Retailers, suppliers and other experts will be in attendance at the annual CSP Foodservice Forum, taking place June 10 to 12 at the Renaissance Schaumburg in Schaumburg, Illinois.
The annual forum, powered by Informa, focuses on the rapidly expanding foodservice segment within convenience retail operations. This event brings together industry experts to share insights on menu innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction strategies. Participants will explore the latest trends, technologies and best practices that are driving success in convenience store foodservice programs.
Event speakers include:
- Julie Heseman, senior director of research and insights at CSP sister research arm Technomic, Chicago, will talk about how driving sustainable foodservice sales growth requires c-stores take share from a formidable foe: quick-service restaurants. Heseman will leverage Technomic’s exclusive Ignite Consumer data to explore how consumers rate c-stores vs. QSRs, identifying where convenience wins as well as areas needing more work to earn consumer occasions and dollars.
- Springfield, Missouri-based Supper Co. owners Kesha Alexander and Kyle Drenon will share how to create signature value offerings without killing margins and how to create trade-up and upselling opportunities. Their presentation will include innovative LTO strategies both from the creative standpoint of menu ideation and marketing and the operational standpoint to ensure it doesn’t disrupt daily ops.
- David Portalatin, Chicago-based Circana’s senior vice president and industry advisor, food and foodservice, will plunge into the pool of QSRs, beverage-led concepts and digital-first models that continue to redefine speed and value. Portalatin will challenge whether a business model is meeting today’s needs or still operating under yesterday’s assumptions.
- R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Los Altos, California-based Placer.ai, will draw on the company’s foot-traffic data to track burgeoning meal bifurcation, the middle-income consumer’s summer 2025 breaking point, cross-shopping trends and how industry leaders are responding through value platforms and menu innovation.
- Liza Salaria, Chicago-based W. Capra senior vice president and executive consultant, will assess the approach to promotions in a presentation on effective and ineffective promos. Behind every successful promotion is three things: purpose, presentation and people, Salaria said. Salaria will review “promotional scorecarding,” from pre-promotional metrics to post-promotion analysis. And in a special exclusive, all forum attendees will receive a strategic paper by Salaria on how to craft winning promotions.
CSP and Informa Connect are both part of London-based Informa PLC. For more information and to register, click here.
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