Catering Scotland

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) returns to ExCeL London from 21st-23rd March with a showcase of the most important hospitality trends and exciting new products to emerge over the past couple of years.  

‘We’ve seen a huge degree of creativity in the world of hospitality and foodservice,’ says Event Manager, Ronda Annesley. ‘In addition to it being a reunion for the industry, this year’s event presents an opportunity for visitors, exhibitors and speakers to discover all the latest trends, opportunities and products to help grow over the coming years.’ 

The adoption of hospitality technology, both by business owners and customers, has been notable since 2020 and both HRC’s Hospitality Tech section and the content on the show’s Tech X stage will reflect the evolution of this part of the industry.  

Suppliers at the event will be showcasing a wide range of innovative hospitality technologies, such as Kobas’s complete hospitality management system, Togo’s streamlined booking and marketing suite plus new products such Get Tasty’s mPoS handheld ordering with integrated payments, streaming TV from Atmosphere and Bella Bot from Hutech Robotics, the latest delivery robot designed by Pudu. 

On the Tech X stage, brands including Honest Burger, Popeyes, Wahaca, Yummy Pubs and more will be discussing how hospitality businesses can best harness technology to increase profits and improve customer experience.  

Dub Lee, Culture Systems Architect at Honest Burger and a speaker at HRC 2022, said: ‘Our customers and team members have come to expect a level of convenience and tech-savviness in the businesses with whom they interact.

‘As the workforce gets younger, modern consumer-grade tech will prove increasingly important in order to engage our teams.’

Tackling the industry’s staffing shortages 

Staffing challenges are top of the agenda on the Vision Stage, with the key session – ‘Tackling the industry’s staffing shortages’ – on 21st March. Here, EXP101 co-founder Kieron Bailey will be joined by Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, Mark McCulloch, founder of Hospitality Rising and Supersonic Marketing, Abi Dunn, founder of Sixty Eight People and Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality. 

On day three – 23rd March – John Mason, co-founder of Sideways, will be joined by Leanne Tester, Learning & Development Manager at Pizza Pilgrims, Preeya Parker, Head of People at Grind and Avi Collins, Head of People at Tapas Revolution, will discuss what it takes to develop a new generation of hospitality workers.  

Meanwhile, HRC will once again partner with Hospitality Jobs UK (HJUK) for ‘Hospitality’s Talent Conundrum’, a conference dedicated to the issue of recruitment and retention.

‘We are offering innovative solutions for hospitality businesses to attract and retain candidates,’said HJUK’s founder, Dawn Bowstead. ‘Expect leading industry figures discussing their journeys and the successes they’ve had with attracting talented employees. We will also be sharing government incentives, apprenticeship opportunities and how industry charities are supporting the sector.’

Moreover, suppliers are also doing their part to tackle the industry’s staffing challenges, with exhibiting platforms like Stint offering a quick, easy way to integrate university students into front-of-house teams, Planday providing employers with flexible, collaborative staff-rota software and new brand Moonworkers’ people platform helping hospitality businesses onboard, manage, pay and reward their team. 

Showcasing high-end design solutions  

Interior design has never been more important for welcoming customers back into hospitality, and HRC’s newly rebranded Design & Décor section reflects the importance of a strong brand in a hospitality or foodservice environment.  

Design partners Harp Design and Accanto Interiors will be on hand to provide complimentary consultations, as will leading brands such as Geberit, Villeroy & Boch & AEL Outdoor Solutions. The show will also see the launch of new businesses and products such as Supra Design, an interior architecture and design studio specialist. 

The show’s Vision Stage will also welcome leading designers and architects including Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg to discuss the latest trends and challenges.

Celebrating culinary excellence 

And of course the International Salon Culinaire will return for its 120th edition. With over 100 live and static challenges – including displays showcasing some of the UK’s best chefs – this year’s competition will be the first live edition of the competition since 2020 and will introduce new categories including the Apprentice Challenge and Pub Chef of the Year. 

And back in the celebrated Staff Canteen Live, 12 chefs (plus a one-to-watch) will recreate their favourite dishes and share their insights with the live audience. The line-up includes Tom Booton, Sally Abé, Gareth Ward and Tom Kerridge.  

Toasting the pub sector 

New for 2022, HRC will be joining forces with The Pub Show to bring a whole new offering to bar owners and publicans attending the event. This year’s show will see the addition of popular feature The Taproom featuring breweries Anspach & Hobday, Big Smoke Brew Co, Brouwerij Haacht, Full Circle Brew Co, Old Street Brewery and Siren Craft Brew. 

There will also be a number of sessions on the Vision Stage dedicated to the pub and bar sector, including ‘The return of the pub’, a must-see discussion kicking off day one of the show and featuring Katy Moses, founder and Managing Director of KAM, Steven Alton, CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping, Louise MacLean, Business Development Director at Signature Pubs, Anthony Pender, co-founder of Yummy Pubs and James Nye, Managing Director of Anglian Country Inns. 

The Pub Show at HRC will include Flightcase Bars, who offer unique mobile draught systems built into rolling flight cases, draft beer quality consultants Avani Solutions and Digital Interlock Software, a company that has created innovative digital pump clips to remotely and digitally update a bar’s on-draft options. 

HRC 2022 is the UK’s largest gathering of food, drink and hospitality professionals and takes place alongside IFE, International Food & Drink Event, IFE Manufacturing and the London Produce Show, from 21st-23rd March.

View the full seminar programme, and register to attend, at hrc.co.uk.