Jonathan Low Global Speaking Fellow, CSP ICF MCC, centers his conference speaking and executive coaching work with organisations and senior executives to measurably improve their leadership effectiveness and business performance especially in the areas of Service Quality, Sales Performance, Leadership Communication and Team Development. He believes that “Increased self-awareness accelerates professional relations and business success”.

Author of the book “Winning Clients’ Loyalty – 7 Proven Practices to Convert Clients into Amazing Fans”, Jonathan brings with him 30 years of professional and global hospitality experiences, having travelled extensively to more than 50 countries and 185 cities in Europe, United States, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He has held several positions in key leadership and executive roles with various global five star hospitality groups. He was formerly the Area Director of Sales, Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts, Area Director of Rev Mgmt with Renaissance & Marriott AP, which includes the Ritz Carlton brands and was also with Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

A Global Speaking Fellow, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and ICF Master Certified Coach (ICF MCC), Jonathan is also one of Asia’s leading Sales & Service Conference Speaker and Leadership Success Coach. Jonathan has successfully delivered his high energy, fun and highly engaging programs to international participants (ranging from executives to senior managers and directors) across Asia Pacific & the Middle East), besides being a transformational speaker at numerous international conferences.

He was also the President of the Global Speakers Federation 2015/2016, the first Malaysian and Asian to lead this global organisation with member associations of professional speakers. He is also the Adjunct Associate Professor with Taylor’s University School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, one of the Top 16 University for Hospitality & Leisure Management in the World. Jonathan is also a member of the 100Coaches with Marshall Goldsmith and one of the Top 30 Global Mentors recognised by IFLD, United States of America.

Jonathan is certified to use assessment tools with Six Seconds EQ Network, Identi3, Reina Trust Building, Marshall Goldsmith SCC, Mental Toughness Research Institute & Agility Performance solutions besides being a Global Canfield Methodology Speaker/Trainer . He has integrated these models working with executives at multinational companies to measurably improve their leadership competencies and business performance over the last 18 years. Described by clients as inspiring, empowering, energetic and thought provoking yet caring, Jonathan continues to let leaders explore deeper levels of self-awareness and help them experience how this leads to greater personal and business success.

Jonathan lives with his family in the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Do visit www.JonathanLow.net or www.GlobalSuccessLearning.net to learn more about Jonathan.

Stephen Barth is an American lawyer, award-winning professor, author, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. In his 30+ years to date at the Conrad Hilton College, University of Houston, where he has focused on hospitality law and leadership, Stephen has taught 15,000+ students, published 150+ articles, and delivered 500+ presentations to business travel, hotel, restaurant, club, and meeting industry audiences. He is a regular industry speaker whose insights and perspectives have been featured on the CBS Morning Show and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and more.

In 2000, Stephen founded HospitalityLawyer.com along with the annual Hospitality Law Conferences. In 2011, he founded the Global Travel Risk Management Summit Series. He is also the author of Intelligent Emotions: On Self Responsibility, Owning Our Emotional Power, and Changing Our Reactions and the co-author of Hospitality Law 5th Edition and Restaurant Law Basics.

Stephen has over 20k followers on his personal Twitter account (@stephenbarth) and spearheaded the publication of 6 curated newsletters that focus on Travel Safety, Hotel Development, Human Resources, Hospitality Law, Food & Beverage, and Hospitality Insurance Loss Prevention, which have a combined monthly readership of over 37k subscribers.

Stephen also keeps the conversation going and shares valuable information in several welcoming LinkedIn groups, such as the Global Travel Coalition, the Hospitality Owner Management Coalition, the Hospitality Legal, Risk, Safety and Security Coalition, and the Emotional Energy group.

Stephen has also been interviewed in podcasts such as Optimal Self with Jeremy Herider, Wake Up With KC, and The Legal Mastermind Podcast.

Stephen has been and continues to be designated frequently as an expert in litigation involving the responsible service of alcohol (Dram Shop Expert) as well as safety and security aspects in the hospitality industry, including high profile cases such as Andrews v. Marriott International, Inc., 2016 IL APP (1ST) 12273 and the Melissa Blaylock v. Schwartz Brothers Restaurants/SBR Holdings, L.L.C./WAS, Inc., and Bruce Greene, No. 16-2-07043-4-SEA.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Danny Meyer grew up in a family that relished great food and hospitality. Thanks to his father’s travel business, which designed custom European trips, Danny spent much of his childhood eating, visiting near and far-off places, and sowing the seeds for his future passion. In 1985, at the age of 27, Danny opened his first restaurant, Union Square Cafe, launching what would become a lifelong career in hospitality.

