Re-Engaging: Diners Building Excitement & Showcasing What's New

 

As restrictions relax and diners grow increasingly eager to dine out again, what are the best practices for re-engaging with them through PR and social media? Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington presents another round of Restaurant Marketing with a focus on Re-Engaging Diners: Communicating Safety, Building Excitement & Showcasing What's New.

 

In this deep dive webinar, learn how to make health and safety protocols look attractive, while presenting them in a manner that's on point with your brand. Find out the best ways to generally build excitement around your restaurant and its offerings. Get the lowdown on how to showcase new items, new menus, new experiences, and new elements of your property. And discover how to properly coordinate your traditional PR and social media strategies to maximize both.

 

Independent food and travel writer Nevin Martell will serve as our moderator and provide insights from a journalistic perspective. Joining Nevin will be Charissa Benjamin, partner with Savor PR, Jennifer Resick Williams, principal of Know Public Relations, Mykl Wu, communications and social media director for H2-Collective, and Vina Sananikone, art director for Foreign National.

 

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Space is limited

 

 

About Nevin Martell  //  Nevin Martell is a D.C.-area based food and travel writer, parenting essayist, recipe developer, and photographer who has been published by The Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men's Journal, National Geographic, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, Michelin Guide, Plate, and many other publications. He is the author of eight books, including Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America's Favorite Rural Bakery, The Founding Farmers Cookbook: 100 Recipes for True Food & Drink, It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, the travelogue-memoir Freak Show Without a Tent: Swimming with Piranhas, Getting Stoned in Fiji and Other Family Vacations, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. He has appeared on "The Frommer's Travel Show," "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," the "Chatter on Books" podcast, and elsewhere. Additionally, he is the co-founder of the highly successful New Kitchens On The Block event series and the internationally acclaimed Pay It Furloughed initiative. Find him on Instagram @nevinmartell, on Twitter @nevinmartell, and online at nevinmartell.com.

 

About Charissa Benjamin // Charissa Benjamin is a seasoned marketing communications professional with over 20 years of experience in restaurant, hospitality and lifestyle PR. Her company Savor PR, represents some of the industry’s most loved brands including Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, La Famosa, Pizzeria Paradiso, and Tabla to name a few. With boutique and large agencies, she has managed campaigns for notable companies within the spirits and wine, airline, automobile, traveling entertainment and publishing industries. Before launching Savor PR, Charissa was PR Director for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ Mid-Atlantic region, where she managed communications and marketing strategy for the company’s properties in Washington, DC, Alexandria, Va., Baltimore and Philadelphia. A graduate of the Kogod School of Business at American University, Charissa originally hails from the island of Antigua in the Eastern Caribbean. She balances her love for food and wine with a healthy dose of running, which you can often find her doing on the streets of Northeast DC. She lives near the H Street corridor with her husband and two children. 

 

About Jennifer Resick Williams  // Jennifer is the founder and principal of Know Public Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based boutique public relations and marketing agency servicing the hospitality industry. She has led communications strategies for more than 60 restaurant openings and spent more than 17 years providing public relations and integrated marketing communications services to restaurants, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profit organizations. She and her team work with culinary artisans, celebrated chefs, and entrepreneurs to build successful hospitality brands.

Jennifer is also the co-founder of Salty Pork Bits, a Pittsburgh-based charcuterie company she manages with award-winning chef, Justin Severino.

 

About Mykl Wu  // Mykl Wu is a D.C.-based producer, photographer, and social media director whose work has been featured in Washington Post, Washingtonian, Eater DC, Arlington Magazine, Washington City Paper, Baltimore Sun, Inc., and many other media outlets. He is currently the communications and social media director for H2-Collective, one of the largest food and beverage organizations with over twelve venues throughout D.C. and Virginia which includes Victura Park, Chez Billy Sud, Brighton at the Wharf, American Ice Company, and others. Inspired by Anthony Bourdain, he once drove 200 miles from Los Angeles to Ensenada Mexico just for a bite of the perfect tostada. Find him on Instagram @chezwu and on Twitter @ChezWu.

 

About Vina Sananikone  // Vina Sananikone is a VA/DC-based food photographer + stylist, graphic designer, and all-around food enthusiast. She is currently serving as the in-house art director for Foreign National, helming the branding and social media presence for Erik Bruner Yang's Maketto, ABC Pony, Shopkeepers, Yoko & Kota, and the Power of 10 Initiative.