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Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo
Date/Time
8/30/2017 - 8/31/2017
10:00am - 5:00pm
Event Description

Isn’t it time for your next big find? This year's "TV Land"-themed Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo is just the place to discover new products and trends, whether you’re a new operator or a veteran.
 
This annual industry event is the largest hospitality related trade show in the state of Oklahoma and the most important event for foodservice and lodging industry professionals.
 
With more than 6,000 in attendance, the event features hundreds of exhibits,educational sessions, an opening party and competitions, including the ever-popular ORA Culinary Cook-off and ORA Cocktail Shakedown.
 
Join us for the 2017 Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo and stay ahead of the competition!
 
Plan your visit!
  • View the Interactive Floorplan
  • See the Schedule
  • Make Hotel Accommodations
  • Get ready to party at the Opening Night Networking Reception
  • Register and get your Badges (online registration is now closed but you will be able to obtain a badge onsite)
  • Get driving directions and parking information
  • Tell everyone on social media that you're coming and use the hashtag #ORAShow2017!
  • Note that the ORA has arranged for FREE parking in the surface lots located on the SW corner of the Cox Convention Center. The entrance to the lot is directly across from the Myriad Gardens on the south side of Reno.
  • Questions?
    • Exhibitors: Contact Linda Etherton by email or phone, (405) 942-8181 or (800) 375-8181.
    • Sponsors: Contact Patti Colley by email at  or phone, (405) 942-8181 or (800) 375-8181.
 
This is a private industry tradeshow open only to those in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Anyone under 18 and suppliers or vendors not exhibiting in the show are not allowed on the show floor. 
 
 
Location
Cox Convention Center
1 Myriad Gardens
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
UNITED STATES

click here for Google Maps
Details
The Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo is sponsored by the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and held in partnership with the Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association.

Schedule
 
Wednesday, August 30
Floor open 10:00am - 5:00pm
8:00am - 5:00pm Special ServSafe Sanitation Certification Course
presented by National Restaurant Association Certified Instructor, Andrew Arvay

The ORA will once again offer a special ServSafe Sanitation Certification course. The National Restaurant Association's (NRA) ServSafe® program has been acknowledged as the leading training and fully accredited certification program for nearly 40 years. This one-day course keeps employees in check with health department regulations.

This certification course includes lunch. Upon receipt of your completed online registration form and payment, the ORA will mail you the textbook. The last hour of the class is dedicated to taking the necessary certification exam, which includes 90 multiple-choice questions. You must score 75% or greater to pass the exam. Registration will no longer be available after August 21, 2017. ORA reserves the right to reschedule this class if a minimum of 12 total pre-registrations are not confirmed. As class size is limited, registration is on a first come, first serve basis. 

Pricing (includes text book, review session, exam, and lunch):
  • $120/person (Member rate)     
  • $165/person (Non-member rate)
10:00am     Welcome and Ribbon Cutting
10:15am Cocktail Shakedown - Round 1, Heat 1
10:30am     Culinary Cook-off - Heat 1
10:40am Cocktail Shakedown - Round 1, Heat 2
11:05am Cocktail Shakedown - Round 1, Heat 3
11:30am Cocktail Shakedown - Round 1, Heat 4
11:55am Cocktail Shakedown - Round 2, Heat 1
12:00noon Culinary Cook-off - Heat 2
12:20pm Cocktail Shakedown - Round 2, Heat 2
12:45pm     Cocktail Shakedown - Round 2, Heat 3
1:10pm Cocktail Shakedown - Semi-Final, Heat 1
1:30pm     Culinary Cook-off - Heat 3
1:35pm Cocktail Shakedown - Semi-Final, Heat 2
2:10pm Cocktail Shakedown - Championship
3:00pm     Culinary Cook-off - Heat 4
5:00pm    
Opening Night Networking Reception
Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill
310 Johnny Bench Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
   
Thursday, August 31
Floor open 10:00am - 3:00pm
8:00am     School Nutrition Association Meeting
8:30am     ORA Board of Directors Meeting
10:00am Culinary Cook-off - Semi-final 1
11:00am Educational Session: Oklahoma Liquor Law Changes: What You Need to Know
presented by Adam Marshall, Attorney, Barrow & Grimm
11:00am Culinary Cook-off - Semi-final 2
12:30pm     Educational Session: Enhancing Your Culture of Customer Service
presented by Maggie Howell, Owner, Aunt Pittypat's Catering
1:00pm Culinary Cook-off - Finals
3:10pm Exhibitor Move-out (all displays must be removed by 9:00pm Thursday)
   



Opening Night Networking Reception
The reception will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill, 310 Johnny Bench Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. Shuttle transportation will be provided to and from the Cox Center. The reception includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, entertainment and great networking. Tickets are $25.

Hotel Accommodations
Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel 
1 N. Broadway Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
PH 405-235-2780 • TF 888-627-8416 • online
$126 single/double rate
Cut-off date: 8/11/17

Badges and Pricing
Once you’ve registered, you will receive a confirmation email that will include a personalized QR code at the bottom of the message. Please be sure that your images are displayed for this particular email. This QR code is unique to you, and contains all the information we'll use to print your badge at the Oklahoma Restaurant Convention & Expo on August 30 and 31. 