Thirty years later, Danny’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) comprises some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, and more. Danny and USHG founded Shake Shack, the modern-day “roadside” burger restaurant, which became a public company in 2015. USHG also offers large-scale event services, foodservice solutions for public and private institutions, industry consulting, and educational programming.

Under Danny’s leadership, USHG is renowned not only for its acclaimed restaurants but also for its distinctive and celebrated culture of Enlightened Hospitality. This guiding principle of prioritizing employees first and foremost has driven and shaped USHG’s ongoing evolution from a small group of restaurants into a multi-faceted hospitality organization.

Danny and USHG’s diverse ventures have added to the hospitality dialogue in many contexts including dining options in museums, sports arenas, and cultural institutions, as well as prescient investments in burgeoning neighborhoods. In 2016, USHG launched a pioneering initiative to eliminate tipping throughout its New York restaurants. This new way of business, called Hospitality Included, is designed to compensate the restaurant team more equitably and professionally, while providing clear paths for professional advancement.

Danny’s groundbreaking business book, Setting the Table (HarperCollins, 2006), a New York Times Bestseller, articulates a set of signature business and life principles that translate to a wide range of industries. A celebrated speaker and educator, Danny has set industry standards in areas such as hiring practices, innovative leadership, and corporate responsibility and addresses a wide range of audiences on such topics around the country.

Danny has been generously recognized for his leadership, business achievements, and humanitarianism, including the 2017 Julia Child Award, the 2015 TIME 100 “Most Influential People” list, the 2012 Aspen Institute Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership, the 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and the 2000 IFMA Gold Plate Award. Together, Danny and USHG’s restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur (2005) and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America (1996).

Danny and his wife, Audrey, live in New York City and have four children.

Holly Stiel is a World renowned hospitality and customer service expert and trailblazing service philosopher who innovated a method of training based on the practices and principles of the world-class concierge. Her teaching has been heard in 25 languages, from Japan to Johannesburg, for businesses ranging from The Bank of America to NASCAR. Even in a profession defined by superlative service, Holly Stiel stands out as an authority and pioneer in the field of concierge services. In 1976, Stiel became the first female concierge in the country when she created the desk at the Grand Hyatt Union Square in San Francisco. Two years later, she was the first American woman to be admitted to the exclusive Les Clefs d’Or Association for concierges. She has received the association’s Lifetime Achievement award for her broad contributions to her profession. Her books, “The Art and Science of the Hotel Concierge” and “Ultimate Service, The Complete Handbook to the World of the Concierge”, are considered the definitive work on concierge service for hotel professionals. She also authored “Thank You Very Much –A Book for Anyone Who Has Ever Said, “May I Help you?” Her book “The Neon Signs of Service” advances the idea that the development of simple skills can elevate customer service into an art form.

Christine Trippi is an award-winning hospitality leader. She has spent more than 30 years working in hotel operations for companies such as Marriott, Hilton, Crown Plaza, and Courtyard by Marriott, where she was named General Manager of the Year.

As the founder of The Wise Pineapple LLC, Christine inspires and helps leaders and organizations to Be Confident, Be Empowered, and Lead from the Heart–achieving Sweet Results!

Christine was raised and still resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband, Mike (aka Bunny) and her two awesome kids, Spencer and Samantha. When Christine isn’t working, she is most likely doing something that terrifies her husband, like jumping out of planes, taking a selfie on top of a mountain, or talking to strangers. Christine likes her nails pink, her Diet Coke with Captain, and her hugs BIG!

To learn more or to book Christine for your next
event or workshop, visit TheWisePineapple.com or
ChristineTrippi.com.

