Lauren Selman, Conference Manager at lauren.selman@ifbta.org.

The live trade shows and education programming will take place at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, August 22-24, 2021 at the Anaheim Convention Center, CA; and The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show  taking place September 19-20, 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL.

Clarion Events (https://clarionevents.com/) produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. The Food & Beverage Group includes the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, Healthy Food Expo, CoffeeFest and The NGA Show. Clarion Events, backed by The Blackstone Group, has become one of the fastest growing event companies in the U.S. with aggressive growth through both acquisition and launch. Clarion acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing 4 Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and super-charging the already rapid growth. Clarion Events has offices in Trumbull, CT; Kennesaw, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Tacoma, WA, and Fairlawn, NJ.