By Charlie Pogacar
The fourth annual Pizza Tomorrow Summit returned to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando this week with its largest crowds yet, signaling continued momentum for one of the fastest-growing events in the pizza industry. The show, produced by Restaurant Events, LLC and co-located with the Florida Restaurant Show, runs November 11–13 and brought a bevy of operators, suppliers and industry pros from across the U.S.
This year marks the first time the Summit has expanded to a three-day format—an adjustment driven directly by attendee behavior, said Glenn Celentano, CEO of Restaurant Events. He told PMQ Pizza the most popular question he’s been asked this week is about the show’s one-day expansion.
“The answer is one word: demand,” Celentano said. “We’ve grown so quickly that the show is now too big to get through in a day. People need two days to take in the content and have the conversations they want, and our two days aren’t always the same two days for everyone. So we took the leap and [expanded to] three days.”
Related: Record Attendance Expected at the 2025 Pizza Tomorrow Summit Nov. 11-13 in Orlando
Four years in, the Summit has already achieved the scale Celentano envisioned when the idea first formed. The Southeast’s steadily growing pizza landscape, he said, made Orlando the perfect home for an event focused on operators east of the Rockies.
“I knew the demand was there,” he said. “While people travel to the other big shows, that audience wasn’t being fully served. This was wide open.”
Exhibitor participation reflects that momentum. Celentano noted that several major suppliers joined the show floor for the first time this year—including Smithfield. He expects more large brands, including Cisco and others, to join the show in 2026. At the same time, the Summit’s educational programming remains a key draw for operators navigating rising costs and shifting consumer habits.
“The number one reason people come here is to learn,” Celentano said. “Providing free education has really resonated.”
One of the Summit’s most consistently packed areas is the U.S. Pizza Team’s competition zone, home to the Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup, where a trip to Italy is on the line for one grand-prize winner. Celentano noted that this year’s competition felt like the smoothest, best-run version yet.
“It’s not that the [Galbani Cup] has grown—it just keeps getting more exciting,” he said. “The seats are full—this year has a little extra [oomph].”
The same could be said of the Pizza Tomorrow Summit. “Our reach keeps growing,” he said. “And we’re only getting started.”
