CS+TSE Spotlight: Jen Sulak, Rich Shank, & Shannon Boudreau

All throughout January and February we'll be highlighting some of this year's speakers leading up to Catersource + The Special Event, happening February 12-15 in Austin, TX. 

Jen Sulak, Wedding Photographer, Artist and Inspirational Speaker, Pink Light Images / Weirdo Weddings

Jen is a passionate artist and photographer that welcomes the weird, celebrates imagination, and creates spaces to belong. Jen has a passion to encourage others in their craft and voice and bring a spirit of love and creativity wherever and whenever possible! She is the Lead Wedding Photographer for Weirdo Weddings (as well as Pink Light Weddings), Conceptual Portrait artist with Pink Light Images and an Inspirational Speaker as Pink Hair Jen. Jen is also a Podcast Host with "Tattoos and Toddlers Podcast" a look at running businesses and having young children with an integration of business and family discussions and fun tattoo stories!

Fast Chat: Awkward Networking - Making Relationships Count
10:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 14

This 30 minute interactive fast chat is about challenging others to work through the awkward moments of networking! Often thought of as a 'natural' skill, many of us struggle every day to make connection, lasting business relationships and need to be reminded that we are all a little awkward some days. Have a real-time discussion on keys to overcome some anxieties, tips to be open for that next relationship and being a voice to tell your story while also connecting with others' stories. Interaction HIGHLY encouraged!

Rich Shank, Senior Principal and VP of Innovation, Technomic

With more than 20 years of professional research experience, Rich has spent the past decade focused on brand and customer strategy, menu optimization, demand planning, new product feasibility and pricing analytics. Rich leads Technomic’s restaurant advisory practice and innovation team, where his deep understanding of research best practices elevates every project Technomic delivers. Rich has been a featured speaker at numerous industry events including the Restaurant Leadership Conference, the National Restaurant Association Show, Restaurants Canada and numerous national franchisee conferences.

Menu Trends for 2024 & Beyond
4:15 p.m. Tuesday, February 13

Which flavors, ingredients, and dishes are new and growing? Get creative inspiration from cutting-edge culinarians and consumer insights to help you decide what to add to your 2024 catering menu. Rich Shank, VP of innovation and senior principal at Technomic, will provide an in-depth view of what’s going on with menus using forward-looking, predictive data from Technomic’s online platform, Ignite.

The New Catering Buyer: Insights to Help You Win More Business
1:00 p.m. Thursday, February 15

Join Rich Shank, VP of innovation and senior principal at Technomic, for a data-driven dive into the catering business. Get a look at how the business has changed since the pandemic and understand how catering buyers are making decisions, where catering dollars are being spent, and what trends in both social and corporate catering are driving dollars.

Shannon Boudreau, Director of Sales and Events, Lazy Gourmet

Shannon oversees the sales team and executes hundreds of events a year, ranging from 6 to 15,000 people. She loves being part of some of the most interesting events in the city, with a team of passionate, creative people. (She also loves getting paid to eat really good food.) Shannon has an inimitable sense of humour – you can see her witty yet educational segments on CTV Morning Live and Noon hour.

Cocktail Cheat Codes
3:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 14

Did you know that 90% of cocktails we see and consume are all based on a few core classic drink recipes? In this demo former Catersource Swizzle winner Shannon Boudreau will walk you through a classic cocktail and how to make it multiple “new” drinks by simply changing 1 or 2 ingredients. Maximize your bottom line and ensure ease of service for your bar staff. You’ll want to sip, not skip this one!

Thirty F&B Trends to Watch for in 2024
1:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 14

What was popular this past year, what trends are here to stay, and what's new for 2024 and beyond?
In this 60-minute session with Vancouver's delightful Shannon Boudreau of The Lazy Gourmet (last seen at Catersource 2020 in a packed room), you’ll learn over 30 new trends for food stations, desserts, appetizers, cocktails, and more. This fast paced presentation will give your team new ideas to take back and incorporate into proposals to keep clients excited about their upcoming events and attract new business. You’ll receive recipes to add to your bar menu to increase your bottom line while making each event seem custom tailored to your specific client and also learn ways to incorporate food trends into your overall decor.

You can see Jen, Rich, and Shannon LIVE at Catersource + The Special Event in Austin from February 12-15.