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Plan Your Day

September 28, 2026
Monona Terrace - Madison
This isn’t a conference where you simply sit and listen, it’s a day designed to be experienced.

Explore the full schedule, choose the sessions that speak to you and discover everything happening beyond the stage. From complimentary professional headshots and exclusive merch to interactive Marketplace experiences, memorable photo moments and a few surprises we’re keeping under wraps, there will be something new to enjoy around every corner.
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Start planning now—you won’t want to miss a moment.
Come ready to learn, connect, explore and experience it all.
Two Tracks. One Powerful Day. 
Choose the conversations, insights, and energy that meet you exactly where you are in your career. Move between sessions. Follow what resonates. Build a day that works for you.
Track 1: Growth & Impact (General)
Designed for attendees across all roles in hospitality to grow, evolve, and strengthen their impact—personally and professionally.
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Walk away with:
  • Actionable leadership and communication skills, practical tools, and guidance to confidently navigate career growth, pivots, and next steps
  • Renewed confidence, purpose, and energy, strengthened by meaningful connections ​
Track 2: Leadership Reset & Refocus (Advanced)
Built for experienced leaders navigating rapid change, rising expectations, and real-world pressures in hospitality.
 
Walk away with:
  • Practical strategies to lead through change—including navigating complexity, AI and technology shifts, multi-generational teams, and evolving customer expectations
  • Resilient leadership tools you can use immediately, delivering clarity, energy, and sustainable solutions for burnout, uncertainty, and day-to-day decision making
8:00 am
Doors Open
The conversations, connections, and momentum start now — welcome.
8:00 - 8:45 am
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
Grab a bev and bite, explore the Marketplace, and step into the energy of the day.
Grand Terrace
8:45 - 8:55 am
Welcome
The conversations start here — welcome to what’s next.
Madison Ballroom​
8:55 - 9:45 am
Opening Keynote 
The Leadership Journey: Creating Connection that Lasts
Presented by: Annie Frisoli, M.S., CFEE, Founder & CEO, Creating Community LLC
Madison Ballroom
Session Description
In a world where expectations, workplaces, and relationships continue to evolve, leadership has become one of our greatest opportunities to create meaningful experiences for others. Today's leadership is about more than achieving results. It's about creating environments where people feel connected, valued, and like they truly belong.
 
In hospitality, leadership isn’t limited to a title or the responsibility of managing a team. It shows up in how we solve problems, take initiative, navigate unexpected situations, support the people around us and influence the experiences we help create. Whether you’re leading an organization, growing into your next opportunity or learning to lead yourself with greater intention, you have a role in shaping culture and connection.
 
In this engaging and inspiring keynote, participants will reflect on their leadership journey and discover how intentional leadership creates meaningful connection in every interaction. Through engaging stories, interactive reflection, and practical insights, attendees will leave with a renewed perspective on the influence they have to shape relationships, foster belonging, and create experiences that last.
Key Takeaways
By the end of this keynote session, participants will be able to:
  • Recognize how their leadership journey influences the way they lead today.
  • Explore how connection and belonging strengthen teams, cultures, and everyday experiences.
  • Reflect on the influence they have to create meaningful and lasting impact through intentional leadership.​
9:45 - 10:15 am
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
Morning bites, fresh coffee, pop-up experiences & meaningful connections.
Grand Terrace
10:15 - 11:00 am
Growth & Impact Track — Session #1
Don't Wait to Be Chosen: How to Create Opportunities, Build Influence & Accelerate Your Career
Presented by: Lauren Davis, Personal Brand Strategist and Founder of Lauren Davis Creative
Hall of Ideas
Session Description
Too often, talented hospitality professionals wait to be invited to contribute in a bigger way—whether that means sharing an idea, taking ownership of a project, solving a problem or stepping into greater responsibility.

The reality is that professional growth rarely happens by accident. It happens when people recognize where they can add value, communicate their ideas and intentionally contribute to the success of their team and organization.

In this interactive session, attendees will explore practical ways to build credibility, strengthen professional relationships and make their contributions more visible—without feeling self-promotional. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to advocate for their development, create opportunities to contribute and become more intentional about the impact they make.
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Regardless of title, experience level or career path, attendees will leave with practical strategies to grow where they are, contribute with greater confidence and prepare themselves for new responsibilities and opportunities as they emerge.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways:
  • Build trust, influence and credibility at any level of an organization. 
  • Recognize opportunities to contribute beyond everyday responsibilities. 
  • Communicate ideas and accomplishments without feeling self-promotional. 
  • Advocate for professional development and meaningful responsibility. 
  • Create intentional momentum while adding greater value to your team and organization. 
Leadership Reset Track – Session #1
Building Leaders from Within
How Benson's Restaurant Group Develops, Retains & Elevates Future Leaders Lecture Hall
Session Description
Every hospitality leader wants a stronger leadership pipeline—but few organizations have a clear strategy for developing future leaders before they're needed.

