More than 350 exhibitors will be represented at the LVIH&RS, offering a wide variety of products and services for the lodging and foodservice industries.  

Exhibit growth, represented from both lodging and foodservice suppliers, is targeted to surpass 15% in 2001.  New suppliers include Castro Convertibles (hideaway beds), Smith & Hawken (seating), SICO (locking systems), Utell (reservations systems), and Zenith (televisions) from the lodging sector and Haagen Dazs (ice cream), Heritage Frozen Foods (appetizers), Hoshizaki Western (ice machines), Saratoga Water (beverages), and Winston Industries (food-warming and cooking equipment) from the foodservice sector.

In addition to the hundreds of exhibits, attendees will have an opportunity to learn and be entertained through a comprehensive special event and seminar program.  

Special events include the Hospitality Breakfast on Thursday, June 21 from 8:30 a.m. � 10:00 a.m. and the International Hospitality Awards Luncheon, running Friday, June 22 from 12:30 p.m. � 2:00 p.m.

The Hospitality Breakfast will feature Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. Elected to office in 1999, Mayor Goodman has been recognized for his distinguished legal career having been named one of the �Fifteen Best Trial Lawyers in America� by the National Law Journal.  Always colorful, Mayor Goodman will detail why �the entertainment capital of the world� will maintain its place in Fortune Magazine�s annual ranking of the �Top 10 Places for Business.�  Also during the Kickoff Breakfast, awards will be presented to winners of the National Menu Design Competition Awards as well as the LVIH&RS Website Competition Awards.

The International Hospitality Luncheon will feature the insight of John Russell and the entertainment of Rita Rudner.  Russell, president, hospitality industry for THINKologies Inc., has more than 20 years of experience in the hotel business. As chairman and ceo of Cendant�s Travel Division, Russell oversaw eight hotel brands�Days Inns, Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Ramada, Super 8, Travelodge, Villager Lodge and Wingate Inns.  At the Luncheon, Russell will detail the strategic initiatives that have been launched during his chairmanship of AH&LA in 2001 and will discuss observations and personal experiences that just might keep you on the Island of Hotel Success.

Rudner, voted �Best Comedian� in Las Vegas Review Journal�s 2001 �Best of Las Vegas� and currently performing at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino Cabaret Theatre, will entertain the Luncheon crowd with a one-of-a-kind performance.  Award presentations at the International Hospitality Luncheon include the Hotel and Restaurant Hero and Heroine Awards and the Hospitality Website Awards presented to two restaurants (small and large) and two hotels (small and large.)

Tickets are $35 for the Hospitality Breakfast and $45 for the International Hospitality Luncheon and may be obtained by visiting www.lvihrs.com or call 800-272-7469.

Seminars will also run during the two-day Show, and will cover subjects such technology, human resources, marketing, purchasing and guest services.  In addition, Keynote addresses will be offered, highlighting the restaurant and lodging industries.  

The Restaurant Keynote, �Secrets to Success�, will be held on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. � 11:15 a.m., and will feature illustrious restaurateurs as they share their stories and strategies for success.  William P. Fisher, PhD, American Hotel & Lodging Association will moderate the Keynote.  Panelists are: Brad Brennan, Commander�s Palace; Charles Condy, Next Century Restaurants, Inc.(Aqua); and Tom Guinney, Gastronomy, Inc. (New Yorker) and Mark Miller, Coyote Café & Red Sage.

Friday�s Hotel Keynote, �CEOs Tell It Like It Is�, will run from 10:00 a.m. � 11:30 a.m.  Also moderated by Fisher, the Keynote will address the state of the industry as it exists at mid-year 2001 and what the early predictions are for 2002.  Significant topics to be discussed will be labor recruitment and training, technology, overbuilding & oversupply, and marketing.  Panelists include: James Evans, Best Western International; Tom Gallagher, Park Place Entertainment; Terrance Lanni, MGM MIRAGE; Dieter Huckestein, Hilton Hotels; and Glenn Schaeffer, Mandalay Resort Group. 

Additional offerings and competitions can be found on the exhibit floor, including: the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge, during which top chefs will compete for American Culinary Federation gold medals in several flights; the eBusiness Center, at which attendees can check their e-mail or surf the Internet for free; Gelato Competition, where attendees can sample and vote for their favorite Gelato; the Menu Design Competition Awards Display, which will display finalists� submissions for the Menu Design Competition; and the Hospitality Competitions which includes four events: a bed-making competition; a buffer pad toss; a johnny mop toss; and a vacuum relay.  The 2001 LVIHRS marks the first event produced under a partnership announced last fall between the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association (NH&LA) and Nevada Restaurant Association (NRA) and the owners of the 85-year old New York City-based International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA).  The show is managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM). 

The 22nd annual LVIH&RS will run June 21-22, 2001, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas NV.  Other events include HotelPAC Golf Tournament, Tournament Players Club at the Canyons, June 19 and the Epicurean Affair, The Mirage, June 20.