Winsight to manage National Restaurant Show, gain broader exposure
According to an announcement from consultancy Technomic, its parent, Winsight LLC, has forged a new deal with the National Restaurant Association, expanding its penetration in the foodservice information services market in the United States. The agreement for an undisclosed amount will hand over operational oversight of the National Restaurant Show to Winsight, and the Association will gain an advisory board seat and an equity partnership with Winsight.
Much of the forward-facing branding and communication from the National Restaurant Show will remain the same, in accordance with a 45-year sponsorship agreement that already exists for the National Restaurant Association. Winsight, will in essence, expand the content management and content creation for the show, while it expands its own reach to a national restaurant leadership audience.
The show’s attendance in 2018 was about 65,000 and the pre-event marketing of the show, and its resulting content and news, reaches many more thousands of establishments across the country.
Centennial event expected to draw large crowds
The 2019 show at McCormick Place in Chicago will mark the centennial event. Part of the prominence of the show has been the presence of traditional and multimedia publishing organizations within the foodservice industry at show events on and off site in Chicago. As part of the equity agreement with the National Restaurant Association, Winsight’s Restaurant Business publication will become the official magazine of the show.
Next year’s National Restaurant will be held May 18-21, 2019 and will continue to feature show favorites, including the Signature keynote session, “Future of Restaurants” super-session, Innovation Hub, and World Culinary Showcase, in addition to the special Restaurants Rock celebration.
Winsight takes over show management
Winsight also announced that Mary Pat Heftman will become President of Winsight’s Restaurant Show Group. “We welcome Mary Pat and her team to Winsight, and we are confident our resources, combined with those of the National Restaurant Association, have created a partnership dedicated to the success of the restaurant and foodservice industries of today and tomorrow,” said Mike Wood, Winsight chief executive.
Winsight LLC is an information services company, providing business-to-business information services, event and market intelligence. Consultancy Technomic is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Winsight, a Pamlico Capital company. Winsight also operates a portfolio of business publications geared toward retail, commercial and non-commercial foodservice management, including Restaurant Business, Foodservice Director and CSP.
Photo credit: Winsight (featured), National Restaurant Association (featured)
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