International Pizza Expo

Pizzeria Owners Bake-Off, Spin-Off and Plan for the Future at Pizza Expo

The 32nd annual International Pizza Expo® is on track for record attendance at the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 7 – 10. More than 7,000 pizzeria owners and managers are expected for this industry gathering that is anchored by an exhibit hall featuring exhibits in an area approximately the size of six football fields.

The first exhibit hall day, Tuesday, March 8, will be kicked off by a keynote from celebrity chef and restaurateur Fabio Viviani, owner of several Italian-concept restaurants and a recognizable face from the “Top Chef” series as well as many other network television appearances.

More than 200 competitors will bake pizzas in five divisions for judging panels during the prestigious International Pizza Challenge™ running Tuesday through Thursday. Winners of the Traditional, Non-Traditional, Pizza Napoletana and Pan divisions will then vie on Thursday for the coveted Pizza Maker of the Year title. That bake-off involves a mystery ingredient all four finalists must use in a recipe created on the spot for the judges.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the World Pizza Games®, an Olympics-style competition for pizza makers, will crown the best in the world at the largest dough stretch, fastest pizza box folding, fastest dough forming and the ever-popular freestyle acrobatic dough tossing. The photogenic dough-tossing event features routines to music and competitors spinning multiple round doughs while performing amazing stunts in the front of the judges.

All the while, pizzeria professionals will be attending more than 100 workshops, cooking and baking demonstrations, and seminars to improve their businesses. They will also sample new food ingredients and products for their menus, see the latest in equipment and supplies, visit the Pizzeria 2020 exhibit and Craft Beer Pavilion and network with fellow operators from across the U.S. and around the world.