To receive your badge, you will need to either
  • print the email with the QR code out and bring it with you to the convention, or
  • be able to produce the email with the QR code on your smart phone.
     
Members
• On or Before August 21 - Complimentary (online only)
• After August 21 – $20/badge

Non-Members
• On or Before August 21 - $15/badge
• After August 21 – $20/badge

Find Your Way and Park
Convention exhibits and seminars are located in the exhibit hall on the street level at the west side of the Cox Business Services Convention Center. The convention center is conveniently located just off I-40 in downtown Oklahoma City.

Click here for driving directions.

Again this year, the ORA has arranged for FREE parking in the surface lots located on the SW corner of the Cox Convention Center. The entrance to the lot is directly across from the Myriad Gardens on the south side of Reno. Once that lot is full, the next closest parking can be found:
  • under the Cox Convention Center, accessible from northbound Robinson and southbound E.K. Gaylord;
  • in the Sheraton/Century parking garage, accessible from Sheridan on the north side of the Cox Center;
  • in the Courtyard by Marriott parking garage located off E.K. Gaylord at the southeast corner of the Cox Center; or
  • in several parking lots located in Bricktown, accessible from both Reno and Sheridan streets
Speakers

Maggie Howell
Owner, President & CFO of Aunt Pittypat’s Catering 

Born & raised in Oklahoma City, Maggie Howell started her career in the hospitality business at a young age. Daughter of Robert Howell, the original Regional General Manager for all 5 Steak & Ale properties in OKC in the late 70’s & early 80’s, it was in her blood! Mr. Howell bought Aunt Pittypat’s Catering in 1986 & although Maggie worked with her dad when requested, from the age of 15 she held jobs outside of the family business all in the restaurant field. 

In 1995 she moved to Chicago & immediately went to work at the famous Bistro 110 off of Michigan Avenue. She bartended, waited tables, and worked as the point host for the bustling 200 seat bistro. Within a year she was offered a position in the Keys to the Future Management Program with Bistro 110 owner, Levy Restaurants. She graduated from this program at the top of her class. This led to positions within the group of restaurants managing & training office personnel – which turned out to be a specialty in the numbers end of the business! She also coordinated orientations for new restaurant employees for all 17 Levy restaurant Chicago locations. 

In 1997 she was offered her first General Manager position at the age of 25. She went on to hold positions at Privately Held, Chicago, Illinois; Tuscan Square, Manhattan, New York; Scoozi!, Chicago, Illinois; and OKC Renaissance Hotel, OKC, Oklahoma.

In 2004 Maggie and Chef Christine Dowd bought Howell’s father’s very successful catering company Aunt Pittypat’s Catering. One year later they opened Trattoria il Centro in downtown Oklahoma City. The restaurant thrived to great acclaim until overwhelming downtown construction projects caused the business to shut its doors. 

Howell and Chef Dowd continue to raise the bar for off-premise culinary events in the state through Aunt Pittypat’s Catering. 

Maggie has served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association since 2007. She currently also serves on the Executive Board as Vice Chair/Treasurer. In 2017 she will assume the position of Chair of the Board. 

Adam K. Marshall
Attorney, Barrow & Grimm

Adam Marshall’s law practice focuses primarily on business law with specific emphasis on business associations and transactions, private offerings, start-up counseling, tribal business transactions, federal and state brewery licensing and compliance, and estate planning. Adam received his Juris Doctor (with distinction) and Master of Business Administration in May of 2003 from the University of Oklahoma.

In addition to his law practice, Adam is a co-founder of Marshall Brewing Company in Tulsa. Marshall Brewing Company is a production craft microbrewery which distributes craft beer in Oklahoma and surrounding states. In 2007 and 2008, Adam oversaw all the legal matters and many of the business planning aspects of the brewery’s start-up including entity formation, capitalization through a private offering, state and federal licensing, and commencement of manufacturing operations. Adam currently serves as its Vice President and General Counsel dealing largely with state and federal regulatory compliance and strategic business planning.

Adam’s professional associations include the Oklahoma Bar Association, Tulsa County Bar Association, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Bar Association, and the Tulsa Title and Probate Lawyers. He serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the Tulsa County Bar Foundation. He is a member of the board and Treasurer of the Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma. Adam is currently serving a three-year term as a member of the board of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. In 2015, he served as Chair of the Tulsa Small Business Connection and Vice-Chair of Small Business for the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s board and executive committee. He is Treasurer of the Carnegie Elementary School Foundation, a member of B.P.O.E (“Elks”) Lodge #946 in Tulsa, and an active adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America, Cub Scout Pack 67. In 2014, the Tulsa Business & Legal News honored Adam as one of twenty Tulsa-area “Power Attorneys & Legal Professionals.” He was honored as one of the 2011 class of Oklahoma Magazine’s “40 Under 40”. Adam was recognized as the 2008 Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Tulsa County Bar Association and served as the 2007-08 Chair of the Young Lawyers Division.

While in law school, Adam served for two years as student clerk for the Hon. Charles S. Chapel of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. He also served as Online Editor for the Oklahoma Law Review and is the author of “Oil & Gas Law: Royalty Valuation: Rogers v. Westerman Farm Co.: Burdening Lessees With an Implied Duty to Deliver Gas to a Marketable Location,” 56 OKLA. L. REV. 233(2003).


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