The Restaurant Facility Management Association (RFMA) held its 10th annual conference at the Texan Gaylord in Dallas this past week. From all indications it was a successful event for both attendees and exhibitors, with lots of buzz and fanfare over the 3 days. And for many of us from the Midwest and Northeast, having sunny 70 degree weather wasn’t too bad either.
As you’d expect, the exhibit hall was the center of activity. Vendor exhibitors ranged from very small, regional HVAC service providers to multi-billion dollar global enterprises. Restaurateurs also ranged across a wide spectrum in both size (small single digit locations to thousands) and specialty (Quick Serve and Casual Dining Chains; Fro-Yo’s, Breakfast, and 24-hour). The common thread among all was that they were there either to see or to show the latest and greatest in the restaurant facility management world. And everyone seemed quite satisfied that there was lots to see and be seen!
The Powerhouse Dynamics booth, like most others, was quite active. It was great to see many of our existing customers and business partners while also meeting new potential prospects. Everyone was engaged and interested in learning more, which was energizing for many of us who are veterans of the trade show wars.
It was also great to see how prominent the topic of sustainability was throughout the conference. Whether it was session topics, vendor exhibits or general conversation in the hallways, sustainability is very much top of mind for a lot of restaurateurs. Same goes for energy management. There were quite a few vendors exhibiting products and solutions, from simple wireless thermostats to high end, cloud-based EMS platforms. The future is now!
The social events at RFMA were also a super opportunity to congregate and share lots of tidbits of information. Venues included an opening reception at the Glass Cactus Club with some great country music and a closing event at the Circle R Ranch complete with a real live Texas Rodeo!
RFMA was well done and worth the time and expense. We look forward to participating in the event next year in San Diego.
Join our mailing list to be kept up to date on future events.