MURTEC 2023: We’re Going All In!
MURTEC 2023: All In, happening March 6-8 at The Paris, Las Vegas, will serve up the broadest array of actionable, insightful restaurant technology content our industry has to offer. From inspiring solo speakers to lively firechats, panels, interactive workshops, and storyteller series, we’ll touch on the hottest trends, promising use cases, and the new must-haves for every type of restaurant.
Here, we share highlights from our general sessions — check out MURTEC.com for our full schedule. See you in Vegas!
Keynote: Digital Transformers Take the Stage (March 7, 9:00 a.m.)
Taco Bell, Chili’s, and Papa Johns. Any questions? Digital transformation is where it’s at, and the morning of March 7 will kick off with the industry’s top transformers, the visionaries launching hot new channels and experiences that are reshaping guest expectations. Justin Falciola, Chief Insights & Technology Officer, Papa Johns; Wade Allen, SVP and Chief Digital Officer, Brinker International; and Vadim Parizher, VP of Technology, Taco Bell, will join Angela Diffly, co-founder of the Restaurant Technology Network, for insights every restaurant operator will want to take home.
Storyteller Series: Tech-Enabled Revenue Streams (March 7, 10:30 a.m.)
This series of one-on-one conversations spotlights innovation in alternative sources of revenue for restaurants — the kind of imaginative thinking that has diversified business models with new takes on catering, vending, and loyalty. Paul Macaluso, President & CEO, Another Broken Egg Cafe; Brian Anderson, Sr. Dir. of Technology, Upward Projects Restaurant Group; and Dan Mesches, President & CEO, Sprinkles Cupcakes, will each share a revenue story with Abigail Lorden, VP and publisher, Hospitality Technology, and co-founder of the Restaurant Technology Network.
Keynote Speaker: How to Apply Moonshot Thinking to Real-World Challenges (March 7, 11:25 a.m.)
How can your organization foster and maintain a culture of innovation? Futurist Obi Felten, CEO, Flourish Labs; Head of Getting Moonshots Ready for Contact with the Real World, Google X (2012-2021), shares lessons and key takeaways on shooting for the moon, embracing failure, learning fast — and how to support your team throughout the journey.
We’re psyched to present MURTEC’s keynote speaker, who will inspire every attendee in the room to take notes they can bring back to their organization post-show!
Executive Q&A: Benefits of Frictionless Mobile Ordering & Payments
“Offering self directed ordering and payments not only aids in both speed, efficiency and accuracy, but also customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.” —Jon Squire, CEO, CardFree READ MORE!
- March 6 Afternoon Breakouts on Metaverse, Security, AI, and Much More
- The Metaverse 101 (March 6, 1:30 p.m.), with Kevin Seo, Chief Megaphone, Food Fighters Universe/Bored and Hungry; and Skip Kimpel, Principal of Independent & SMB Consulting,ConStrata Technology Consulting
- You've Been Hacked. Now What? (March 6, 1:30 p.m.), with Courtney Radke, CISO, Fortinet; Tom Seeker, CIO, Earl Enterprises; Brian Lucy, VP IT Security/CISO, CKE Restaurants; and Amit Verma, CTO, Comcast Business
- Tech Disruptor Series I: Streamlining Operations (March 6, 1:30 p.m.), with Luke Irving, Founder & CEO, Fingermark; Richard Newman, Chief Product Evangelist, Acumera, with Pavel Krasner, Sr. Manager, IT Architecture, Taco Bell; and Ingo Stork, CEO and Co-Founder, PreciTaste
- Powerful Voices: How AI is Changing the Game (March 6, 3 p.m.), with Bradley Metrock, CEO, Project Voice; and Jon Stine, Executive Director, Open Voice Network
- POS Software Trends: A Buyer's Guide (March 6, 3 p.m.), with Joe Tenczar, CIO & Co-Founder, Restaurant CIOs; and Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Editor-in-Chief, Hospitality Technology
- Tech Disruptor Series II: Optimizing Labor, Sales & Guest Experience (March 6, 3 p.m.), with Zack Oates, Founder & CEO, Ovation; Rahkeem Morris, CEO and Co-Founder, HourWork; and Bailey Anderson, Sr. UX Researcher and Designer, Lineup.ai
- March 7 Afternoon Breakouts on Data, KPIs, Location Tech, Change Management and Much More
- Case Study Spotlight (March 7, 1:45 p.m.), with Chris Lybeer, Chief Strategy Officer, Revel Systems; and Leon Davoyan, Chief Technology Officer, Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Case Study Spotlight (March 7, 1:45 p.m.), with Nadav Solomon, Co-Founder & President, Tabit
- Follow the Data: Insights from HT's 2023 Restaurant Technology Study (March 7, 2:00 p.m.), with Mike Penney, Solutions Architect, Cox Business; Courtney Radke, CISO, Fortinet; and Peter Kellis, Founder & CEO, Tray
- New & Hot! RTN's Restaurant Technology KPIs (March 7, 2:00 p.m.), with Robert Peterson, Area VP, New Business, North America, Oracle Food & Beverage; George Hutto, Senior BI Developer, MOD Pizza; and Tim Tang, Director of Enterprise Solutions, Hughes
- Interactive Workshop: How Location Technology is Redefining the Guest Experience (March 7, 3:30 p.m.); with Sean Marrero, Senior Director, Partner Ecosystem at Olo; Alonso Vargas, Senior Vice President, Product at FlyBuy; and Steve Teller, Vice President, Digital Strategy at Five Guys
- Interactive Workshop: How UNO’s Rebuilt its Tech Stack for the Future of Guest Engagement (March 7, 3:30 p.m.), with Regina Jerome, VP of Information Technology at UNO Restaurants; and Andrew Robbins, CEO, Paytronix
Firechat: Maximum Automation: Next-Level Robotics (March 7, 4:20 p.m.)