Jim Sullivan, CEO and Founder of Sullivision, is a veteran of over 20 years in the hospitality and retail industries. He’s worked for and with companies as distinct as Walt Disney Company, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and American Express. Not a “theorist”, Jim is well-known as a brand-builder, motivator, trend-spotter and problem-solver. He has built his reputation designing successful leadership, sales, marketing, and customer service development programs for the Top 200 foodservice and retail chains. He’s the author of two books that have sold over 420,000 copies worldwide, including the 2021 best-seller MultiUnit Leadership: The 7 Stages of Building High-Performing Partnerships and Teams and Fundamentals: 9 Ways to Be Brilliant at the Basics. His videos, webinars and live seminars have been experienced by over 1 million leaders worldwide. Jim’s research and insight on Multi-Unit Leadership has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall street Journal, Fast Company, Inc. and The London Times.  Sullivision’s clients include: Walt Disney, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Domino’s, Papa John’s, Target Stores, WalMart, Texas Roadhouse, Subway, Marriott, Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s, Universal Studios, Southwest Airlines, Panera, American Express, KFC, Outback Steakhouses, Hershey Foods, Dunkin’, Taco Bell, Burger King, HMS Host, and Wendy’s.

Hailing from Sleepy Hollow, New York, Will Guidara has been immersed in the restaurant industry since the age of thirteen. He is a graduate of the school of hotel administration at Cornell University and attended culinary school in the north of Spain. Guidara trained in the dining rooms of Tribeca Grill, Spago, and Tabla and opened the restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art before becoming the general manager of Eleven Madison Park in 2006.

Under Chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara’s leadership, Eleven Madison Park received four stars from the New York Times, earned three Michelin stars, and was given a coveted spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant has also received six James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant in America. In 2011, Humm and Guidara purchased Eleven Madison Park and, in early 2012, went on to open the food and beverage spaces at the NoMad Hotel. They are also the authors of Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook.

A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze’s teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.

Mr. Schulze’s professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server’s assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous.

During his tenure at The Ritz Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — twice.

In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as “corporate hotelier of the world” by HOTELS magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management.

Most recently, Mr. Schulze has been honored as a “Leader in Luxury” by Travel Agent magazine and its sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor.

After leaving The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide, and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.

Today, Mr. Schulze serves on various boards and acts as a consultant across industries. He recently completed his seminal book on creating excellence.

David K. Hayes, Ph.D. has over 40 years of experience in the field of hospitality management and education. Dr. Hayes developed the hospitality management program at Texas Tech University. He has held faculty position at Purdue University and Texas Tech University, served as Associate Dean of the University of Houston’s Conrad Hilton College of Hotel Administration, and held the position of Vice President of the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA).

An accomplished business professional as well as educator, Dr. Hayes’ hospitality industry experience is varied and includes six years as the Managing Owner of a full-service hotel and conference center in Lansing, Michigan. In 2005, Dr. Hayes formed Panda Professionals Hospitality Management and Training, (pandapros.com); a training resources company that develops customized hospitality education-related materials.

Dr. Hayes is a prolific author, having published over a dozen textbooks, including versions that have been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, Croatian and Spanish.

DEBORAH GARDNER – Mrs. Arizona 2020 & 2021, Author, Speaker, Show Host, Hospitality Today LIVE Accelerate Performance and Drive Results ™   Hospitality Keynote Speaker Deborah Gardner teaches companies how to extend hospitality to all facets of a business, and achieve outstanding results, by focusing on people. Deborah’s business accomplishments include; CNN Top 75 Keynote Speaker, Meetings Today Top 20 Meetings Trendsetters 2021, Smart Meetings Top 50 Smart Women Leaders and Meetings Mean Business Ambassador.  With her expertise, enthusiasm, and outstanding personality, she is the perfect collaborator to work with throughout the entire process. She is a valuable asset for anyone looking to enhance their personal or business life.

Deborah Gardner was voted one of the Top 5 Most Requested Speakers by Meeting Professional Int’l and is considered BEST IN CLASS with Professional Convention Management Assoc. She is a highly energetic, vibrant and a truly captivating international presenter. Deborah brings 27 years of experience in the hospitality sales profession to each of her clients. She challenges audiences to think and act in an effort to inspire immediate self-motivation and positive action.

Better known as the “pit bull in a skirt” by many of her Fortune 500 worldwide clients, Deborah helps companies align strategies, goals and objectives with an “all hands on deck” approach that translates into innovative ideas for an overall competitive company spirit. Through her keynotes, workshops and training programs she shares the most relevant, up-to-date practices using real-life stories and examples in a conversational, interactive way that engages audience members and gets results. Deborah has infused her humorous, sassy and entertaining presentations with a lifetime of experience that includes everything from being Olympic trial swimmer to CBS sports broadcaster.

