Palm Springs
Agenda | Oct 12-14, 2025
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
SUNDAY
Oct
12
11am-5 pm
Registration & Orientation
2-5 pm
Afternoon at the Surf Club
2-5 pm
Pickleball Social
3-5 pm
Desert Hike
6:15-7 pm
Welcome Reception
7-8:00 pm
Networking Dinner
8-9:15 pm
A Night of Laughter
Adam Ray
Stand-up Comedian
MONDAY
Oct
13
6:30-7 am
Group Run / Walk
7:15-8 am
Breakfast
brought to you by Marketing Alliance Group
8-8:50 am
The Next Era of Restaurant Development + Innovation
Rob Gerstenfeld
VP of Real Estate, Construction & Design – Qdoba
Melissa Ng
SVP Design & Construction – CAVA
Suk Singh
Chief Development Officer – Wagamama
Sean McGuinness
Hospitality Director – Sargenti 🎤
8:55-10:15 am
Sourcing Meetings
10:20-10:50 am
The Evolution of Shake Shack
Andrew McCaughan
Chief Development Officer – Shake Shack
10:50-11:10 am
From Global Design Trends to Future-Ready Restaurants
Ben Calleja
Founder – Livit
11:10-11:30 am
Reimagining Pizza Hut: A Brand in Motion
Oscar Pelaez
Global Director of Concept Innovation – Pizza Hut
11:35 am-12:35 pm
Sourcing Meetings
12:35-1:35 pm
Networking Lunch
1:40-2:10 pm
Inside Starbucks‘ New Coffeehouse Strategy
Meredith Sandland
EVP, Chief Coffee House Design & Development Officer – Starbucks
2:10-2:30 pm
From Insight to Impact: Innovation Strategies from Burger King‘s Royal Innovation Center
Marc Aust
Vice President, Operations Services – Burger King
2:35-3:35 pm
Sourcing Meetings
2:40-3 pm
Are You Putting Emotional Lightning on the Menu?
Jean-Pierre Lacroix
President, Founder – Shikatani Lacroix Design
4:10-4:30 pm
Designing Taco Bell‘s New Concept
Chuck Gladney
Head of Global Design & Architecture – Taco Bell
Happy Hour 🍷
4:20-5 pm
Free Time
5-9:30 pm
The RestaurantSpaces Desert Glow
TUESDAY
Oct
14
7:45-8:45 am
Breakfast
8:45-9:10 am
Modular Strategy: Scaling Quiznos with the Qube Model
Neel Patel
CEO – REGO Restaurant Group
9:10-9:30 am
Why Experience is the New Loyalty
Jamie Cornelius
Executive Creative Director – ChangeUp
9:30-9:55 am
Scaling Smart: How &pizza Balances Growth and Experience
Mike Burns
CEO – &pizza
Zia Durrani
Producer – RestaurantSpaces 🎤
10-10:40 am
Sourcing Meetings
10:45 am-12 pm
Deep Dives
Leveraging AI to Save Time and Money in Design and Development
Brian Olson – Vice President of Real Estate – Smoothie King
Reducing Restaurant Build-Out Costs
Sara Craven – Director of Global Shop Design – Krispy Kreme
Navigating Permits Without Losing Your Mind (or Timeline)
Carlo Verdugo – VP Operations & Business Development – Juice It Up!
Designing Kitchens That Do More With Less
Joseph Ortiz – President & Chief Operating Officer – Farmer Boys
12-1 pm
Bon Voyage Lunch
Wanna join us?
ATTEND
(RESTAURANT CHAIN EXEC)
Qualified execs attend at no cost. The invitation includes accommodations for two nights, full meals and access to all networking excursions.
PARTNER
(INDUSTRY VENDOR)
Partnering is a great way to get your company in front of the best of restaurant development, design, and technology leaders.