RFMA 2025 Recap: Your Questions Answered!

Another year, another incredible RFMA conference! RFMA 2025 was packed with opportunities to connect, learn, and grow within the restaurant facilities industry. This year, EMR’s Sales & Marketing Manager, Emily Martin, and DCMV Sales Rep, John Salemme, attended and shared their biggest takeaways from the experience. Whether it was strengthening relationships, learning from insightful sessions, or just soaking in the energy of the show floor, their experiences highlight why RFMA is such a valuable event for vendors and operators alike.

What was your biggest takeaway from RFMA 2025?

Emily: What a difference a year can make! After a year of volunteering on the membership services committee and participating in as many events as possible since RFMA 2024 in DC, my biggest takeaway is how much more connected I feel to the association and the industry, broadly, and what that experience felt like at RFMA 2025 compared to 2024. The quantity and quality of my network has drastically increased with time and commitment. My conversations on the exhibition hall floor and the ‘in-betweens’ were more informed, productive, and connecting with both fellow vendor members and prospects/customers on the restaurant side.

John: I left RFMA 2025 with more knowledge, more connections and prospects and built stronger relationships.

How did RFMA help strengthen relationships with existing customers or partners?

Emily: As a regional services provider, I don’t always get a ton of in-person facetime with some of our most valued partnerships who might sit in various parts of the country not local to Baltimore. RFMA provides that! One time a year, I know that I will have an opportunity to reconnect face-to-face with important customers and partners (or meet some for the first time!). The pre-conference communications that RFMA puts out helps me stay organized and have a plan. Express Exchange “speed dating” is a perfect place to start, as it almost sets the tone for the remaining days of the show.

John: RFMA acts as a bridge for ongoing communication and mutual growth between businesses, customers and partners. It’s a great way to show you’re invested in long-term relationships, especially when you have your own customers attending the conference.

What advice would you give to someone attending RFMA for the first time?

Emily: Get involved! Like anything with life, you’ll get out what you put in. RFMA is no different. Join committees, attend the webinars, connect via LinkedIn with fellow members, and utilize RFMA online. There are ample ways to connect before the next conference and start building your RFMA 2026 playbook now!

John: Plan before you go. Look through the event schedule and select the sessions, workshops, and speakers that align with your interests and goals. Once you are there, network, network, network! This is one of the biggest benefits of attending. It’s all about building genuine relationships with others in the industry. Exploring the show floor is a great way to see the latest products, technologies, and services in the restaurant facility management field. Take notes along the way and follow up after the conference. Whether it’s to continue a conversation, ask for more information, or simply connect on LinkedIn.

Was there a particular session or speaker that stood out to you? Why?

Emily: I really enjoyed one of the breakout sessions where a vendor led a conversation around vendor relations with a restaurant operator. Part of my job at EMR is to build relationships with larger accounts, and I have more success doing that when both sides have an opportunity to learn about each other’s worlds, build empathy, define clear expectations, and set themselves up for success through solid communication. I enjoyed hearing other perspectives on that panel along those lines, and in particular, some questions from the audience about contracting.

John: The keynote/motivational speaker for RFMA 2025 was Jon Dorenbos. His powerful personal story crafting light from darkness was incredible. Jon took us through his deep personal journey and his outlook on life. It was so inspirational and I think of his message every day.

If you had to describe RFMA 2025 in three words, what would they be?

Emily: Connecting. Inspiring. FUN!

John: Networking. Resourceful. Innovative.

What was your biggest highlight of RFMA 2025?

Emily: Being with the EMR team on the show floor for our second year in a row was my biggest highlight. As I mentioned above, we’ve learned so much from this association in such a short time, and the value is just overflowing. I was proud to see our progress year over year!

John: This was my second RFMA Conference. My biggest highlight for this year was achieving my CRFP (Certified Restaurant Facilities Professional). I had the pleasure of sharing this with four others on stage at the conference. We all now share something in common and are now well connected.

Once again, RFMA’s Annual Conference proved to be an invaluable experience. If you’re considering attending RFMA 2026, Emily’s and John’s advice is clear: get involved, plan ahead, and make the most of every opportunity to connect. Check out more photos and videos from our Vegas experience here!