The 2022 Restaurant Loss Prevention and Security Association (RLPSA) Conference continued Tuesday with another day of strong sessions and networking opportunities from Denver, Colorado. This year’s event featured a record-setting 80+ restaurants represented among hundreds of attendees and 70 industry solution providers filling the Expo Hall, underscoring the resilience of the food service and restaurant loss prevention, safety, and security industry.
The day kicked off with executive perspectives featuring Nicole McDargh, vice president of safety and loss prevention at Domino’s, Cheryl Steele, vice president of global security and resilience at Starbucks, and Michael Peaster, global chief safety and security officer at McDonald’s sharing their views on “Unpacking Lessons Learned from COVID and future planning / predictions” moderated by Walter Palmer, executive vice president at CAP Index.
Morning Breakout sessions were next up, with session options including a loss prevention breakout on “The Evolution of Telephone/Zoom/Web Interviewing,” a safety breakout reviewing “The Food Safety Considerations of Ghost Kitchens,” and a risk breakout examining “Claims Excellence: Creating an Effective Workers’ Compensation Defense Program.”
The afternoon began with additional opportunities in the Expo Hall, with attendees meeting with solution providers from across the food service safety and loss prevention fields spending quality time to discuss the latest trends and technologies from across the industry.
This was followed by another round of Breakout sessions with a loss prevention breakout on “: Predicting & Dealing with Social Unrest,” a safety breakout reviewing “Maximizing Scalable Systems: Utilizing Surveillance for Cost-Saving Safety and Operations Performance,” and a risk breakout examining “Being Deposed? Find Out Best Practices by Watching It Live.” All sessions were well-attended with plenty of energy, good questions, and strong audience participation.
The final keynote presentation of the day featured a discussion with George Piro, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami field office, in a presentation on “The Value of Preparation in High Stress Situations,” Piro, one of the few agents at the Bureau fluent in Arabic, had been the lone interrogator of Saddam Hussein while the Iraqi dictator was in U.S. custody following his 2003 capture. Piro met with Hussein daily over several months, eventually earning his trust and getting him to share critical intelligence. Over a decade later, he shared highlights from the experience and a unique look at Hussein during his final days.
Following the presentation, ten lucky attendees were awarded scholarships to the Loss Prevention Foundation’s LPCertified course in collaboration with the 17 LPF solution provider partners attending the conference.
The conference wraps up on Wednesday, with a session on “Trends and Predictions for Cyber Security” with the U.S. Secret Service, a discussion reviewing “Strategies for Solving Digital and Loyalty Fraud,” a Diversity & Inclusion presentation on “Creating Organizations that Represent our Customers,” and a special session with WZ’s Brett Ward on “Investigative Interviewing for Restaurant Professionals.”
Following the 4-day event, attendees are heading home with fresh ideas, new and rejuvenated partnerships, and recharged batteries after another successful event.