Sponsored by Pizza Tomorrow Summit.
In a pizza industry dominated by third-party delivery, digital ordering, and automation, it might seem like in-person trade shows belong to a different era. But according to Paul Pedrow, vice president of sales at Restaurant Events, that’s exactly why events like the Pizza Tomorrow Summit are more important than ever.
“Nothing will ever compare to seeing, touching, feeling, and interacting,” Pedrow says. “Trust is a huge part of this business. And with the rise of AI and digital everything, that kind of trust is harder to come by online.”
Face-to-face value is one reason operators keep showing up. But it’s what happens once they’re there—what they find, learn, and walk away with—that keeps them coming back.
“Where else can you competitively shop four or five companies offering what you’re looking for, all under one roof?” Pedrow says.
That side-by-side exposure is a massive part of the Pizza Tomorrow Summit’s appeal. The show brings together hundreds of vendors from across the foodservice space, ranging from regional distributors to national suppliers, all ready to showcase innovations for dough prep, POS, packaging, beverage, and beyond. For some operators, that access translates into immediate return on investment.
“I discovered the SunMix dough rounder at the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, and it completely transformed our dough production,” says Andres Maldonado, owner and executive chef at Nona Street Pizza. “We’re now producing three times more dough per hour with less labor—an absolute game-changer for a small pizzeria like ours with limited staff. It’s been a true lifesaver.”
That kind of tool discovery, whether a major equipment upgrade or a simple slicer, is exactly what Pedrow says defines the show. “We’ve had people walk in looking for one thing and leave with five solutions they didn’t even know existed,” Pedrow says. “Sometimes it’s the most basic stuff, like better box sealing or better pizza cutters, that can change how a shop operates day to day.”
Kelly Glynn, owner of Village Idiot Pizza, agrees: “We love attending trade shows to keep up with industry trends as well as new technology and equipment. At our most recent Pizza Tomorrow Summit, we brought home a pizza cutter that has helped us maximize sales revenue on our by-the-slice operations because of the cut uniformity on every pizza.”
Unlike many industry events, every education session at the Pizza Tomorrow Summit is included with admission. That’s by design and part of a larger effort to maximize value for attendees.
“It’s critical,” he says. “It’s got to be easily accessible. If you’re somebody who runs a pizza shop, coming to this event and being able to hear from other people that run pizza shops—what’s worked for them, what are their challenges, where they’re finding the best success—that’s extremely valuable.”
Each session is designed to promote candid discussion and collaboration.
“A lot of our sessions turn into productive discussions,” Pedrow says. “You have networking that takes place when the speakers are done. People collaborate and say, OK, here’s what we need. A lot gets uncovered.”
Plenty of trade shows talk about networking. The Pizza Tomorrow Summit bakes it into the layout.
“You walk into a booth and you’re getting a full read on a company—how they present themselves, what they prioritize, who they’ve got on the ground,” Pedrow says. “And you’re talking to the actual person servicing your region, not someone who’ll ‘pass your info along.’”
Sometimes, those moments spark long-term business relationships. Other times, it’s something less expected. “We have people that become lifelong friends—not even in business, just outside of it,” Pedrow says. “I think we all want to work with people we like. When you meet someone face to face, you get a real sense of who they are and how they operate.”
The Pizza Tomorrow Summit launched in 2022 and has grown rapidly, partly due to its co-location with the Florida Restaurant Show and the surge of opportunities in the Southeast.
“The Southeast is where the growth is,” Pedrow says. “If you’re a chain in the Northeast thinking about expansion, this is where you want to be. There’s so much growth down in this region right now.”
And for operators already active in the market, the show offers a rare kind of access.
“At a time when there is this growth and there’s opportunity to be grabbed,” he says, “to be able to come to the show and meet with Performance Food Group, Cheney Brothers, Sysco, Gordon Foods, The Restaurant Store—those five companies alone have so much product that can help your business run.”
The 2025 Pizza Tomorrow Summit takes place November 11–13 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Whether you’re sourcing smarter, learning faster, or building relationships that move your business forward, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit proves one thing: in a tech-driven industry, sometimes the smartest move is showing up.
To register and explore attendance options, visit their website.
By Drew Filipski
