International

Welcome: Running Great Restaurants
William Urrego, Vice President & General Manager, the Americas and Gary Moore, Vice President, DineEquity, Inc. & General Manager, Middle East and Asia, DineEquity, Inc.

Applebee’s is a global brand, but every guest bases the decision to visit us—and how often to do so—by the experience they have in a single restaurant. Guests today have higher expectations of what the Applebee’s —or any dining experience—should be. Working together from a three-year strategic plan across our four pillars: place, price & promotion, product and people—every guest, every restaurant, every time—is how we will to meet and exceed those expectations and build sales and traffic in your restaurants.

Through a Guests’ Eyes: Serving Up a Great Restaurant Customer Experience
Deloitte Consulting

“A restaurant’s brand is no longer only about food. If it ever was.” Experts from the globally respected consulting firm Deloitte will present their findings about what the guest experience needs to be for restaurants to succeed and grow in an evolving and competitive landscape.

Table Stakes
William Urrego, Vice President & General Manager, the Americas, DineEquity, Inc.
Gary Moore, Vice President & General Manager, Middle East & Asia, DineEquity, Inc.

There are certain essentials that must be in place before we can elevate the guest experience. What are these basic requirements for running a great restaurant…and how can we work together to ensure they are present in every one of our restaurants?

Making Each Guest Visit a Celebration
Beatrice Martins, Director, International Strategic Operations, DineEquity, Inc.
Connie Mann, Senior Manager, Learning and Development, DineEquity, Inc.
Mihir Miniwala, Senior Manager, Voice of the Customer, DineEquity, Inc.

In addition to introducing new tools designed to elevate our ability to satisfy our guests, we will hear from Beatrice, Connie and Mihir about the status of DinePLATE and about GIFT and the next iteration of that tool. Franchise partners will share their experience with GIFT as well.

Welcome & Business Update
John Cywinski, President

Table Stakes II: Ensuring our Restaurants—and the Food We Serve—are Clean and Safe
Gary Dubois Vice President, Quality Assurance, DineEquity, Inc.
Tanveer Hussain, Quality & Supply Management Manager – Middle East & Asia, DineEquity, Inc.

The environment we provide to our guests—and the quality and safety of the food we serve—are essential in a guest’s decision whether to visit us or to return. Gary and Tanveer , will discuss the actions being taken to ensure we are protecting guests, our brand, and your businesses.

Technology—an important part of the guest experience

Both guest facing and operational technology are becoming an essential part of today’s dining experience—and we’ll hear an update and plans for the future from our International DineEquity Information Technology leaders.

Social Listening—Gaining Valuable Guest Insights Across Social Media
Mihir Miniwala, Senior Manager, Consumer Insights, DineEquity, Inc.

Tools such as GIFT are a great source of guest feedback—but no longer the only source of valuable feedback, consumer insights and guest interaction. Conversations about our brand are happening across social media channels. Successful restaurants know how to tap into this resource—and how to harness the insights to improve both the Applebee’s experience and the perception of our brand.

Price and Promotion: Elevating This Pillar of Our 360 Brand Evolution
Javier Balaguera Executive Director, International Marketing and Culinary, DineEquity, Inc.

Every day value is no longer just about price: our three-year strategic plan will see marketing evolve from functional to emotional to reach consumers and build traffic. We will discuss how to elevate and distinguish Applebee’s in the public consciousness through branding and signature items.

We have the best franchisees and vendor partners in the industry. What better way to bring you together than to offer the “best for the best.” Take time to meet with vendors you have known forever and those you have yet to meet while enjoying the best – Wine Spectator’s top picks from 2016; Cigar Aficionado’s top recommendations; San Francisco World Spirits Competition best-in-class bourbons; World Tequila Awards best choices for tequila and more!

Guest Relationship Management: How to Build our Business While Building Guest Loyalty
Javier Balaguera Executive Director, International Marketing and Culinary, DineEquity, Inc.

How do we increase—and utilize—the love guests have for the Applebee’s brand? What tools are available to help us continue to spread happiness, build guest loyalty and collect valuable data that can help build our traffic and sales.

Positioning Ourselves for Growth
Dan Lecocq, Executive Director, International Development, DineEquity, Inc.
Beatrice Martins, Director, International Strategic Operations, DineEquity, Inc.

Together, we are working on opportunities to bring guests the Applebee’s experience in new and exciting ways, whether that involves building new restaurants in key markets and adjacent markets, through online ordering and new off-premise options. In addition to hearing our strategy for exploring these new opportunities and avenues to build sales, we will hear from franchise partners who can share their experiences with these ancillary avenues that provide our guests the Applebee’s experience with the options they demand.

Conclusion and Next Steps
William Urrego, Vice President & General Manager, the Americas, DineEquity, Inc. and Gary Moore, Vice President & General Manager, Middle East and Asia, DineEquity, Inc.