The 2001 international hotel, motel and restaurant show: alive & kicking: despite economic tensions, the hospitality industry continues to grow.

"We got fat and happy in the `90s" said John Russell, chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. With a leaner outlook in 2001, clubs, hotels, resorts, and restaurants across the industry are looking for ways to cut costs and get creative, while maximizing their existing resources. This tougher, more competitive economy has created a push for fresh strategies to keep profits up.

The 86th International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) will take place November 10-13, 2001, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, and promises access to new trends, ideas, and cost savers, and the show's timing couldn't be better.

Yanking out all stops for an expected 58,000 attendees that hail from resorts, casinos, independent and senior care properties, restaurants, clubs, bars, fast food outlets, caterers, distributors, wholesalers, airlines, cruise ships, schools and hospitals, show organizers have lined up 1,900 exhibitors ready to answer questions and demonstrate their solutions to help your bottom line.

"We need to tighten our belts, reduce marketing costs by using the Internet and do a better job coming up with new packages and experiences to entice people back. And continuously look for ways that technology can reduce back of the house costs, because at the end of the day your biggest expenses are in payroll," Russell said.

Advances in technology have promised solutions to many current problems, and as such, technology vendors will be a major presence at the Show. The Internet sits at the heart of many technology offerings and it is making a huge impact in the industry--last year more than 60 million travelers used it to make their travel plans. Hotels can take reservations online and pre-register guests over the Internet. Some have even set up terminals on airport shuttle buses and put in remote kiosks at terminals so guests can confirm reservations and pick up room keys. And the Internet is leveling the playing field for smaller properties, including 16,000 bed and breakfasts of ten rooms and under, cutting their marketing costs, letting them reach a wider base of customers and compete more effectively with the big names.

Fast access to the Internet isn't an occasional amenity anymore. It's become a necessity that more guests are demanding in-room. DSL, wireless and software providers will be on hand to strategize, map and price out upgrades for properties. Some 225 exhibitors will showcase cutting edge technologies at the Technology Innovation Center. Back of the house operations, one-on-one customized marketing using data mining programs, staff training using personal computer programs, and e-procurement are some of the seminar topics being offered.

Chip Conley of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, creator of The Phoenix, San Francisco's legendary rock n' roll hotel, and Northern California's largest independent hotelier with 20 boutique hotels, will give the keynote address at this year's 21st annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design. There will be a new Best of Show award, as well as awards recognizing designers of restaurant and lodging properties within seven different design categories.

The design component of the show hosts over 600 companies including American Atelier, Asindo, Bryan Ashley, Everwood Teak, Oxygen, Tropitone, and Wiggins-Crest. Design seminars will focus on budgeting, industry trendsetters, and revenue expansion.

Mirroring the high wire act restaurateurs and club F&B mangers do to stay in business and turn a profit, the Restaurant Futurists series of seminars returns this year to answer crucial questions like, "How can I reduce employee turnover by 50 percent in 30 days, how do I control unruly customers, why do I need a talking kitchen, and how can I increase my share of the $399 billion food business projected for 2001?"

Within the Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Section, nearly 400 exhibitors will offer a range of products from the smallest cooking utensils to the largest ovens. Returning exhibitors include Dixie Foodservice, Enodis, Reckitt Benckiser, Rubbermaid, True Foodservice, and Vulcan. Tying equipment together, and billed as a showstopper, will be the "talking kitchen."

In another groundbreaking introduction, IH/M&RS will introduce a completely online kitchen. The designers, technicians, and operators who created and built it will be on hand to answer questions in an "Ask the experts" brainstorming session to be hosted in conjunction with the Foodservice Consultants Society International.

So who needs an online kitchen? "Let's say an F & B operation at a big club in Minnesota is getting hammered over HACCP (hazard analysis of critical control points) compliance," said Greg Richards of fsXchange.com, a former vice president of education for the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers. "The state wants to know the soup temperature is at the required level and the walk in cooler is chilled properly. Rather than a having a guy with a clipboard and a thermometer manually check the soup in the food warmer, a sensor does the job, transmits the data to a computer or over the Internet, and a print out can be generated for an inspector."

Monitoring fryers, chillers, and freezers for energy use and performance can make an operation more efficient and save money. Richards doesn't recommend wiring the whole kitchen just yet, but check with individual machine vendors at the show for HACCP monitoring capability. A standard protocol for writing the software for the programs used in the sensors has been agreed on by the big chains so monitoring devices will talk the same language from manufacturer to manufacturer and send a uniform data feed, he said.

The Food and Beverage section will feature another 250 exhibitors including Anheuser-Busch, Bindi, Keller's Creamery, Moka-D'Oro and Paris Gourmet/Patisfrance, and the show's "Culinary Resource Center" will present a series of live demonstrations, competitions, and culinary education seminars.

Knives will flash and pans will sizzle as top chefs go head to head demonstrating creativity, design flair, flavor and texture use at the 6th annual Chef's Championships. Winners in the eight categories will take home more than $21,000 in cash prizes. "The championships provide an arena for some of the industry's top chefs, as well as apprentices, to test their skills against the clock, showcase their craft and compete against their peers from across the country and overseas," said Gerry Murphy, Chefs' Championship Director.

At an after-hours Italian wine tasting and reception, attendees can sample a selection of some of the world's finest wines and network with industry colleagues. All seminars and the evening reception are free of charge with a show badge.

One of the seminars with how-tos for enticing customers back will be Bill Primavera and Steven Hall's Sunday seminar on marketing your operation. Marketing specialists Primavera and Hall advise restaurants in the competitive New York City metro area, home to over 16,000 full-service restaurants. With 1,900 exhibits and more than 30 educational programs packed into the four-day show, pre-show planning at the redesigned www.ihmrs.com site is key. The site permits attendees to register on-line, find exhibitors, use a scheduler to plan out the most efficient and productive use of show time, and access travel and hotel links. "By offering all show information and materials on-line," said show manager Christian Falkenberg, "participation has been made easier." Exhibitors will find a set up manual, order forms for show services, equipment rentals, and a marketing manual at the site.

The IH/M&RS is sponsored by the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, the Hotel Association of New York City, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association. For additional information, call [phone] or visit the show web site at www.ihmrs.com.