My Visit to Scottsdale

As a member of the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, I get to visit some fun, WARM places every year.  This year NICRA held its 76th convention in sunny and very warm (96 degrees) Scottsdale, AZ.
Yes, there is a convention for ice cream.  There are a number of the guests in the hotel that are not there for the show trying to figure out a way to get themselves on the supplier floor to sample the hundreds of different ice creams.  Sorry folks, you need a badge.

This year we had 300 attendees learning new ideas on promotions, menu items, marketing, allergens and more.  The best part of the convention is talking to other shop owners from across the states who deal with the same ups and downs as I do.  I walk away with a wealth of information on how to improve our daily operations and also came away with some great creative new ideas for events. 

NICRA holds a contest for Best New Flavor and Best Coffee Flavor and this years winner was from the same shop in Pittsburgh PA, Mecurio's Mulberry Creamery.  The Best New Flavor was Honey Sunflower and I must tell you, it was fantantic.  The sweetness of the Honey with the salty taste on the sunflowers was an awesome combination. Watch for that one at Capannari's next season.  Their Mocha Latte won Best Coffee flavor and not being a coffee drinker, I must say that was quite delicious too.

All in all, it was a great week to catch up with friends across the country and to learn some new ideas to bring back to Capannari's.