Here is the latest on the world Pizza Games coming up to Pizza Expo. This will be a wonderful event!
If you at all interested in the Pizza Business, this is an event you should attend. You will be able to meet incredible pizza masters and other experts in the Pizza Business. If you are on the fence about
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014
10:45am: Fastest Dough Trials
11:45am: Fastest Dough Finals
12:00pm: First Division Acrobatic
2:00pm: First Division Acrobatic Finalists Announced
2:15pm: Fastest Box Folding
2:45pm: Fastest Box Folding Finals
Wednesday, March 26th
10:30am: Pizza Triathlon Trials
11:15am: Pizza Triathlon Finals
11:30am: Largest Dough Trials
3:00pm: Largest Dough Finals
6:30pm: World Pizza Games Rocking Finals Party!
The International Pzza Expo, held in Las Vegas each year is a showcase of pizza products and distributors. More importantly it draws some of the best pizza makers in the planet at one time in one place.
The list of amazing Pizza Makers is a veritable who’s who in the world of pizza. You can find Tony Gemignani, Domenico Crolla, Roberto Corporuscio, and Don Antonio Starita. The fact that you can meet and chat with these legends of pizza is truly extraordinary. Each was very approachable and willing to share pizza secrets as well as thoughts on the pizza business.
This video captures some of these moments as it unfolded. I chose to use the slideshow technique to give a feel, taste and smell so you can bombard your senses and feel the moment.
This video was shot on the last day of the Expo. Pizza was being made everywhere. The tastes of these pizzas were as varied as the pizza masters themselves.
The World Pizza ChampionsTMand World Pizza Games® will take the stage at the 2012 International Pizza Expo® and as always you’re invited to join in the fun.
World Pizza Games
On Tuesday, March 13th we will open up the competition and invite you to
come compete in one or all of five events: Freestyle Acrobatics First
Division, Fastest Dough, Largest Stretch, Fastest Box Folding and
Longest Spin.
Fastest Dough: How fast can you toss out (5) 12″ doughs!
Largest Dough: How big can you make 18oz of dough in just 5 minutes!
Fastest Box Folding: How fast can you fold (5) 12″ pizza boxes?
Longest Spin: How long can you keep a dough spinning over your head?
Freestyle Acrobatics First Division& the Masters Division
*First Division – created for those up and coming acrobats who want to showcase their talent without having to go head to head against the masters of the sport. The finalists will face off at the World Pizza Games® Finals and Rockin’ Party Wednesday night.
*Masters Division – created for those dough throwing acrobats that are the best of the
best. These masters will face off against each other at the World Pizza Games® Finals and Rockin’ Party. Please contact the World Pizza Champions for more details for qualifying for this event.
Please Note: If you have won a world or international title in an acrobatic dough throwing competition in recent years you may automatically qualify for the Masters Division. Qualifying for the Master division may make you ineligible to compete in the First Division. If you feel that you may fit into this category, please consult with the World Pizza Champions before entering the competition.
Please see the rules for complete details.
The heart of a pizza champion.
Tuesday, March 13th – Preliminaries / Finals (Exhibit Hall)
Listen as Tony G. talks about what he will be doing at Pizza Expo:
Keynote Addresses
The first two days of Pizza Expo will kick off with remarks from a couple of industry standouts with very different stories to tell.
Tuesday, March 13, begins with a speech—open to all attendees—by Nick Sarillo, owner of two hugely popular Nick’s Pizza & Pub locations in suburban Chicago.
Dubbed two years ago as the “Blue-Collar Millionaire” by Inc. magazine, Sarillo left his first career as a home-builder and dusted off some old family recipes to enter the pizza business in 1995. He placed two goals among his top priorities: creating a family-friendly restaurant that would become a hub for repeat business; and molding a new model for employee culture, one that drives his staff to stay longer and work harder.
That he’s succeeded is obvious by the multi-million-dollar revenue at both Nick’s restaurants, and by the advance interest in his new book outlining his business philosophy, A Slice of the Pie, scheduled for releas in summer 2012.
Wednesday, March 14, will be launched with a 7:45 a.m. keynote by Marla Topliff, president of another suburban Chicago-based success story—the 170-unit Rosati’s Pizza chain.
She’ll share her personal journey from local representative for Welcome Wagon to a position as its national sales manager, and relate how some of Welcome Wagon’s then-novel neighborhood marketing tactics still apply today. But Topliff credits another position she held while raising her children as her truest training ground: president of the local PTA. She’ll explain how running a Parent Teacher Association group educated her in the arts of politics and persuasion, and helped fuel her rise from marketing director to president at Rosati’s, where she is one of the top women executives in the pizza business.
She’ll also address the role marketing has played in Rosati’s tremendous growth and explain how the company’s cohesive brand image continues to solidify its success.
Competitions
For the 2012 show, we’re adding a new demonstration area—located on the Exhibit Hall floor and outfitted with stadium seating—allowing us to expand the International Pizza Challenge? while continuing the Making Dough With Tony Gemignani workshops and a full slate of pizza-making and hot-topic menu item demonstrations.
The Pizza Challenge will feature four divisions in March 2012: Traditional and Non-Traditional, plus the first-time categories of American-Pan and Italian-Style. Attendees can observe the preparation and judging of these entries and taste the pies themselves to form their own opinions. Winners in each division move on to the Pizza Maker of the Year finals.
