We at the moment are almost 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 stored operators from transferring ahead. There isn’t a doubt occasions are robust. In case your comp gross sales are fl at, you’re doing effectively. In the event that they’re solely down 3-5 p.c, you’re in the identical boat as a lot of the remainder of the business.
However there’s mild on the finish of this proverbial tunnel. Actually, a shiny beacon of hope shone in mid-March on the Worldwide Pizza Expo. In Las Vegas, of all locations, mild 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 underneath the identical roof to advance our business. The present had greater than 900 exhibiting firms and almost 5,700 attendees. The latter quantity just about 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 yr’s Expo was a powerful success. For me personally, it turned out to be essentially the most pleasing 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 might sense the palpable resolve and vitality that threaded its approach by the air. The hard-working pizzeria homeowners in attendance weren’t rolling over within the face of adversity. They have been preventing again. They have been unified of their willpower 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 means of the Expo’s seminars — and to place new concepts to fast motion. The attendees have been hungry, however in a wholesome approach. Pushed could be a greater phrase.
As I walked the present flooring or sat within the Pizza Right now sales space, I had scores of pizzeria operators pull me apart to share a fast ‘Thanks.’ They weren’t thanking me personally — they have been thanking Pizza Right now and Worldwide Pizza Expo. They shared tales of how a sure article within the journal or a sure product they discovered on the present flooring of a previous Expo helped catapult their enterprise to profitability. Many informed me they wouldn’t be in enterprise at present 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 workers of Pizza Right now and Worldwide Pizza Expo take their duties so severely. Thanks to everybody who took a second of their time to say hey throughout the present. Your suggestions is crucial to us right here at Pizza Right now.
In the event you have been at this yr’s Expo, then I’ve little doubt it rejuvenated you and gave you hope that higher days for this business are simply across the nook. Actually, it ought to have informed 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.
Finest,
Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