Deborah has a monthly radio show called, THE GARDNER REPORT and soon, she will be the host for a weekly Television show called … “WHAT’S HOT ARIZONA”. She is the author of “How to Sell to Men Without Wearing a Low-Cut Dress” .

Doug Lipp has a great rep in the hospitality industry. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author and consultant on customer service, leadership, change management and global competitiveness. His thought-provoking, learn-by-doing presentation style has motivated hundreds of thousands of people around the world to maximize personal and professional success. By age 29, Doug was the head of the training team at the world-famous Disney University at Disney’s corporate headquarters. Fluent in Japanese, he was later on the start-up team for Tokyo Disneyland, Disney’s first international theme park. After leaving Disney, Doug co-developed an international consulting firm with a Stanford University professor, teaching diverse teams of professionals how to better themselves in the marketplace. Doug is the author of numerous articles and eight books on leadership, customer service, and international business. His latest book, Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal, and Customer-Centric Employees is full of never-before-told stories offering timeless lessons from Disney’s legendary leaders. In writing Disney U, Doug interviewed with Disney legends, Disney University Founders, and countless Disney Executives and visionaries who welcomed him into their historic days with the iconic leader Walt Disney. Not many know about Van France, the Disney University Founder charged with the task of creating this famous training empire.

Brandon W Johnson is a highly sought-after speaker, award-winning author, and leading expert on leadership and team development in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Known as ‘Positive Energy Guy” he was featured on the Twin Cities Live TV Show and was named an “Emerging Leader” by Twin Cities Business Magazine. He has had many business successes through his journey of being a restaurant Training General Manager, Director of Management Training & Recruitment with Famous Dave’s BBQ and then being an Executive Director of a non-profit (LifeSkills Center for Leadership) and a CEO of LifeSkills Business, a corporate leadership training organization. As part of the LifeSkills team, the trainings that they developed were honored by both Oprah’s Angel Network and Chicken Soup for the Soul book series as a charity of choice. Originally from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Brandon has a B.A. in Hospitality & Tourism Management and M.A. in Management Technology (Emphasis in Organizational Development ) from UW-Stout. Since leaving his corporate career in 2004 he has consulted with many $500 million plus organizations and trained tens of thousands of people enabling them to find success and fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. In 2010 he founded Brandon W Johnson, LLC (Positive Energy Guy), an organization that provides leadership trainings, keynote speaking and organizational development resources and consulting. His book “Hospitality from the HEART” was honored as “Business Book of the Year” at the Midwest Book Awards and is being used as part of many hospitality and service curriculums in high schools, colleges, and businesses. Together with his wife Katie, their two children Emma and Zachary, and their Yorkie Jazz, they live in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Hotelier Tanji is the owner of world’s most popular free hotel management training blog http://www.hospitality-school.com . She and her team run this hotel management training blog to educate young hospitality professionals. Hospitality School (http://www.hospitality-school.com) is world’s leading free hotel management training blog that publishes hundreds of free training tutorials from 2010. Our expert writing team has produced hotel & restaurant management training tutorials, lectures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for our readers. Thousands of people visit this blog daily to get free & high quality academic and professional training. It doesn’t matter whether you are a hotel management student or a new hospitality worker or a job seeker or even an experienced hotel staff-this site will be suitable and helpful for you all.

Kimberly A. Tranter, MBA, CHE, serves as Associate Professor & Director of Resort, Lodging, Tourism, and Event Management Programs in the Hospitality College of Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Recipient of their 2005 Teacher of the Year award. She began her academic career in 2000 at the University of Denver. She possesses over a dozen years of hotel executive management experience, culminating in her position as Asst. Vice President of Marketing for Sage Hospitality Resources in Denver. As a member of an operations team, she directed the revenue generation efforts for a portfolio of a dozen hotels from New York to California. She left Sage to launch a very successful hospitality executive search and marketing firm. Kim is the lead author for the textbook entitled An Introduction to Revenue Management for the Hospitality Industry: Principles and Practices for the Real World published by Pearson Prentice Hall. She served as 2008 President of the Denver Chapter of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Assn International (HSMAI), is a two time recipient of their Outstanding Hospitality Ambassador award, and participates in webinars and special projects. She was named one of HSMAI’s 2008 Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing in Hospitality and Travel.