Benson’s Restaurant Group has taken a deliberate approach to leadership development through its Emerging Leaders Program, designed to identify high-potential team members, provide meaningful growth opportunities, and prepare the next generation of hospitality leaders from within the organization.

In this interactive panel discussion, attendees will get an inside look at how the program was created, how participants are selected and developed, and the impact it has had on employee engagement, retention, succession planning, and leadership readiness. Through perspectives from company leadership, program mentors, and program graduates, this session will explore what it takes to create a culture where leadership development is intentional—not accidental.
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Whether you lead a single location or a multi-unit operation, you'll leave with practical ideas and proven strategies to help build stronger leaders, create growth opportunities, and strengthen your organization's future talent pipeline
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways:
  • Learn how to identify and develop high-potential employees before leadership gaps emerge
  • Discover practical ways to create meaningful leadership development opportunities at any size organization
  • Gain insight into how leadership development supports retention, engagement, and succession planning
  • Hear firsthand lessons and growth experiences from Emerging Leaders Program graduates
  • Walk away with ideas and frameworks that can be adapted within your own operation or organization
11:00 - 11:15 am
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
The conversations continue in the Marketplace — grab a bite and explore what’s new.
Grand Terrace
11:15 am - 12:00 pm
Growth & Impact Track – Session #2 
Speak Up, Show Up: Communicating with Confidence in Hospitality
Presented by: Jazmynn Appleton, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & Life Coach
Lecture Hall​
Session Description
Communication looks different than it used to—especially in hospitality workplaces shaped by different generations, evolving technology and changing expectations.

In this engaging and relatable session, entrepreneur, speaker and life coach Jazmynn Appleton will explore how greater self-awareness can help you communicate with more confidence, express yourself more clearly and build stronger relationships with the people around you.

Through personal insight, real-life examples and honest conversation, Jazmynn will encourage attendees to recognize what may be holding them back from speaking up, understand how they show up in their interactions and become more intentional about how they communicate.
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Whether you work alongside a small team at an independent restaurant or are finding your place within a growing hospitality organization, this session is about strengthening the personal communication skills you can use in your current role—and wherever your path takes you next.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
  • Better understand how you show up and communicate with others.
  • Express yourself with greater confidence and authenticity.
  • Recognize how different perspectives and communication styles affect workplace interactions.
  • Become more comfortable speaking up and participating in conversations.
  • Build more genuine and supportive relationships at work.
Leadership Reset Track – Session #2
​Accountability Conversations Leaders Avoid: How Strong Leaders Address Performance, Conflict & Tough Decisions
Presented by: Matt Meuleners, Executive Partner & Lead Instructor, Focus Training
Hall of Ideas​
Session Description
Discern the right approach to hold others accountable to their responsibilities and effectively navigate these difficult conversations.
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In instances where coaching and feedback fail to bridge the gap in an individual’s performance, leaders must be equipped to discern an effective course of action. The process of diagnosing and conducting accountability conversations is critical to performance management and developing talent. In this sessioin, we will explore the optimal approaches for holding people accountable, offering leaders a comprehensive toolkit designed to instill confidence and clarity in the planning and execution of accountability conversations.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways:
  • Lead difficult conversations with clarity and confidence
  • Hold people accountable without damaging trust
  • Navigate tension, emotion, and leadership discomfort
  • Build respect through consistency and communication
12:00 - 12:15 pm
Break
12:15 - 1:30 pm
Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch
Awards Celebration & Luncheon
Madison Ballroom
1:30 - 1:45 pm
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
The afternoon vibe starts here — get in some steps, reconnect, and see what’s happening in the Marketplace.
Grand Terrace
1:45 - 2:30 pm
Growth & Impact Track - #3
Lead Without Losing Yourself
Presented by: Lecture Hall
Session Description
​Hospitality leaders are often the ones holding everything together — supporting teams, solving problems, managing pressure, and showing up for everyone else long before they make time for themselves. But sustainable leadership requires more than resilience alone.
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This session explores the realities of emotional labor, boundaries, and leadership capacity in an industry that rarely slows down. Through honest conversation, practical strategies, and real-world hospitality experiences, attendees will learn how to protect their energy, lead with greater intention, and build long-term success without losing themselves in the process.

