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When Sam Oches started working as a journalist, he brought a pen and notepad to cover events. Now he brings a camera and a microphone, too.
The media world has changed significantly since the early 2000s, as have the tools he uses to do his job, but Oches’ love of storytelling has remained the same.
“I learned the hard way what the restaurant business is,” he says. After 15 years, he feels a strong sense of pride in the industry he’s covered for most of his professional life. “This is my business. I don’t feel like a journalist. I feel like I’m a restaurateur. I just happen to be in the media world.”
In a live interview from the 2024 National Restaurant Show in Chicago, Informa Connect Restaurant & Food Group He shared his insights on the role of digital media in the restaurant industry.
Since Oches was a budding reporter, podcasts, social media and other forms of digital content have exploded.
For the recent National Restaurant Show, he helped produce podcast interviews, videos and other digital content to tell a comprehensive story about the wildly popular annual event and the industry leaders who attend it.
“This is an incredible opportunity to tell stories the way people want to receive them,” Oches says of presenting new media like podcasts as well as traditional articles and photos.
“Today’s Gen Z are tomorrow’s CEOs,” he says. “CEOs are our core audience. If we don’t adapt to their wants and needs, we’ll become obsolete.”
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Launching a new podcast network
As the world’s largest event management company, Informa Connect is the partner of leading industry events including: National Restaurant Show.
The partnership provides the restaurant industry with resources and opportunities for growth by enabling large-scale events with Informa’s expertise. Informa’s reach extends beyond events, with a strong media presence across multiple foodservice-focused publications, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of industry knowledge and networking.
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In addition to his editorial duties, Oches and Informa are leading a new initiative to build a podcast network under the Informa Connect foodservice division.
The network will be putting together a collection of podcasts, including Oches’s own podcast. Takeaway by Sam O’ChessIn this article, we interview restaurant decision makers, from independent operators to those who run major chains. Extra Servings, National Restaurant News podcasts where Oches and his team discuss industry trends; RB Daily from Restaurant Businesswas renamed Restaurant Daily.
Oches also said the company will develop a collaborative podcast network of approximately 10 shows that will serve as a comprehensive resource for industry professionals, offering diverse insights and discussions on the latest trends and challenges in the restaurant industry.
“We have content here that will help them do their business better,” Oches said. “We want to inform them. We want to educate them. We want to engage with them. That’s what we talk about all the time.”
When it comes to social media, Oches has found his niche on LinkedIn, where he actively engages with his community through daily posts and video content.
“I think [LinkedIn video] “LinkedIn is the fastest growing multimedia right now,” he says. “I’m thinking about what that means to me, what type of video, what value can I provide on LinkedIn.”
Oches uses LinkedIn to showcase his team’s work and share stories and perspectives that resonate in the industry.
Though he doesn’t write as frequently as he used to, Oches is keen to promote the work of his colleagues, and he understands that social media is about sharing content. and Offer personal insight and perspective that will captivate your audience.
“My team is great,” he says. “They’re all better than me, so I just leave it to them. I’m happy to do everything else that I do, and contributing to my team is important to me, so I want to share that.”
Related: Popmenu started with a simple service for restaurants, now it’s using AI to help them thrive
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