Jacob Tomsky is a Hotel industry expert and author of “Heads in Beds”. He has worked in hotels for more than a decade, doing everything from valet parking to manning the front desk. He’s checked you in, checked you out, separated your white panties from the white bed sheets, tasted your room service, cleaned your toilet, denied you a late check out, laughed at your jokes, and taken your money. And in “Heads in Beds,” he pulls back the curtain on the hospitality business, revealing the crazy yet compelling reality of an industry we think we know. Prepare to be amused, shocked, and amazed as he spills the unwritten code of the bellhops, the antics that go on the valet parking garage, and the housekeeping departments dirty little secrets. “Heads in Beds” is more than just a memoir. Jake explains the secrets of the industry, offering easy and legal ways to get what you need from your hotel without any hassle– from scoring late check-ins and upgrades to getting that pay-per-view charge knocked off your bill. This book will give you the knowledge you need to get the very best service from any hotel or property, from any business that makes its money from putting heads in beds. Or, at the very least, it will keep the bellhops from taking your luggage into the camera-free back office and stomping the hell out of it.

• Executive Producer & Host of Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue”
• Chairman & CEO of Taffer Dynamics, Best-Selling Author and World-Renowned Business Mogul

Most people know Jon Taffer as a larger-than-life television personality who takes a no-holdsbarred approach to helping hotels, restaurants, bars and businesses reach their full potential. He is also an international celebrity, New York Times best-selling author, highly sought-after hospitality and general business consultant and creator, and is the creator, executive producer and star of Paramount Network’s number-one show, Bar Rescue. For nearly four decades, Taffer has been at the forefront of the business management industry offering his expertise to hundreds of thousands of properties and Fortune 500 companies, to creating what industry experts call “the greatest nightclub in the world,” and changing the game of football for its fans, forever with the creation of football’s “Sunday Ticket”.

As the creator, host and executive producer of Bar Rescue on the Paramount Network, currently in its sixth season and renewed for a seventh, Taffer has led the show to account for nearly 25% of the network’s programing and over 90 million viewers. Bar Rescue spotlights Jon as he saves failing bars from looming closure, leverages Taffer’s four decades of unprecedented industry experience and trademarked “Reaction Management” strategy to offer advisement on everything from menu design to cost management. In 2019 the show exceeded 180 episodes. On June 2, 2019, Paramount Network expanded its Jon Taffer-led “Rescue” franchise with Marriage Rescue, a new original non-scripted series following Taffer as he helps couples whose relationships are on the brink of failure.

Concurrently, Jon runs Taffer Dynamics, his business operations firm where he has been brought on to offer dynamic models for a range of well-known establishments and brands, including the NFL, Anheuser-Busch, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Intercontinental, Fridays, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave’s Barbecue, and Wolfgang Puck Express. In addition, Taffer is the chairman of the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Tradeshow.

In the spring and summer of 2019, Jon launched two new business endeavors: Taffer’s Mixologist and Taffer’s Tavern.

Now on shelves in retail stores across the country, including Walmart, Taffer’s Mixologist brings the craft cocktail experience to the home with a line of delicious, high-quality, pre-made cocktail mixes. Taffer’s handcrafted mixes contain no artificial preservatives and are mixologist-tested and Jon Taffer approved. The initial line at launch includes the following popular cocktails: Bloody Mary, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Mojito, Piña Colada, Skinny Margarita, and Strawberry Margarita.

Taffer’s Tavern is an innovative restaurant concept based on a high-volume, small footprint format that uses the latest technologies to produce high-quality food and beverage offerings without the need for a traditional commercial kitchen. Jon partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of powerhouse brands like The Halal Guys, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, and QDOBA Mexican Grill. Together with Fransmart, Jon is currently seeking experienced franchisees to bring the Taffer’s Tavern concept to the 50 largest media markets throughout North America.

As an author, Jon wrote Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself, a no-nonsense guide that helps people understand and overcome the excuses holding them back from success, became a New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller in its first week of release. Jon’s first book, Raise the Bar, an Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions, also hit the Wall Street Journal’s best-seller list.

