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Excitement Builds for The Restaurant Show 2018

The Restaurant Show 2018
Written by Amy

Whatever your role in the industry, you’re sure to come away with business boosting insights and inspiration from The Restaurant Show 2018. Now in its 30th anniversary year, the event will see an impressive line-up of experts, influencers and industry names come together to share their expertise and life lessons. And, with over 450 exhibitors to explore too, it really is set to be a feast of ideas and inspiration.

Live sessions to get excited about

Among the exciting names already confirmed to speak are Tom Kerridge of the Hand and Flowers and Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House.

Visitors can also look forward to hearing from sustainable food pioneer Doug McMaster, Founder of Silo Brighton, as he talks about his new venture and partnership with leading bartender Mr Lyan of White Lyan and Super Lyan. These two trailblazers are blending food and drink in their new project, CUB. Learn how they’re bringing people together with an innovative planet-positive menu that makes customers’ minds and bellies happy.

There’s more excitement as the show is joined by The World’s 50 Best Bars team, who’ll be shaking things up with a lively session on why cocktails matter. Find out how perfectly mixed cocktails can pull in the profits and put your venue ahead of the competition. Featuring a leading panel presenting the latest global trends, this session covers everything from flavour matching with food to looking at how sustainability is shaping today’s thriving bar scene.

Digital secrets for success

To help you supercharge your marketing, join experimental marketer and founder of Digital Blonde Karen Fewell in her session ‘Digital storytelling: the secret ingredient for social media success’. As part of this you’ll get to experience live digital storytelling in action as Karen translates dishes created by former Young National Chef of the Year and star of the BBC’s Million Pound Menu, Ruth Hansom, into killer content. This session will show you how to make sure your social media posts stand out in a crowded online space. Whether you’re a restaurant, hotel or food brand, you’ll learn how a few small changes could make a big difference.

Meanwhile, OpenTable will have a panel of experts on hand discussing how you can combine the art of hospitality with smarter technology. On the panel is Alexandre Santamaria, Brand Director, Ling Ling, Hakkasan Ltd., who explained that the session would cover how to manage data through technology and handle guests personally: “The hospitality industry needs to be making the most of data and using it to their advantage, in order to give guests the best possible experience. During this session we’ll be looking at how clever use of technology can help restaurants cater to consumers evolving personal preferences.”

There will be practical advice about how to capitalise on the best communication channels to boost loyalty and bring new customers directly to you. Additionally, OpenTable will share how some of its newest features can make getting in touch with your diners even more seamless.

Business boosting insights

The live sessions from MCA’s Strategic Advisor Simon Stenning always draw a crowd, as he shares the latest research, giving away valuable insights for everyone in the industry. Among the subjects he’ll cover this year is Casual Dining, looking at future growth, movement and key trends to explore. There will also be an unmissable session for the pub and bar trade, discussing how quality drinks and improved experiences are bringing customers back to wet-led pubs. Do wet-led pubs have what it takes to turn the sector around long-term? Get the inside track by attending the live sessions from MCA.

Tackling sustainability in hospitality has always been a challenging topic, that’s why The Restaurant Show is bringing together an industry-leading panel to give you their thoughts. Packed with practical advice, this session will take a fresh look at the subject and help you discover how to go for growth while putting sustainable practices in the spotlight.

Plus, don’t miss the ‘Perk up your coffee profits’ master-class with Elliot and Alex, aka the Fantastical Espresso Brothers. Join in as the brothers take you on a deep dive into the processes behind serving high-quality coffee in a session mixing theory and practice to inspire grande-style growth. Kick-start your day with a free coffee and learn how consistency is the key to keeping caffeine-seeking customers happy whatever your venue.

Taste sensations

At the heart of The Restaurant Show is fantastic food & drink and amazing ingredients and that’s certainly the case in “Destination Jaen: outstanding olive oil from Spain” – the live session celebrating the best of this special region.

Other taste sensations to get involved with include ‘Celebrating Sake’ with Peter McCombie, Master of Wine and UK Ambassador for Sake. There’s also ‘Across the board’ with cheese writer Patrick McGuigan and Matthew Carver from The Cheese Restaurant in Camden.

Register now

Registration for The Restaurant Show 2018 is now open. Register for your badge at www.therestaurantshow.co.uk for free entry to the hospitality industry’s ultimate diary date 1st – 3rd October at Olympia London. Follow @RestaurantShow to stay up-to-date with the latest new sessions, exhibitors and speakers.

About the author

Amy