Competitions that will be held during the LVIHRS will include the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge, the LVIHRS Hospitality Competitions, the Hospitality Hero Awards and the LVIHRS Menu Competition.

“Our competitions are an important element for the Show,” said Felix Rappaport, president and COO of New York-New York Hotel & Casino and chairman of the LVIHRS. “Not only do the competitions allow us to showcase the talent and achievements of the hospitality industry, but they are an avenue in which we, the industry, can show our appreciation.”

Las Vegas Culinary Challenge The country’s next generation of chefs will compete during both days of the LVIHRS for American Culinary Federation (ACF) gold medals at the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge. Southwest Gas is once again sponsoring the event with additional support provided by the California Cheese Board, US Foodservice, the Art Institute of Las Vegas, and Anderson Dairy. The Culinary Challenge is hosted by the Fraternity of Executive Chefs.

Each competing chef will prepare a signature dish at one of six cooking stations according to the general rules and guidelines of the competition. Prior to the competition, the chefs must provide recipes and a complete diagram or photo of the dish. No advance cooking is permitted and competitors are allowed to bring in only whole and raw materials in the amounts stated in the recipes. Competition categories include chicken or duck, pork tenderloin, fish, hot and warm dessert, cake decoration and decorative centerpiece.

Judging the competition is lead judge John Hui, Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) at Caesars Palace; Gustav Mauler, Certified Master Chef (CMC), at Spiedini and OXO at Rampart Casino and Sazio at The Orleans; Jurgen Weise, CMC, a retired chef that lives in Zephyr Cove, Nev.; Richard Schneider, CMC, at the Stardust and David Kellaway, CMC, executive chef at Mandalay Bay.

LVIHRS Hospitality Competitions Join the nation’s top housekeepers from more than 25 of Las Vegas’ major hotels Wednesday, June 19 from 2:30 - 4 p.m. as they compete in several exhilarating contests of skill, speed and accuracy including a bed-making competition, buffer pad toss, a Johnny mop toss and a vacuum relay.

In the bed-making competition, contestants will be judged on the number of beds made during an allotted time and neatness of the beds.

The buffer pad toss will measure accuracy and teamwork as a blindfolded contestant will attempt to toss five buffer pads to a person 20 feet away who will try to catch the buffer pads with a toilet plunger. Contestants will attempt to throw five Johnny mops into a toilet bowl from a distance of 20 feet in the Johnny mop contest and in the vacuum relay, contestants will assemble a vacuum and clean a carpeted area free of confetti.

Hospitality Hero Awards The Hospitality Hero Awards will honor hospitality employees who have demonstrated selfless acts of courage while on the job. Such acts encompass saving a life or lives, protecting a property from catastrophic loss or making a significant impact on the quality of life for citizens in the community. The awards committee will select recipients from both lodging and restaurant industries.

The Hospitality Hero Awards are the industry’s way of showing its appreciation to the people that have gone above and beyond their duties by saving lives and property. Award winners will be recognized during the International Hospitality Awards Luncheon on Thursday, June 20 at 12:30 p.m.

LVIHRS Menu Competition The LVIHRS Menu Competition will award restaurant menus based on design, creativity and merchandising power within seven categories including: restaurants with an average check less than $15, an average check of $15-$35 and an average check over $36. Other categories include: children’s menu; dessert/appetizer/drinks; wine; and room service. Finalists and award winners will be recognized at the the Menu Design Display on the LVIHRS exhibit floor sponsored by Heartland Payment Systems.

The LVIHRS is open to all hospitality industry professionals. Registration is available at www.LVIHRS.com or by calling 800-272-SHOW. The cost to attend the show is $25 if registration is received by May 31 and $35 after that date. Advance tickets to the Epicurean Affair, the show’s gala dining extravaganza being held at the Caesars Palace pool complex on June 19, are available for $100 per person or $850 for a package of 10. Tickets will be $125 per person at the door. To purchase tickets for the Epicurean Affair, which is open to the public, call the Nevada Restaurant Association at 702-878-2313 or the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association at 702-878-9272.

The 2002 LVIHRS marks the second event produced under a partnership between the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association (NHLA), Nevada Restaurant Association (NRA), the owners of the 87-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). LVIHRS is managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM). For exhibitor information, contact Christian Falkenberg, show manager, at GLM, 10 Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954. Telephone (914) 421-3296. Fax (914) 948-6180. E-mail: [email protected]. For attendee information, contact GLM’s customer service department at (914) 421-3206. Additional information is available on-line at www.lvihrs.com.

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