The Challenge will also bring back past Pizza Maker of the Year winners for a special “Best of the Best” competition that is sure to wow the audience.
Seminars and Workshops
Among the 75-plus seminars and cooking demonstrations will be these special new sessions:
Power Panels
We’ll convene panels consisting of top operators who are on the cutting edge in their approaches to top-of-mind topics. You’ll be able to learn from the best on subjects including: finding and keeping the best pizzeria employees, building blocks for profitable menus and proven tactics for driving business with social media marketing.
Operator Presentations
We’ve gone to great lengths to bring in more pizza owners and operators to speak about how they excel in specific segments of the business. Among the operator-presenters appearing at Pizza Expo 2012 are: Peter Cooperstein of Amici’s on delivery, Glenn Cybulski of Seasons Pizzeria and Clovers Sports Bar on appetizers, Doug Ferriman of Crazy Dough’s on selling slices, Clayton Krueger of Farrelli’s on social media, George Hadjis of Oggi’s on building community partnerships—and several more.
Super-Segment Thursday
Seminar sessions on the final morning of Pizza Expo will be turned over to special topics presented by those who know them best—pizza people. The morning will begin with a Power Panel on social media marketing featuring advanced practitioners of this new advertising art. Breakout sessions will follow: Bill Jacobs of Piece Pizza on his branding campaign, Mike Rangel of Asheville Pizza and Brewing on tapping higher beer sales, Matt Galvin of Pagliacci’s on growing the catering segment, Michael Shepherd of Michael Angelo’s on working well with vendors—and more.
Pre-Show Monday
After a well-attended day of workshops and seminars geared toward new operators and first-time attendees in 2011, we’re expanding the offerings in 2012. In addition to repeating Big Dave Ostrander’s workshop, “So You Want to Open a Pizzeria,” a second pay-to-attend session is being added: “How to Turn Your Good Restaurant Into a Great Business” with restaurant business guru Jim Laube.
A special Power Panel—“The $2 Million Club”—will also convene, featuring Tony Gemignani, Peter Cooperstein, George Hadjis, Bill Jacobs and Mike Rangel, all of whom preside over pizza operations that average $2 million-plus per unit in revenue. Their subject: “How to Outcompete the Big Chains.”
And a track of afternoon seminars for first-time attendees is being added to go with the track for new operators that was so well attended at our last show.
Here is what Tony had to say to me last year at The Pizza Expo:
As a side note:
Attending Pizza Expo 2012
will be an incredible opportunuty for you and your business!
If you are serious about your pizza business, just do it!
27th Annual International Pizza Expo®
The World’s Largest and Oldest Pizza Tradeshow!
Las Vegas Convention Center
March 1 – 3, 2011
You’ve been attending Pizza Expo for years, you’ve heard it all and you’re ready for something new. Well, we listened and for the second year, you have an entire session module planned and developed with you in mind.
This session module will feature one session during every seminar time period – that’s three sessions on Tuesday, three sessions on Wednesday and one session on Thursday. Business leaders outside the pizza industry, who will bring a fresh approach to common business issues, will lead these sessions.
Tuesday morning will open with an encore presentation from Larry Oxenham, one of America’s top asset protection experts. In his Advanced Lawsuit Protection, Tax Reduction and Estate Planning Strategies, Larry will discuss strategies most advisors are unaware of, and are too many to list here. This was one of last year’s most popular sessions earning Larry a return invitation. You can’t afford to miss this session.
Tuesday afternoon will feature two sessions by noted author, Christine Corelli. In her first session, Are You a Leader or a Boss, Christine will show you how to lead in a way that gets the most out of your team. Her second session, Change, Challenges and Hard Choices, will look at today’s marketplace and the demands to embrace new ideas, create new business models and implement smart strategies in order to create and sustain success.
You don’t want to miss Wednesday morning with Troy Hazard and his Leadership Lessons From the Naked Entrepreneur: How to Guide Your Staff Through Tough Times. If you want to know what makes a good leader, then ask a leader of leaders. Troy is a veteran with 10 start-ups in 20 years under his belt and has proven himself in one of the toughest leadership roles on the planet – President of he Global Board of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Troy will share some of the lessons he learned as a leader of leaders and as a leader of teams. He will explain why he believes leaders are not born, they evolve.
Wednesday afternoon promises to be one of learning and one of entertainment. Barry Maher – you may have seen him on the Today Show or CNBC, or you may have read about him in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or Business Week – will begin with Filling the Glass: Real World Tactics and Motivation for Increasing Productivity AND Job Satisfaction. This session is perfect for the most cynical veteran AND the most starry-eyed (or the most discouraged) novice. In Barry’s second session, Slicing Through the Noise: Powerful Communication for Leadership and Professional Success, he will show you how to communicate with people of all types and how to tactfully get what you want.
In the final session on Thursday, Ron Jasniowski will address the challenge foodservice managers face every day – the endless struggle to build a harmonious workforce of conscientious, loyal employees. In Turning Ordinary People Into Extraordinary Foodservice Employees, you will learn how to develop the untapped character qualities in your employees and more.
These new session topics and fresh new speakers will expose you to the latest trends and practices in business and challenge you to look at your business in a new light.
