Collective[i] Forecast: Featuring Danny Meyer. March 11 at 5:30 P.M. ET.

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SPACs, Enlightened Hospitality & No Kid Hungry

An iconic entrepreneur, celebrated speaker, and educator, Danny Meyer is both the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and the Founder of Shake Shack. Throughout his 35+ years in the restaurant industry, Danny has set standards in areas such as hiring practices, innovative leadership, and corporate responsibility. He is also the author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, Setting the Table, which articulates a set of signature business and life principles that translate to a wide range of industries.

During this interactive discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about USHG’s distinctive culture of Enlightened Hospitality, which prioritizes employees first and foremost and has driven the company’s ongoing evolution into a multifaceted hospitality organization. The discussion will also delve into how the hospitality industry is likely to evolve post-pandemic, as well as USHG’s newly launched SPAC and its support of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger.

This special session of Forecast will be hosted on the new social media app, Clubhouse. Clubhouse is an invitation-only, audio-only social network. This event will only take place live –– the conversation will not be recorded and serves as a unique opportunity to connect with other Forecast community members in a new way.

While attendees are not required to formally RSVP for this special session of Forecast, by filling out the RSVP form you will receive a calendar invitation with the Clubhouse link.

About Clubhouse:

If you’ve heard about Clubhouse but want more information about how it works, this short video by WSJ columnist, Joanna Stern, is a great place to start. This simple explainer by NYT reporter, Steven Kurutz, is also a helpful primer on everything you need to know.

To join:

Download the app (Clubhouse is currently only available on iPhone)
If you are in need of a Clubhouse invite, we encourage you to join Forecast After Hours on Slack, where members of our community can share invites with one another. This is also the best way to communicate with the Collective[i] Forecast team during the event if you come across any issues or have any questions.

Featuring

Danny Meyer

Founder & CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Danny Meyer grew up in a family that relished great food and hospitality. Thanks to his father’s travel business, which designed custom European trips, Danny spent much of his childhood eating, visiting near and far-off places, and sowing the seeds for his future passion. In 1985, at the age of 27, Danny opened his first restaurant, Union Square Cafe, launching what would become a lifelong career in hospitality.

Thirty years later, Danny’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) comprises some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, and more. Danny and USHG founded Shake Shack, the modern-day “roadside” burger restaurant, which became a public company in 2015. USHG also offers large-scale event services, foodservice solutions for public and private institutions, industry consulting, and educational programming.

Danny and USHG’s diverse ventures have added to the hospitality dialogue in many contexts including dining options in museums, sports arenas, and cultural institutions, as well as prescient investments in burgeoning neighborhoods.

Danny has been generously recognized for his leadership, business achievements, and humanitarianism, including the 2017 Julia Child Award, the 2015 TIME 100 “Most Influential People” list, the 2012 Aspen Institute Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership, the 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and the 2000 IFMA Gold Plate Award. Together, Danny and USHG’s restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur (2005) and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America (1996).

Danny and his wife, Audrey, live in New York City and have four children.

Heidi Messer

Co-Founder and Chairperson, Collective[i]

Heidi Messer currently serves as Co-Founder and Chairperson of Collective[i]™. Collective[i] (short for Collective Intelligence) hosts a network and AI/ML powered application that helps companies predict, manage, and grow revenue. Prior to Collective[i], Ms. Messer co-founded and served as President of LinkShare, host to one of the world’s largest online affiliate networks until its sale to Rakuten for USD $425m. She received her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Forecast ft. Danny Meyer