RFDC 2018 is one week away!

If you’re heading to the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference 2018 in Las Vegas next week, you need to be prepared!

Here are 5 ways to prepare for departure for RFDC 2018:

1. Plan Your Agenda in Advance

Conferences can be overwhelming. With the amount of content, connections, and extracurricular activities, there’s only so much that you can reasonably absorb in just a few days.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to check out the agenda ahead of time and see what piques your interest, so you can plan ahead and maximize your experience.

Here are just a few workshops we identified that may be of interest to you:

Monday 11/12

12:45 – 1:45pm – Following the Tech Money Trail: Embrace Data and Disruption to Deliver Sustainable Growth

Explore the latest trends in restaurant technology investment, and learn where the future of your operations could be headed. This workshop will focus on the latest and upcoming digital innovations in the restaurant industry, and help you understand how to leverage these technologies to drive sustainable growth.

Tuesday 11/13

3:30pm – 4:30pm – Cost Reduction Now: Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater
In this session, the panel will explore major opportunities in the P&L to make positive changes, including creative food and supplies purchasing and negotiating tips for beverage and service contracts.

Wednesday 11/14

9:10 am – 10:00am – Fine Dining to Fast Casual: How to Build a Concept That’s a Scalable Brand
Food and labor are too high to make money in fine dining urban markets. There is a trend among top chefs looking to create secondary scalable brands. It’s actually VERY difficult to do, for reasons most people don’t even understand. This panel, who have recently gone through the process of developing the fast casual “spin off” will address the real difficulties and how to avoid problems.

10:10am – 11:00am – The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Finance and Accounting Processes in a Restaurant Operation
Top CFOs delve into potential opportunities for outsourcing accounting, IT and other financial services.

2. Download the Conference App

Most conferences and industry events these days have their own mobile app to make it super easy to navigate the conference agenda, network with peers, and capture notes. RFDC 2018 is no exception.

RFDC 2018_–_Apps_on_Google_Play

You can download the RFDC 2018 Mobile App here:

3. Check out the Exhibit Hall Map

One of the benefits of attending RFDC 2018 and other restaurant industry events is the opportunity to check out the exhibit hall where event sponsors are displaying the latest and greatest in restaurant technology and other industry offerings.

Here’s a link to the map.

To make it easy, we provided some directions…

Enter. Turn right. Get cocktail. Turn left. Turn left again. Turn right. Stop at Booth 143!RFDC 2018 Exhibits Map

If you want to schedule some time at the xtraCHEF booth in advance, you can request to do so here.

4. Where’s the Party?

It’s Vegas. There’s always a party. But, it is a business trip after all. So, we want to make sure that you make the most of your networking opportunities.

There’s always good conversation to be found on the casino floor…but if you’re looking to connect with restaurant technologists and industry experts. We recommend checking out the Happy Hour hosted by Harri.

Cocktails and appetizers will be served and…best of all…the event will take place at one of our customers.

More info and registration here.

5. Download Some Podcasts for the Road

One of the best ways to get caught up on what’s going on in the industry and make the most of your travel time is by downloading some podcasts in advance. That way, you can be in airplane mode (no need for wi-fi) and you don’t have to talk to the person next to you…if that’s not your thing.

Here are a few industry podcasts we think are great (we might be biased):