Branded believes in showing up. Not phoning it in, not sending a logo and a swag box, but actually showing up, in the room (where it happens), with our people. And starting tomorrow, we're showing up big, b/c we're headed to Orlando for the Prosper Forum, one of the handful of events we circle on our calendar every single year.
So this week's Shoutout goes to Prosper, and to the whole community that makes the trip worth it.
First, to the organizers of the Prosper Forum: thank you.
Building a room where the operators, founders, investors, and partners shaping foodservice actually come together (and keep coming back) is hard, and you make it look easy. Prosper has become one of those rare gatherings where the hallway conversations are as valuable as the mainstage, and the relationships outlast the badge.
Here's how Branded is showing up this year, and it's a full dance card.
We're podcasting straight from the action, recording the Hospitality Hangout with two partners who could not be more different or more aligned: Olo and No Kid Hungry. Tech and mission, under one mic.
We're breaking bread at our Culinary Connection dinner, alongside our friends at DailyPay, b/c the best conversations in this business still happen over a great meal.
And we're bringing back our signature Cocktails & Cocktails, powered by an all-star lineup: DoorDash, DirecTV, Adyen, and DailyPay. It's the night the titles come off, the industry lets its hair down, and the realest relationships get made. If you've been, you know. If you haven't, come find us.
Which brings me to the real point of this week’s Shoutout. The partners. None of this happens alone. To Olo, DailyPay, DoorDash, DirecTV, and Adyen, thank you for showing up with us, for betting on this industry, and for understanding that the best way to build something is shoulder to shoulder. And to No Kid Hungry, thank you for the reminder that hospitality, at its heart, is about taking care of people, especially the ones who need it most.
Showing up sounds simple. It isn't.
It's the early flights and the late nights and one more handshake when you're already running on fumes. But it's also the whole game. Deals, partnerships, friendships, entire companies, they all start with somebody deciding to be in the room. Branded shows up b/c this industry has given us so much, and the least we can do is keep giving back to it, in person, every chance we get.
So a big, loud Shoutout to the Prosper team, to our incredible partners, and to everyone rallying down to Orlando this week: all the operators, builders, and dreamers committed to elevating the future of foodservice and hospitality.
Orlando in August runs hot, but the energy in that room runs hotter, and there's nowhere we'd rather be this week.
You're our people. Let's go make it a great one.
See you in Orlando.
If you’ll be down at the Prosper Forum and would like to connect with the Branded Hospitality team re our Capital, Solutions or Media services, please click here.
