NAPICS Pizza Operators Workshop prepares owners to win the battle

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Competing in the pizza segment is often compared to a war. Like soldiers grinding it out in the trenches, pizzeria operators fight for market share neighborhood by neighborhood. The effort tires even the best operators.

 

If this is your situation, you likely could benefit from some fresh ideas for reinvigorating your pizza business. If so, make it your mission to attend the 2007 Pizza Operators Workshop. In its fourth year, the POW is an intensive, one-day seminar designed to help operators at every level.

 

The seminar is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Columbus Convention Center. The event is a prelude to the fourth-annual North America Pizza & Ice Cream Show (NAPICS).

 

Whether you're a veteran operator or a newcomer to the industry, our panel of 10 industry experts will address any and every area of your operation. Be it marketing, portion control, dough management, purchasing or new business ideas, our veterans will be there to share their battlefield knowledge.

 

 

Kamron Karington was a seasoned promoter when he bought a failing pizza business in 1994, but he learned quickly that marketing is hard to do amid the pizzeria owner's myriad responsibilities.

 

"I wish I would have had someone slap me around and warn me what I was getting into," said Karington, whose "Conquer the Competition" seminar will focus on marketing. "These guys are wearing 30 different hats trying to run their operation, so I know it's hard to give a lot of thought to marketing. My goal is to show them several ways to market their business and make the money they deserve."

 

An industry marketing consultant, Karington has seen hundreds of pizzerias close despite having great products. The problem was those operators couldn't sell them. Knowing how to market, he stressed, is even more important than knowing how to make pizza.

 

"This is more important than your oven, the POS system — even the roof over your head," he said. "We've all seen guys making tons of money selling average pizza. They know their marketing skills are what enables them to pay the bills."

 

Scott Anthony, a franchisee with Fox's Pizza Den, will discuss how to get attention in your marketplace by letting media outlets spread the word about you.

 

"I want to help operators realize that their operational techniques and marketing ideas are newsworthy to the community," Anthony said. For five years running, he has conducted a successful fundraiser in which he sells pizzas for $9.11 on one Saturday, and then donates all proceeds to local firefighters. As firefighters deliver the orders, they check customers' homes for working smoke detectors. Last year's event raised more than $13,000 and attracted loads of local media attention.

 

Anthony also coaches other operators on marketing by guiding them to work on their businesses more and in them less.

 

"Most are so busy running their businesses that they don't have time to stop and think what they really have to offer their communities," he said.

 

 

The POW is for veteran operators, too. Achieving a level of success with your pizzeria is one thing, but as former operator "Big Dave" Ostrander knows, holding onto it is another. As his own shop, Big Dave's Pizza, became a town favorite years ago, new competition sought a piece of his action. Continued education about growing his business ultimately helped him beat back his foes.

 

"Success can be fleeting, so you should always be a student and attend seminars like these," said Ostrander, an industry consultant whose seminar is titled, "Rocket your Profits." "If your knowledge base isn't doubling every three or four years, you're not staying up with the times. What you learned five to seven years ago was correct for the time, but the rules have changed since then."

 

Ostrander pointed to the six active operators on the speaking panel who are all successful, but are still learning about the pizza business.

 

"Every day they go to war with all the other shops in their area, and even though they've made it to a certain level, they still need all the resources they can get their hands on to win the war on a weekly basis," he said. "You come to a seminar like this and a show like NAPICS, you'll see new technology and get new ideas to take back to your store. If you don't get out and do things like these, you and your operation will become stale."

 

The Pizza Operators Workshop will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $198, and $99 for each additional registrant from the same business. Cost includes the workshop and full show registration and access to all Sunday and Monday programs. To learn more, click here or call 800-909-7469.

 

* NAPICS is the largest pizza-and-ice-cream centered tradeshow in the Midwest. The annual event draws 4,500 attendees and more than 200 exhibiting companies. Two full days of business-building seminars are available to all paid attendees.

 

To register for NAPICS: Attendee pre-registration is available for $25 until Feb. 23 — a 50 percent savings from registering at the door. All Sunday and Monday events, including seminars, one-on-one help from experts in the test kitchen, to World Pizza Champions demonstrations and much more, are included in the registration price. To register online, click here. To register by phone, call 800-909-7469.