We at the moment are practically halfway by the second quarter of 2009. The pizza business has felt the burden of the larger American financial image, however the dismal panorama outdoors our piece of the foodservice sector hasn’t saved operators from shifting ahead. There isn’t a doubt instances are powerful. In case your comp gross sales are fl at, you’re doing nicely. In the event that they’re solely down 3-5 %, you might be in the identical boat as a lot of the remainder of the business.
However there’s gentle on the finish of this proverbial tunnel. In truth, a vibrant beacon of hope shone in mid-March on the Worldwide Pizza Expo. In Las Vegas, of all locations, gentle is in prepared provide. The 2009 model of Worldwide Pizza Expo was no exception. When the displays closed for the ultimate time on Thursday, March 12, roughly 10,000 pizza professionals had gathered beneath the identical roof to advance our business. The present had greater than 900 exhibiting corporations and practically 5,700 attendees. The latter quantity nearly mirrors the attendance at Worldwide Pizza Expo 2008, which turned out to be the second-largest Expo in historical past.
To place it merely: this 12 months’s Expo was a convincing success. For me personally, it turned out to be essentially the most fulfilling Expo I’ve ever labored. Not as a result of it was the present’s twenty fifth anniversary or as a result of it was so busy, however as a result of I may sense the palpable resolve and vitality that threaded its manner by the air. The hard-working pizzeria homeowners in attendance weren’t rolling over within the face of adversity. They had been preventing again. They had been unified of their dedication and I didn’t really feel a way of desperation. As a substitute, I picked up on an pressing want to make the most of schooling to the fullest by the use of the Expo’s seminars — and to place new concepts to rapid motion. The attendees had been hungry, however in a wholesome manner. Pushed is likely to be a greater phrase.
As I walked the present ground or sat within the Pizza Right this moment sales space, I had scores of pizzeria operators pull me apart to share a fast ‘Thanks.’ They weren’t thanking me personally — they had been thanking Pizza Right this moment and Worldwide Pizza Expo. They shared tales of how a sure article within the journal or a sure product they discovered on the present ground of a previous Expo helped catapult their enterprise to profitability. Many advised me they wouldn’t be in enterprise immediately if it weren’t for the journal or the tradeshow. As you may think, these remarks served as an elixir — they jogged my memory of why the employees of Pizza Right this moment and Worldwide Pizza Expo take their duties so severely. Thanks to everybody who took a second of their time to say good day in the course of the present. Your suggestions is important to us right here at Pizza Right this moment.
In case you had been at this 12 months’s Expo, then I’ve little question it rejuvenated you and gave you hope that higher days for this business are simply across the nook. In truth, it ought to have advised you that this business is more healthy than you dreamed to think about earlier than March 10. Pizza has lastly shed its passive defensive mentality and moved into assault mode. There’s momentum to construct on — don’t again down now.
Greatest,
Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
jwhite@www.pizzatoday.com
