Hotelympia 2018: Preview
The UK’s largest and most prestigious hospitality event returns to ExCeL London in March. Hotelympia has been a platform for the future of hospitality since 1935 and this year’s revitalised event promises to be one of the biggest to date.
Hotelympia takes place on 5th-8th March and provides the ideal opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their latest products while visitors have the ideal opportunity to network with peers and industry leaders.
This time around Hotelympia is introducing four new, exciting and contemporary shows, united under one roof, as part of a fresh new identity. In modernising its approach, a revitalised show will reaffirm its position as the industry’s must-attend showcase event for every hospitality business.
Each of the four new shows, The Foodservice Show, incorporating a coffee-focused Café Commerce section and feature; Hospitality Tech Show; The Professional Kitchen Show and Interiors and Tableware Show, will be specialist events in themselves, each benefitting from the ‘Hotelympia-effect’ – a market-leading brand with the heritage to attract over 25,000 visitors, many of whom possess six-figure spending muscle.
The Professional Kitchen Show
The Professional Kitchen Show will showcase the very latest catering equipment, offering a comprehensive view of innovation and design. The show is set to attract key senior buyers from across the industry including kitchen designers, operations managers, executive chefs and managing directors amongst others.
The Professional Kitchen Show is backed by The Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA), The Catering Equipment Distributors Association (CEDA) distributor purchasing group, Cedabond and The Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI), each representing key manufacturing and wholesale groups within the industry.
The Foodservice Show
In recent years the UK has rightly earned its place at the top table of global food and drink, and The Foodservice Show will celebrate the dynamism, diversity and depth of innovation within this market. As well as hosting key suppliers and artisan start-ups, the show will include a very special Café Commerce section, flooded with innovative coffee-focused suppliers.
Hotelympia’s long history of nurturing the next generation will also continue in earnest at The Foodservice Show through International Salon Culinaire. Candidates are set to do battle in four competitive elements; La Parade de Chefs, Salon Display, Live Theatre and the student-focused Skills Theatre.
Hospitality Tech Show
With technology revolutionising the way we interact with food and food suppliers, the Hospitality Tech Show will champion the brightest, best new products and solutions emerging from hospitality tech players.
A very special Hospitality Tech Innovation Theatre will be at the heart of proceedings. Through a number of insightful seminars, panel discussions and talks around key issues, the Innovation Theatre will demonstrate Hotelympia 2018 as a thought leader around the most pressing technological issues and challenges.
Interiors and Tableware Show
The Interiors and Tableware Show will offer visitors an array of innovative suppliers – including pioneering design houses and interior specialists – and experiential features backed by specially-commissioned insight.
As part of the show, Hotelympia has partnered with SquareMeal, the market-leading independent restaurant guide, to create a survey that delves into the minds of modern diners. The results are now in, and are set to be unveiled in a unique experiential installation at the show that will highlight 2018’s emerging consumer trends and influence key buying decisions.
From lighting preferences, furniture and tableware, right through to music, menu style, uniforms and technology, the survey has left no stone unturned and has been designed to gain a true insight into what the modern-day consumer wants and expects from their dining experience. Not only will show visitors be able to claim their free copy of the report at the show, Hotelympia is working with property-based design, project management and development company, LXA (Wagamama, BXR Gym, Grand Hyatt) to bring the results to life in a standalone installation.
Other Hotelympia 2018 highlights include The World Food Innovation Awards and The Staff Canteen Live, which will see some of the UK’s top chefs, including Dan Doherty, executive chef at Duck and Waffle and Paul Ainsworth, Michelin star chef of Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, creating their best dishes in front of your eyes. Finally, Hotelympia 2018 will recognise International Women’s Day (March 8th 2018) with ‘Women in Hospitality Day’. The day will be a celebration of women in the industry as well as addressing issues such as equal pay that are increasingly topical.
For more information about Hotelympia 2018 and to pre-register visit: hotelympia.com.