Designed for women navigating the constant demands of leadership, caregiving, and professional growth, this session offers a refreshing and empowering perspective on what sustainable leadership can actually look like in today’s hospitality industry.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways:
  • Recognize the signs that you are losing yourself in the demands of leadership
  • Set healthier boundaries without guilt
  • Build confidence through action and experience
  • Focus energy on what’s actually controllable
  • Lead with greater self-awareness and sustainability
  • Strengthen your ability to show up effectively — personally and professionally
Leadership Reset Track – Session #3 
Work Smarter, Lead Better:
Practical AI Strategies for Hospitality Leaders
Presented by: Jennifer Ryan, CEO & Co-founder, Croux & 
Josh Schoggins, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Green Bay
Hall of Ideas​
Session Description
AI is rapidly reshaping how hospitality businesses operate—but the greatest opportunity isn't the technology itself. It's how leaders use it to make better decisions, improve team performance, create efficiencies, and stay competitive in a changing industry.

Join hospitality technology strategist Jennifer Ryan of Croux and Josh Schoggins, GM of Hyatt Green Bay for a candid conversation about what hospitality leaders actually need to understand about AI right now. Through real-world examples from hotels, restaurants, and hospitality organizations, they'll explore where AI is delivering meaningful value, where human leadership remains irreplaceable, and how leaders can evaluate opportunities without getting distracted by hype.
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Designed for owners, executives, directors, and senior leaders, this session focuses on the strategic decisions leaders must make today to prepare their teams and organizations for tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways:
  • Identify where AI is creating measurable value across operations, marketing, staffing, training, and guest experience. 
  • Learn how leading hospitality organizations are leveraging AI to reduce administrative workload and improve decision-making. 
  • Understand the leadership challenges that come with emerging technology, including team adoption, trust, and resistance to change. 
  • Evaluate AI opportunities through a business lens—distinguishing meaningful innovation from costly distractions. 
  • Leave with practical strategies to help your organization remain adaptable, competitive, and future-ready.
2:30 - 3:00 pm
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
Dessert, snacks, fresh experiences, and the perfect boost to keep the momentum going strong.
Grand Terrace
3:00 - 3:45 pm
Growth & Impact Track – Session #4 
The Career Conversations We Wish We Had Earlier: Real Lessons, Hard Truths & Career Advice from Hospitality Leaders
Moderator: Carissa Remitz, Director of Marketing & PR, Midwest Foods
Panelists:
  • Ava Vitale, Co-Founder & Beverage Director, Crave Kitchen & Cocktails
  • Martha Handrich, Vice President, Human Resources - MSHR, Marcus Hotels & Resorts
  • Danielle Goss, Co-Founder & CEO, KUL MOCKS
Lecture Hall
Session Description
There is no single path to success in hospitality—and some of the most valuable career lessons aren't learned in a classroom or training program. They're learned through experience.

In this candid and interactive panel discussion, accomplished women from across the hospitality industry will share the career conversations they wish they had earlier. From unexpected opportunities and difficult decisions to setbacks, confidence challenges, and pivotal career moments, panelists will offer honest insights into what helped them grow, lead, and succeed.
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Attendees will gain practical advice, fresh perspective, and real-world wisdom that can help them navigate their own careers with greater confidence and clarity—whether they're just getting started, stepping into leadership, or considering what's next.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
  • Learn lessons and career insights from experienced hospitality leaders
  • Gain practical advice for navigating growth, change, and new opportunities
  • Understand how successful leaders handled setbacks, challenges, and self-doubt
  • Explore ways to build confidence, visibility, and influence throughout your career
  • Leave with ideas and inspiration to take the next step in your professional journey
Leadership Reset Track – Session #4
Rethinking Growth: Building Career Paths That Work for Small Businesses
Presented by: Marla Poytinger & Erin Hochevar, Bars & Recreation Leadership
Hall of Ideas
Session Description
Small hospitality businesses, and small businesses in general, often feel at a disadvantage when it comes to career development. With limited management layers and fewer formal promotions, it can seem impossible to offer the kind of growth opportunities employees expect.

But what if the problem isn’t a lack of opportunity -- it’s how we define growth?

