Wednesday, August 17, 2022 • Floor Open 10:00am - 5:00pm | |
10:00am | ORA Expo Opens | |
10:40 AM - 12:20 PM | Cocktail Shakedown Competition Rounds I & II will be back to back | |
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM | Culinary Cook-off Competition Heat 1: 10:30 AM Heat 2: 12:00 PM | |
1:00 PM | Cocktail Shakedown Championship Final | |
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | New ORA CEO Meet & Greet - The ORA Member Services Booth You are invited to visit the ORA Member Services Booth #814 for our come-and-go meet, greet & chat with James Leewright, who beginning July will be the new President & Chief Executive Officer for the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and the Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association. We hope you'll stop by while you're enjoying the Expo and help welcome him to the Oklahoma hospitality community
Prior to joining the associations, Senator James Leewright was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2014 and in 2016 was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate representing District 12 Creek and parts of Tulsa counties where he has served from 2017-2022. As a legislator, he served on a number of committees including Banking and Financial Services, Higher Ed and Career Tech, Chair of the Infrastructure Committee for ARPA, Chair of the Medical Marijuana working group, and also served as Chairman of the Business, Commerce, and Tourism Committee. | |
5:00-7:00pm | ORA Expo Closes & the ORA Expo Halftime Tailgate Begins! Don't miss the chance for more time to visit with hospitality professionals as we gather on the east side of the Expo floor for a great networking reception to close the first day of the Expo! After you enjoy great hors d'oeuvres and beverages including a limited number of free drink tickets, you can relax and catch up with friends and business associates after what has been an extended time away! Wear your favorite team colors and participate in our Sport's Trivia for prizes! *You're Expo Badge Is Your Ticket Into The Party!* | |
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Thursday, August 18, 2022 • Floor Open 10:00am - 3:00pm | |
8:30 AM | ORA Board Meeting | |
10:00 AM | Expo Opens | |
11:30 - 12:30 PM | MAXIMIZE YOUR FEDERAL PANDEMIC RELIEF - EMPLOYEE RETENTION TAX CREDIT With no further assistance for the hospitality business likely to come from Congress, how can you take full advantage of the remaining available federal COVID relief? During this don't-miss session, you'll learn about the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and how the ORA is making it easy for Oklahoma restaurants to claim and collect tens of thousands of dollars in ERC cash. Brought to you in partnership with Adesso.  | |
1:00 - 2:00 PM | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN OKLAHOMA'S WORKFORCE Shelley Zumwalt, Director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, will be joining ORA President & CEO James Leewright for a discussion about lessons learned while navigating the pandemic, what the state must do to optimize the workforce opportunities before us, OESC"s digital transformation that will change the way employers interact with the agency, and how Zumwalt approaches crisis leadership. | |
1:30 PM | Culinary Cook-Off Finals | |
3:00 PM | ORA Expo Closes, Exhibitors Move-out (all displays must be removed by 7:00pm Thursday) | |