Tara Paster is President of a privately held training company dedicated to reaching, educating, and positively impacting the food and beverage industry by delivering training excellence to all hospitality industry members; via programming that is targeted, effective, and relevant. As a Certified Professional in Food Safety (CP-FS) and a Food Management Professional (FMP), Ms. Paster has helped food industry organizations and operations act smarter, quicker, and safer. She is one of the leading national speakers on food safety and responsible alcohol awareness. Over the past 10 years, Ms. Paster has been leading and cultivating the hospitality industry by new innovative approaches to HACCP and Food Defense Training. As an up and coming author, she has written and published three (3) HACCP training manuals: The HACCP Food Safety Employee Manual, The HACCP Food Safety Manager Manual, and The HACCP Food Safety Trainer Manual along with The HACCP Food Safety Trainer CD-Rom along with a retail food defense training manual, Food Defense Fundamentals Manual “Using S.H.A.R.E. to Protect the Global Food Supply!”. Her passion for food and alcohol safety goes above and beyond by pioneering the industry and publishing an Alcohol HACCP Manager Manual, together with a training curriculum which will change responsible alcohol management as we know it.

Howard Cannon–is the world’s most sought after forensic restaurant expert witness, with more than 200 cases and several hundred pre-litigation consulting matters to his credit. He is called on by judges, juries, plaintiffs and defense lawyers, members of the media, and industry executives to provide his unbiased opinions pertaining to an astonishing variety of incidents where employees, customers, and vendors become injured, harmed, sickened, maimed, or killed on the premises of restaurants across the United States.

For more than 30 years, Howard’s passion has been the restaurant & bar industry and helping others (no matter how successful they may already be) become more profitable by providing safe, healthy, and secure businesses for their employees, customers, and vendors. Howard’s core strategies and best practices come from his extensive background and experience with working with many of the biggest chains in the industry to hundreds of independent mom-and-pop restaurants. Howard has helped hundreds of thousands by guiding them through the process of opening and operating a restaurant while abiding by the laws of the land as it pertains to safety and health.

He is the author of several books, including Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security© (2016) – The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards & Best Practices; and, the bestselling The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting Your Own Restaurant© (2001) and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Restaurant©–second edition (2005), published and distributed in bookstores in dozens of countries around the globe.

Howard has appeared on national, regional, and local television and radio, and has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, Live with Anderson Cooper, Hotel Impossible, Travel Channel, CBS, and Fox, to name just a few. Cannon has given hundreds of seminars, speeches, workshops, and interviews, and has been published in countless magazines and newspapers. For more information about Restaurant Expert Witness, Howard Cannon

Dr. John R. Walker is the McKibbon Professor and a Fulbright Senior Specialist of hotel and restaurant management at the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee campus. John is the former Dean and Marshall Professor of the School of Hospitality Management at United States International University, San Diego, California. John’s years of industry experience includes management training at the Savoy Hotel London. Followed by terms as food and beverage manager, assistant rooms division manager, catering manager, and general manager with Grand Metropolitan Hotels, Selsdon Park Hotel, Rank Hotels, Inter-Continental Hotels, and the Coral Reef Resort Barbados, West Indies. In addition to being a Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management consultant, he has been published in The New York Times, The Cornell Hotel Restaurant Administration Quarterly; The Hospitality Educators Journal and is a member of the editorial review board of the journal: Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research and The Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism. He is an advisory board member for Pearson’s Hospitality and Tourism publications. John has also been invited to teach and give seminars in Thailand; The Philippines; Taiwan; Hong Kong, Japan; Germany; Switzerland; England; Canada and Mexico. John is a leading author of hospitality and tourism textbooks, having authored the following texts which have been translated into several different languages.

Leonardo Inghilleri is a recognized expert and innovator in the area of organizational effectiveness and strategies, client service excellence, leadership development, and human resources practices. He is the President of ICG – Inghilleri Consulting Group Inc., a management consulting firm dedicated to customerfocused organizations. Prior to ICG, Leonardo served for eight years as Managing Partner of West Paces Consulting and ten years at The Ritz-Carlton as Executive Vice President, Brand Executive for BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts and Senior Vice President of Human Resources for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Here, he played a key role during a time of tremendous growth, developing innovative business and service concepts still considered a benchmark for excellence in the hospitality industry today. Leonardo was also a key architect of the unprecedented Ritz-Carlton’s second winning of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Other highlights of his leadership include the creation of The Ritz-Carlton Learning Institute and The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Leonardo also worked for The Walt Disney Company in Orlando and Paris, as part of the executive opening team of Disneyland Paris, and has also held management positions within the travel and hospitality industry in Italy, England and the United States. His innovative business concepts are captured in his book, Exceptional Service Exceptional Profit, an international best seller. Born in Rome, Italy, Leonardo has been married to his business partner, Solange, for 28 years. They are now enjoying being empty nesters and all that goes with it!

