ARRIVAL – MONDAY, OCTOBER 8
Ask The Experts
This year, Ask The Experts will be done completely in private, 30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member! Sessions can be about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Customer Advisory Panel Meeting – DiscoverLink Online MIT Program Development Plans
For Customer Advisory Panel members only. If you would like to become a member of the panel, please contact us.
We will share a concept for an online MIT program currently in the initial stage of development and ask for your feedback. The plan for this program is to allow customers to pick and choose the elements that will be useful to their organization. It is flexible and modular so clients can use a portion or all of the program. In this session we’ll:
- Present an overview of our research that directed our early planning
- Lay out the framework we’re planning, including some ideas for e-learning courses and tools you can use to put paper materials online
- Ask for your feedback on what you like and challenges you see for your organization or the industry to use this program
- Solicit new content ideas you’d like us to consider for future content library developments
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Jeff Tenut – CEO, DiscoverLink
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Josh Lowry – VP of Customer Success, DiscoverLink
Customer Advisory Panel Meeting – DiscoverLink Talent Product Enhancement
For Customer Advisory Panel members only. If you would like to become a member of the panel, please contact us.
Discuss future product enhancements you want us to consider, including a deep dive on several ideas such as:
- Social learning brainstorm discussing the potential for integrating social features into DiscoverLink Talent
- Campus Analytics and Reporting discussion focused on data analysis requirements
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Tom Tankelewicz – COO, DiscoverLink
Welcome Party!
A fun evening of appetizers, drinks, networking and games at the onsite Pavilion. Check out the pictures from last year’s welcome party on our Facebook page and see what you’ll miss if you don’t join us for this event!
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
DAY ONE – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9
Ask The Experts
This year, Ask The Experts will be done completely in private, 30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member! Sessions can be about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
7:30 – 8:00 a.m.
Conference Kickoff
Meet the team and get ready to learn! This is your chance to vote on your favorite Custom Login Page and Success Story, so don’t be late!
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
John Poulos – President, DiscoverLink
The 7 1/2 Best Practices in Multiunit Leadership
In an industry where annual employee churn exceeds 100%, where technology is disrupting ordering, marketing and training processes daily, and the customer has redefined the concept of “service,” who is staying ahead of the curve in our industry? This presentation will detail the seven specific best practices being deployed by the most successful foodservice brands to drive more sales, energize service, embrace technology, retain high-performers, and develop a robust leadership pipeline into their units, regions, and markets. This will also cover a ½ best practice related to executing the other seven best practices.
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Jim Sullivan – Creator of Sullivision and author of “Multiunit Leadership: The 7 Stages of Building Profitable Stores Across Mulitple Markets”
Culture of Coaching
Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group – Red Robin (LVRG) has a strong “culture of coaching” that they pride themselves on. Year to date, LVRG has a 67% internal promotion rate for managers and a 100% internal promotion rate for GMs. This is all due to the e-learning pathway that has been set up and can take any team member from day one through multi-unit leadership. This presentation will focus on the steps to create a successful e-learning development pathway for internal growth.
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Dave Burrington – HR Business Partner, Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group – Red Robin
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Natalie Loney – HR Business Partner, Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group – Red Robin
DiscoverLink Content Library Update & Money Talks
Discover new courses to improve compliance and round out your learning programs. Afterwards, participate in our fun activity that allows you to provide input into our new content development priorities.
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Ellen Keiser – Manager of Content Development, DiscoverLink
Ask The Experts
This year, Ask The Experts will be done completely in private, 30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member! Sessions can be about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Breakout 1a: Using Exam Question Banks in DiscoverLink Talent
In this advanced admin session, we will show you how to leverage one of the most powerful features in your LMS. With Question Banks, you can store questions in a bank once and use them in multiple exams, with question edits propagated automatically. You’ll also learn how to use categories to enable granular randomization to ensure the validity of your exams and quizzes.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Mary Polley-Berte – Client Services Manager, DiscoverLink
Breakout 1b: Curriculum Design Workshop
In this interactive breakout session, we’ll work together to create a hospitality training curriculum. We’ll show you how to craft the perfect blended learning program, incorporating both online and offline training into a seamless program. We’ll help you decide which method is best to teach each competency, and show you how to leverage several LMS features to meet your goals.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Josh Lowry – Vice President of Customer Success, DiscoverLink
The Hidden Benefits of Apprenticeship
As one of the first restaurant chains to participate in the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship program, Taco Mac is something of a pioneer. But little did they know how much extra value this program would provide beyond the $50,000 in grants they received from the Federal Department of Labor. In this noteworthy session, you’ll hear about the step by step process they used to secure 25% of the available restaurant apprenticeship spots. Find out how Taco Mac collaborated with teams from the National Restaurant Association and DiscoverLink to map their training curriculum to the competencies required by the program. And, in addition to benefits realized by apprentices and participating restaurants, you’ll discover the surprising impacts the program had on both the training department and recruiting efforts.
