This year marked Avocados From Mexico’s debut as an exhibitor at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, and we were excited to help integrate cutting-edge digital technology into their booth.

Our mission was to create an immersive trade show experience centered around guacamole that would inspire and motivate foodservice operators to incorporate more guac into their menus.

Our technology played a significant role in several key areas of the booth:

Guacology VR Experience 

To debunk myths around working with avocados, we created an educational experience that was fun and still addressed the need for basic training on stages of ripeness and back-of-house tips for holding guacamole mash.

The ‘Guacology Virtual Reality’ experience is an immersive virtual reality kitchen where attendees can be trained by our master avocado chef on key educational topics.

The virtual environment replicated a lifelike commercial kitchen, fully equipped for prepping, holding, and making guacamole. Participants could choose from three different 1-minute training experiences or complete them all.

We were thrilled to have over 200 participants, each spending 2-3 minutes exploring and learning in this innovative virtual kitchen.

Glow Up Your Menu Kiosk 

Many operators see guacamole as a staple of Mexican cuisine, often overlooking its innovation potential. Patrons, too, need fresh and exciting reasons to choose guac.

To challenge this perception, we harnessed the power of AI to demonstrate the versatility of guacamole with our ‘Glow Up Your Menu’ kiosk. This innovative tool takes your restaurant concept and generates unique menu items featuring guacamole. Leveraging Datassential’s insights, the kiosk scores your recipes based on rarity and appeal.

Attendees simply entered their company name, and AI scanned the web for details about their menu items and ingredients. The kiosk then recommended creative guacamole dishes tailored to their menu. Each output included three recipes complete with titles, images, and descriptions.

For example, McDonald’s saw inventive suggestions like the Avocado Egg McMuffin, Guacamole Grande Burger, and Green Chili Guac Fries.

The kiosk was a hit, with over 250 attendees using it. Each user spent an average of 5 minutes discovering new and exciting ways to incorporate guacamole into their menus.”

Guacamole Grab & Go Video 

Operators believe guac can’t be prepped ahead of time and, too often, it’s left off menus, especially for off-premise and grab-and-go formats.

So, we created a ’60s-style sizzle reel of a fast-food worker sharing stats about how much consumers want guac in their off-premise meals, along with pointers on how to package it to maintain optimal freshness.

We shot and produced the video, then showcased the final reel in a realistic-looking drive-thru window. The video periodically played for the crowd, and after each showing, the staff provided samples of guacamole in AFM-branded grab-and-go containers.

Guacamole Bar Video 

To demonstrate the endless and easy customizability of guacamole, the booth featured an Epic Guac Bar where attendees could create their own guacamole recipes or choose from chef-curated options on the menu.

Above the bar, we showcased a video featuring mouth-watering images of the guacamole recipes on the menu.

Some of the crowd favorites from the bar included Elotes Guac and Hot Honey Guac, highlighting just how versatile and delicious guacamole can be.