Passion for exceptional guest experiences fuels Alec Dalton’s leadership in hospitality and customer experience management. From hotels to headquarters, his background ranges from operating five luxury properties to holding various corporate positions with industry pioneers like Marriott International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.  He is a frequently-sought speaker on customer experience and quality strategy, and a co-author of several international best-selling books.

In 2022, the International Hospitality Institute named Alec among its lists of “100 Most Powerful People in USA Hospitality,” “Global Top 20 Executives to Watch in Hospitality,” and “Global Top 15 Trainers in Hospitality.” A year prior, the Customer Experience Professionals Association recognized Dalton with the inaugural Emerging Leader in CX Award to acknowledge his rising contributions to the customer experience discipline. In 2018, Hotel Management Magazine named him to the “30 Under 30” list for rising hospitality leaders.

Alec is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the Hospitality Leadership Academy, a firm offering professional development programs and management consulting – all focused on service excellence. He simultaneously serves as Executive Director for Accelerating Leaders. His teams help boutique businesses and brand names alike develop five-star service, whether they be in hospitality or healthcare, restaurants or retail. He also serves on the Boards of the Customer Institute and HorizonCX, and he judges several global CX awards programs.

Alec co-authored the international best-selling books Customer Experience and Customer Experience 2, collaborative guides to the strategy of experience marketing and operations. Along with Drs. Peter Szende and Michelle Yoo, he is also the co-editor of the textbook Operations Management in the Hospitality Industry.  Alec’s scholarly research has been published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research, in the International Journal of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism, and in Hospitality Management Learning Modules by Pearson.

Cathy Hsu is the Chair Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Marketing in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Prior to joining PolyU in July 2001, she was teaching in the USA for 12 years in two different state universities. Cathy is the Editor-in-Chief of Tourism Management, and served as the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism for 16 years (2002-2017). Her research foci include tourist behaviors and emotions, resident sentiment and stereotypes, and hospitality branding.

Before becoming an academic, she worked in the hotel industry as part of the Hilton and Holiday Inns teams. She has served as a consultant and provided training to numerous hotel and tourism organizations over the years on service quality, branding, and marketing.

She has obtained numerous extramural and intramural grants and has over 300 refereed publications. Her most recent co-authored book, Tourism: The Business of Hospitality and Travel (6th ed.), was published by Prentice Hall in 2017. She received the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award in 2009 and International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators’ Martin Oppermann Memorial Award for Lifetime Contribution to Tourism Education in 2011. She is a fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.

Ken Hoffman is a restaurant and hospitality expert with over 30 years of experience leading several of the world’s favorite chains. Hoffman and his expert advice are featured in many publications, textbooks and videos. One textbook, Principals of Operational Management” features Ken Hoffman’s leadership strategies, cost saving techniques and profit promoting plans, and is used in most master degree programs around the world. Kenneth Hoffman fmp also is a certified business consultant and founder of International Restaurant & Hospitality Consulting Group, motivational speaker, corporate CEO (restaurant chain) certified forensic witness expert for the hospitality and was also named as one of the top 3 Hospitality Gurus in the world.. Kenneth Hoffman fmp is a member of the following professional groups Restaurant Operations Executives, Expert Hospitality Witness and is recognized as an Educator for the Gerson Lehrman Group. Ken has also is a motivational and guest speaker for the National restaurant Association, International Restaurant & Hotel Association and many international companies and universities.

Claire Bowen’s coffee shop journey started in 2006. She has been a franchisee, a regional franchisor and founded a chain of coffee shops in the UK with her husband and business partner Andrew Bowen.

They now provide help and support through their websites, www.cafesuccesshub.com and, www.dailygrindbook.com, for other coffee shop owners as well as providing social media training and strategy for many other types of businesses.

Claire is a keynote speaker, co-founder of Cafe Success Consulting and runs the Coffee Shop startup Bootcamp and regularly writes for coffee shop and cafe trade magazines.

