Strategic Brand Building through Entertainment

March 11-13, 2025 | Myrtle Beach, SC — Price increases by $150 after December 13. Register Now

OPENING KEYNOTE SESSION / MONDAY / MARCH 11, 2019 / 4:10 PM

Canadian entrepreneur Ryan Smolkin’s master goal for his franchise is GLOBAL DOMINATION! As the mastermind behind Smoke’s Poutinerie, Smolkin has always viewed the QSR as an Entertainment brand first, and restaurant second. Ryan will walk guests through a day in the life of Smoke’s Poutinerie and what it takes to build a global brand. He’ll also talk about the journey into franchising as well as the challenges faced and outcomes.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Ryan Smolkin | Founder & CEO | Smoke’s Poutinerie

Ryan Smolkin is the Founder and Chief Executive Office of Smoke’s Poutinerie. After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1995, Ryan established AmoebaCorp, an internationally-recognized Graphic Design and Branding company with clients including Nike, Molson, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Corus Entertainment, YTV, Sims Snowboards and Nelvana. Ryan’s primary goal has always been to bring Canada’s National Iconic dish to the rest of the world in an original and unique way, and to ultimately achieve GLOBAL DOMINATION! With Ryan at the helm of Smoke’s Poutinerie, the franchise has been growing at an astoundingly fast pace. Currently, The World’s Largest & Original Poutinerie has over 150 stores across North America.

Larry D. Kruguer | President of International | Wingstop

Larry D. Kruguer joined the company as President of International on June 11, 2015. Prior to joining Wingstop, Larry was at Wendy’s International, where he served as Vice President, International Joint Ventures and Key Markets from October 2014 to June 2015, Vice President, International Business Development and Finance from January 2010 to October 2014 and Vice President, International Marketing from October 2007 to January 2010. Prior to that, he was the President and Managing Partner of Prontowash USA, a global car wash services company, from January 2002 to October 2007. From October 1998 to August 2001, he served as Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Alliances for SportsLine.com, a CBS Sports affiliate. Larry has also held management positions with Alamo-Autonation and American Express. He received an MBA in Business Management from University of Miami School of Business Administration in 1992.

MODERATOR