Stellar Pizza’s sizzle reel will have attendees spellbound as they watch a mobile robotic unit prepare, bake, and package fresh pizza. We all know automation has the potential to remake our industry, streamlining repetitive tasks and ensuring quality control — Benson Tsai, former SoaceX engineer and CEO & Co-Founder, Stellar Pizza, will join Robert Firpo-Cappiello, editor-in-chief at Hospitality Technology, to tell the story of how he developed, built, and launched a mobile “pizza robot” that’s been taking Los Angeles by storm.
RTN's Start-Up Alley: Top 3 Showdown (March 7, 4:45 p.m.)
Join us for RTN’s Start-Up Alley race to the finish line! The top three innovative restaurant tech solutions will compete in a rapid-fire Shark Tank-style session onstage to field questions from judges Robert Notte, MOD Super Fast Pizza; Carissa De Santis, Brix Holdings; and Zerrick Pearson, Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The session culminates with voting by the audience and one winner taking the coveted prize.
Sponsored by Comcast Business and PathSpot, RTN’s Start-Up Alley program opens the conference on March 6 with 15 Semi-Finalists. Angela Diffly, co-founder of RTN, says, “We encourage all attendees to stroll through the Alley to check out unique solutions, meet the next-generation of tech talent driving the industry forward.”
Leaders & Innovators: 2023 Award Winners (March 8, 8:55 a.m.)
Get ready to hear — and learn from — some truly amazing success stories! Anna Wolfe, senior editor - restaurants, Hospitality Technology, and Derek Canton, CEO, Paerpay, will present an engaging award ceremony recognizing Industry Heroes followed by the Top Women in Restaurant Technology, both sponsored by Paerpay. MURTEC award winners exemplify everything we love about the restaurant tech industry -- innovation, commitment and compassion. We put out a call for nominations, which were reviewed and judged by HT editors and HT’s Research Advisory Board of hospitality academics.
What's the Vibe? Genzennial Sentiment Panel (March 8, 9:25 a.m.)
Restaurant operators looking to attract front-line employees or better understand their most coveted target demographic — in other words, everybody at MURTEC! — will love this one-of-a-kind, must-see experience. In a MURTEC first, Angela Diffly, co-founder of RTN, will hear from new generations — students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas — about what they want when it comes to technology-enabled experiences, both in the workplace and when making decisions on where and how to devour their favorite meal.
The Need for Speed: Restaurant Innovation (March 8, 10:30 a.m.)
MURTEC 2023 will go out on a high note with critical insights from game-changing industry leaders. From defying gravity with store design to conveyor belt pick-up and AI in the drive-thru, there seems to be no limits on the need for speed driving innovation in the restaurant space. In this storytelling series, we’ll hear one-on-one from the technology talent fueling some of the most buzzed-about brands, as Jim Vitek, Restaurant Technologist & Entrepreneur, former tech leadership roles at Yum! Brands & Domino's, chats with Karl Goodhew, CTO, BurgerFi; Jonathan Tryzbiak, Sr. Director of Enterprise Applications, Checkers & Rally’s; and Chris Demery, CTO, Blaze Pizza, to explore how they're pioneering new paths at the intersection of technology, customer experience and store design.