In this interactive session, Marla Poytinger and Erin Hochevar of Bars & Recreation will challenge the traditional “career ladder” mindset and introduce a practical, hospitality-specific framework for developing employees without relying on promotions or title changes. Drawing from real-world experience operating multiple venues and concepts, they will show how small teams can create meaningful, motivating growth paths that drive retention, performance, and engagement.
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Attendees will learn how to identify untapped growth opportunities within their own operations, from skill-building and project ownership to increased influence and measurable impact, and walk away with a simple, customizable tool to implement immediately with their teams.

This session is designed for restaurant and hospitality leaders who want to retain great people, build stronger teams, and offer real career growth -- without needing a corporate structure to do it.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
  • Reframe career growth beyond promotions and titles
  • Identify hidden growth opportunities within small hospitality teams
  • Learn a simple, repeatable framework for employee development
  • Leave with a draft “Growth Map” tailored to your business
  • Gain practical strategies to improve retention, engagement, and team performance
3:45 - 4:00 pm
The Marketplace: Connect + Refresh
One last Marketplace moment — make a connection, discover something new, and soak in the final vibes of the day.
Grand Terrace
4:00 - 4:45 pm
Closing General Session
After the Rush: The Life Behind the Work
Don’t leave early — the final keynote of the day is designed to inspire, challenge perspectives, and send you out on a high note. Featuring:  ​Madison Ballroom​
Session Description
What happens when the career you love starts shaping the life you live?

Behind the promotions, packed dining rooms, big wins and polished bios is a side of hospitality we don't talk about nearly enough: the unseen load, the people who make our careers possible, the messy middle of ambition and real life, and the moments that make us rethink what success actually means.

After the Rush goes beyond the highlight reel for a candid closing conversation about the life behind the work.

Through very different hospitality journeys, our guests will get real about family and legacy, marriage and partnership, parenthood, identity, sacrifice, supporting someone else's ambition while pursuing your own, and the complicated relationship we can have with an industry we genuinely love.

No presentations. No perfectly packaged success stories. Just an honest conversation about what it takes to build a career without losing sight of the life you're building alongside it.

Guided by opening keynote speaker Annie Frisoli, expect perspective, humor, hard-earned lessons and the kind of conversation that might have you thinking about your own definition of success a little differently on the drive home.
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Because eventually the shift ends, the inbox can wait and the noise gets quiet.

When the rush is over, what will matter most?
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Key Takeaways
Enjoy the final session and leave energized.

Put Your Best Face Forward ​

Complimentary Professional Headshots
Presented by Vollrath
A great professional headshot is an investment in yourself—and thanks to Vollrath, every conference attendee has the opportunity to receive one at no cost.

This complimentary experience is for the entire hospitality community, from independent operators to corporate professionals and everyone in between. Your finished image will be perfect for LinkedIn, your company website, professional profiles and more.

Stop by the private Headshot Room, conveniently located just off the Marketplace floor. A mirror will be available for any last-minute checks before you step in front of the camera.

8:00 a.m.–3:45 p.m.
Free to attendees | No appointment needed | First come, first served

Wear Your Support

Women in Hospitality Wisconsin Merch
Presented by Gunderson Uniform & Linen
Wear it proud! Shop official Women in Hospitality Wisconsin merchandise and arrive at the conference ready to represent this incredible community.

Preorder your favorites from the online store or visit Gunderson Uniform & Linen in the Marketplace to browse merchandise and shop throughout the day.

Order ahead. Wear it to the conference. Show your support.

Step Into the Spotlight 

Selfie Station
Sponsored by US Foods
This year’s Selfie Station brings a whole new look—and a little extra movement—to the Marketplace! Take a seat on the built-in swing, show off your personality and capture the spirit of the day.

Snap a photo on your own, bring along a friend or gather the whole crew. However you pose, it’s the perfect way to celebrate the connections, confidence and fun that make this conference unforgettable.

Find your pose. Take a swing. Make a memory.

Fun Is Their Business ​

An All-New Marketplace Experience
Presented by Bars & Recreation
Bars & Recreation is back in the Marketplace with an all-new experience created especially for this year’s conference! Stop by between sessions to see what this fun-loving team has planned and enjoy a fresh boost to your day.

We’re pleased to welcome Bars & Recreation back as a conference partner. When they’re involved, you know something memorable is in store!
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Stop by. Join the fun. Enjoy the surprise.

A Little Afternoon Surprise 

Surprise Special Guests
Just when you think you’ve experienced everything the day has to offer, a few very special guests will be stopping by to give the afternoon an extra boost.

We’re keeping their identities under wraps—but trust us, you’ll want to be there when they arrive!
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Unexpected. Irresistible. Guaranteed to make you smile.
September 28, 2026  |  Monona Terrace, Madison
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