munity was among the top reasons attendees came to the show. After a long absence of gathering, the energy was electric. Attendees wanted to see their pizza friends and family. The time is now to innovate Pizza Expo is the ultimate motivator to kick new ideas into motion. Many operators on the show floor were coming off record sales and were eager to invest in their businesses. Others were looking for ways to bounce back from the COVID-19 shutdowns and its impact. Both were on site ready to instill change in their operations. Exhibitors answered their calls with the launch of several new products that debuted on the show floor. Knowledge is power Operators were eager to be in person to soak up as much knowledge as they could whether it was in the education seminars, demonstrations or exhibitor presentations. The seminar halls saw less people surfing between sessions. Instead operators were glued to their seats to hear fellow pizzeria profs share strategies and tips. Hot Trends in the exhibit hall Large international industry events like Pizza Expo give attendees the opportunity to see what's trending and what's on the horizon. The show floor is a great metric to see where the industry is going. Pizza Expo didn't disappoint to give a glimpse into the hot trends happening in the restaurant and specifically the pizza market. Based on experiencing the show floor and talking to pizzeria operators, we noticed common threads and rising products that made their mark on Pizza Expo 2021. Plant-based The biggest and most noticeable trend on the show floor was the abundance of plant-based prodNOVEMBER 2021 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 49http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM