Hospitality Design - July 2011 - 18

from the show director

feast for the senses

Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) May 15-17, 2012 Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas www.hdexpo.com

If you are anything like me, the experience of eating in a restaurant, especially a brand new or renovated one, is not just a pleasure for the taste buds, but also a pleasure on the eyes. I may have fancied myself as a bit of an artist when I was younger, but the difference between being able to draw a plant and being able to conceptualize an entire establishment is a little more than obvious. It seems to me that themed restaurants are becoming more and more popular and people don’t just want to eat out, they want to come away with a story to tell of the experience they just had. Each restaurant has to do its due diligence way in advance of the actual design process to decide what audience they are going after. Think Rainforest Café whimsical versus Spago chic. I recently watched a show about dining in the dark. While the idea seems totally horriﬁc to me—and contrary to Chelsea Handler’s experience in London, you are not supposed to remove your clothing (even if you are hot)— they say that by taking away one of your senses, your sense of taste becomes much more prominent. I will take their word for that, but all signs are pointing towards an interesting trend where dining is becoming as entertaining as catching a show. I can only imagine that this makes the life of a designer so much more fun. While we challenge the exhibitors at HD Boutique to be creative with their displays at the show given the limited booth sizes, how would you go about designing a restaurant that nobody was ever going to see because the lights were always turned off? Or how about the Marton Theme Restaurant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, which has a bathroom décor with colorful toilet seats as standard chairs? Perhaps it’s more of a shock factor than a good design choice, but the restaurant is doing really well, even if you have to eat your curry out of a toilet bowl. Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy some good food, perhaps a couple of cold ones and some entertainment, so go on and experience some of the nuances that restaurants are offering these days and marvel in the wonders of the extremes. Until next month. Best, KARA KOBRZYCKI Conference Director 770.291.5424 Kara.Kobrzycki@nielsen.com DERRICK NELLOMS Operations Manager 770.291.5452 Derrick.Nelloms@nielsen.com BRENT PAYNE Sales Associate, West Coast 770.291.5604 Brent.Payne@nielsen.com FRANCES WONG Marketing Manager 770.291.5513 Frances.Wong@nielsen.com RACHEL LONG Conference/Editorial Director 813.251.4441 Rachel.Long@nielsen.com LIZ SOMMERVILLE Group Show Director 770.291.5456 Elizabeth.Sommerville@nielsen.com JEFF BROWN Sales Manager 770.291.5435 Jeff.Brown@nielsen.com CECE LOFT Account Executive, East Coast 770.291.5433 Cece.Loft@nielsen.com Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition & Conference (HD Boutique) September 13 - 14, 2011 Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami www.hdboutique.com Contact us: 1145 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 355 Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 770.291.5400

Liz Sommerville Group Show Director Elizabeth.Sommerville@nielsen.com

DAVID LOECHNER President, Nielsen Expositions MICHAEL ALICEA Senior Vice President, Human Resources DARRELL DENNY Senior Vice President, Business Development
DENISE BASHEM Vice President, Finance LORI JENKS Vice President, Operations TERESA REILLY Vice President, Digital JOANNE WHEATLEY Vice President, Manufacturing & Marketing Services

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http://www.hdexpo.com http://www.hdboutique.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - July 2011