She now works with entrepreneurs worldwide to open, fix and sell coffee shop businesses

Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor is the leading authority on how good restaurants can become great restaurants. He helps independent operators create organizations that can prosper in tough times and bring out their workers’ innate ability to deliver exceptional service. He is an advisor to service-oriented organizations across North America. Bill is the founder of Effortless, Inc., a management research and education company, Prototype Restaurants, a hospitality consulting group and Hospitality Masters Press, publishers of the acclaimed Hospitality Masters Series of books. A veteran of the foodservice industry, Bill has managed hotels, institutions and clubs. He has owned and operated full service restaurants. He has had the keys in his hand, his name on the loans and the payrolls to meet. He has been there. Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor is the leading authority on how good restaurants can become great restaurants. He helps independent operators create organizations that can prosper in tough times and bring out their workers’ innate ability to deliver exceptional service. He is an advisor to service-oriented organizations across North America. Bill is the founder of Effortless, Inc., a management research and education company, Prototype Restaurants, a hospitality consulting group and Hospitality Masters Press, publishers of the acclaimed Hospitality Masters Series of books. A veteran of the foodservice industry, Bill has managed hotels, institutions and clubs. He has owned and operated full service restaurants. He has had the keys in his hand, his name on the loans and the payrolls to meet. He has been there.

Michael Garvey is a veteran of more than 20 years in the hospitality industry.He has held various hotel sales and conference services management positions.Past employers include Landry’s Inc., Hyatt Regency and Hawk’s Cay Resort. . His most recent position was as Associate Director of Sales and previously was Director of Conference Services at Hawk’s Cay since 2002.He is originally from Prince Edward Island in Canada and moved to the US in 1993 and then to South Florida in 1997.Michael moved to the Florida Keys in 2002 and then moved Boca Raton in 2005 after being given the opportunity to work from a home office for Hawk’s Cay.Consistently throughout his career, Michael has been recognized as a top producer receiving multiple leadership and sales awards including manager of the quarter in 2003 and 2005.Michael has been an active member of MPI, NACE, serving on various committees within these organizations.

Dr. Getz retired in July, 2009 from his full-time academic position in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, Canada, where he worked from 1991, and he remains Professor Emeritus at Calgary. He worked from 1980 – 1991 as Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in Recreation and Leisure Studies, and after retirement he has held part time positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), University of Stavanger (Norway), and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). As well, he holds Visiting positions at several universities.

Dr. Getz received a BES in 1971 (Environmental Studies, Urban and Regional Planning) from the University of Waterloo, an MA in 1975 from Carleton University (Geography), and his PhD from the University of Edinburgh (Social Sciences) in 1981.

Professor Getz is a leading international tourism and event-studies scholar: Click here for a list of publications.

Areas of Expertise:

– Evaluation and impact assessment; the valuation of events by residents and other stakeholders

– Strategic planning for tourism and events

– Special-Interest tourism: market research, planning, evaluation (e.g., participation sports, yoga, food and wine)

– Entrepreneurship and innovation in small and family businesses

Dr. Fevzi Okumus is the CFHLA Preeminent Chair Professor within the Hospitality Services Department at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He was the founding Chair of the Hospitality Services Department from 2007-2013. He received his PhD in Strategic Hotel Management from Oxford Brookes University, UK. His teaching and consultancy areas include strategic management, leadership and lodging/hotel management. His primary research areas include strategy implementation, corporate social responsibility, competitive advantage, crisis management, destination marketing, information technology and developing countries. He has widely published in leading journals. He has over 230 academic publications (over 120 refereed journal articles, three books, 12 book chapters and 85 conference presentations and reports). His publications have received over 5825 citations and he has an h-index of 39. He chaired/co-chaired and served on numerous PhD dissertation and master thesis committees. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM), which is a SSCI journal with an Impact Factor of 2.874. He is also the Co-Founding Editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights. He serves on the editorial boards of 25 international journals. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences. He is a Visiting Professor at San Yet Sen University’s Business School in Guangzhou, China. He has received numerous prestigious research awards and recognitions including “The Michael D. Olsen Research Award” in 2016; “The University of Central Florida Scroll & Quill Society Award” in 2017, the “CFHLA Preeminent Professor” again in 2017 and the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award from ICHRIE in 2018.