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Mary Lowe – Vice President of Training & Development, Taco Mac
DiscoverLink Talent Update & Money Talks
Find out how our latest enhancements can help you meet your goals. Afterwards, help us prioritize new feature development for DiscoverLink Talent.
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
Tom Tankelewicz – COO, DiscoverLink
Campus Compare
Join us for speed dating – DiscoverLink style! Pick a campus that you want to explore and after 20 minutes are up, rotate to another table!
Campuses featured: Moe’s Southwest Grill, Golden Corral, The Greene Turtle, Pappas Restaurants, America’s Incredible Pizza Company, Pizza Ranch
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Moderator: Cindy Poulos – Vice President of Marketing, DiscoverLink
Menu Labeling and Allergen Laws for the Restaurant Trainer
Take a deep dive into menu labeling and allergen laws to get up-to-date with current mandates. This session will review and explain the impact of the allergen laws in different states, discuss the enacted menu labeling federal mandate, and discuss what is approaching on the horizon. Walk away with a greater understanding of the different mandates so you can provide an allergy-friendly environment and properly labeled menu.
4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Betsy Craig – Founder & Client Engagement Officer, MenuTrinfo
Celebration Dinner
Enjoy dinner, drinks and networking at one of our sponsor’s local restaurants. Bus transportation provided.
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
DAY TWO – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10
Ask The Experts
This year, Ask The Experts will be done completely in private, 30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member! Sessions can be about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!
7:30 – 8:00 a.m.
Seven Secrets to Become the Leader You Never Thought You Could Be
With constant change increasing the pressure placed on all of us, how can you adapt to meet the needs of your customers and yourself? How do you deal with the difficulty of doing more with fewer resources? How do you stop spending your days putting out fires? Simple: stop letting your title or organizational structure keep you from being a leader.
In this spirited and interactive session, you will learn seven secrets that great leaders apply to make great results happen. Find out how you can apply these same secrets to your job – no matter what you do. Discover how to awaken the leader within you!
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Josh Davies – CEO, The Center for Work Ethic Development
Operations Executive Panel
The relationship between training and operations is important to your organization, but sometimes lines get crossed and decisions can get fuzzy. This panel will take a deep dive into the minds of operations executives and provide insight into the dynamic between these two departments. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the role of training in helping to drive culture, guest experience, and operations overall.
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Moderator: Sara Anderson – National Restaurant Association
Gabe Hosler – Vice President of Operations, Rubio’s Coastal Grill
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Mike Freeman – Senior Director of Operations, McAlister’s Deli
Scott Post – Chief Operating Officer, Pizza Ranch
Breakout 2a: Managing Compliance with Certification Tracker in DiscoverLink Talent
This session is designed for training administrators who are frustrated with the challenges of having to track multiple certifications in different programs across their organization. With Certification Tracker, you can keep track of your most important certifications, assign recurring certifications, and even modify requirements for different regions, franchisees or brands. We will be diving into all elements of Certification Tracker and showing you how to utilize them to benefit your campus.
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Michelle Killian – Director of Client Services, DiscoverLink
Breakout 2b: How to Ensure Your Course Won’t Break After Release
In this session, we will teach you tips and tricks for how to test your e-learning course, and what to look for when you are double checking your work. At times, courses will be uploaded, but an issue will prevent users from moving through or even completing the course. In this session, you’ll learn to spot the trickiest problems that can trip you up and how to ensure the quality of your course.
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Ellen Keiser – Manager of Content Development, DiscoverLink
The Content Dilemma: Using Blended Learning to Increase Effectiveness
With all of the ways to present your learner with content, how do you decide which content fits where? Rubio’s uses a variety of methods to engage learners and increase the effectiveness of their training. In this session, we explore how to decide where content should “live” and how to develop content when faced with the challenges of low technology use, little budget, and a fast-paced environment.
10:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Melanie Johnson – Senior Manager of Training and Program Development, Rubio’s Coastal Grill
E-course Show & Tell
Clients share their best e-learning courses, best simulations, and best interactive activities.
Courses featured by: Texas Roadhouse, Peter Piper, Fazoli’s
11:15 – 12:00 p.m.
Moderator: Jeff Tenut – CEO, DiscoverLink
Conference Wrap Up
We’ll share prioritization results and give you an opportunity to share your feedback and ideas.
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
John Poulos – President, DiscoverLink
Ask The Experts
This year, Ask The Experts will be done completely in private, 30-minute sessions with any DiscoverLink team member! Sessions can be about anything of your choosing. Bring materials if you wish or just meet to brainstorm ideas!