Between myriad festive celebrations and visitors flocking back to D.C., the upcoming holiday season is a prime time for operators to maximize profits through reservations, private event spaces, special catering, gift cards, merchandise, and unique events.

However, the pandemic changed everything about the way restaurants effectively market themselves, deploy publicity campaigns, connect with guests, interact with the press, and work with influencers. So how do operators and their teams recalibrate, refocus, reenergize, and re-engage in ways that translate into sales and success this holiday season?

Moderated by food and lifestyle writer Nevin Martell, this in-depth panel discussion with top-tier professionals from across the realms of marketing, PR, influencing, and the press will guide attendees through the new best practices, pro hacks, cutting-edge technologies, and proven techniques – plus a frank look at what just doesn't work anymore.

Panelists include:

Public Relations - Sara Morgan, Eleven Eleven PR
Influencer - Dr. Kimberly Kong, @nomtasticfoods
Press - Anna Spiegel, Washingtonian
Social Media Maven - Emily Hough, Farmers Restaurant Group

Register today! Seating is limited.

Presented by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)

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 Sara Morgan // Sara Morgan is the Founder and CEO of Eleven Eleven PR, a non-traditional, boutique public relations firm specializing in a variety of verticals with a core focus on restaurants and hospitality. A graduate from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Broadcast News, Sara’s educational background is in on-air reporting, media study, and news writing. She has contributed to numerous national publications including CNN, MSN, Women2.0, Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, PureWow, and more. A former startup founder, Sara is an alum of the 500 Startups accelerator program in Silicon Valley and is currently a mentor for Georgetown University's entrepreneurship program. She was recognized as a finalist for Virginia Businesswoman of the year and named a top 15 company founder nationwide on UGA's Bulldog Top 100 list. Eleven Eleven was recently recognized as one of the DMV's largest PR agencies by the Washington Business Journal. Eleven Eleven PR's portfolio of work includes some of the DMV's most award-winning restaurants including Seven Reasons, Crane's, Bammy's, Maydan, Xiquet, Immigrant Food, Espita, Las Gemelas, Napoli Pasta Bar, Alma Cocina Latina, Knead Hospitality + Design, Lahou Restaurant Group, etc. Sara is an entrepreneur at heart, believes strongly in the importance of loving what you do, and is truly passionate about her work.

About Dr. Kimberly Kong // Dr. Kimberly Kong’s the co-founder of Nom Digital, a bi-coastal marketing agency that specializes in content creation, social media management and everything in between. She and her team has worked with brands like Stella Artois, Hatfield, Jagermeister in addition to national food chains like Red Lobster, Domino’s as well as hundreds of independent restaurants and food/drink spots across the US.

About Anna Spiegel // Anna Spiegel is a Food Editor at Washingtonian magazine. She’s spent over a decade covering the city’s dynamic dining and drinking scene for the monthly print publication and Washingtonian.com—writing restaurant reviews and feature articles, editing stories, and covering a wide range of daily news topics, trends, and happenings. Prior to joining Washingtonian, Anna cooked professionally in St. John, US Virgin Islands and freelanced for Time Out magazine, Coastal Living, and Food Network magazine.

While living and working in New York she earned a culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute and a MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. She currently lives in Dupont Circle with her husband and dog.

About Emily Hough // Emily Hough is a creative marketing strategist with over 12 years experience in the social media and marketing space. She has worked with clients and brands on national, international and local levels, in a variety of industries but found her passion in hospitality. Currently Social Media Director at Farmers Restaurant Group (with restaurant locations in DC, MD, VA, & PA plus a distillery), Emily oversees, plans, develops, and directs content for 30+ social channels (yes, even now including TikTok) and helps inform the company’s overall marketing efforts. Her work has resulted in more than doubling the group’s social media audience, generating an average of 20 million social media impressions and 750K social media engagements each year.

Restaurant Marketing: New Best Practices & Pro-Hacks