Diversified Communications UK, organisers of the highly successful, multi-awarding winning Casual Dining and lunch! events, has today announced the launch of Commercial Kitchen – a major new trade show for the UK’s £1bn catering equipment sector.
The latest addition to Diversified UK’s growing trade show portfolio, Commercial Kitchen will take place at the NEC Birmingham on 7-8 June 2016.
The launch follows an extensive consultation process with leading industry suppliers, distributors and operators, who have helped develop the concept. The result is a uniquely positioned, dedicated catering equipment trade show designed to accommodate all of the many vertical sectors served by the commercial kitchen industry – including (but not limited to) restaurants and pubs, casual dining chains, fine dining and Michelin-Star restaurants, hotels, schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, food-to-go, supermarkets, leisure attractions and venues, and install companies.
Thanks to increasing consumer confidence and spending, the multi-billion foodservice market is now poised for further expansion. Insights firm Horizons are predicting the market to rise a further £10bn to over £56bn by 2019; whilst The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), who already reported 1,000 new restaurant openings in 2014, are forecasting much the same for 2015. And it is this growth – across multiple sectors – that is helping to feed the demand for fresh and innovative catering equipment.
With the tag line ‘Equipment for kitchens that work’, the event will combine a trade exhibition of 100 hand-picked companies with a high profile seminar and keynote programme. Founding exhibitors will be showcasing the complete range of innovative equipment, devices and utensils required to run a commercial kitchen; including cooking equipment, refrigeration, storage, warewashing, fit out and design.
The definitive new event for the catering equipment industry, the launch announcement has already received overwhelming support from many leading suppliers, including Adande Refrigeration, Gram (UK), Manitowoc Foodservice UK, Electrolux Professional, Gamble Food Service Solutions, Nelson Glass & Dishwashing Machines, and Rational.
“Gram are delighted to be supporting a clearly focused capital equipment event that gives us an ideal platform to meet prospective purchasers across the independent and group marketplace,” says Glenn Roberts, managing director of Gram (UK).
“Commercial Kitchen is a fantastic concept and provides the market with a needed pure equipment focused show,” says Julie Fell, marketing manager at Electrolux Professional.
“After enjoying the huge success of being part of Diversified’s Casual Dining show, there was no way we could turn down the opportunity to be part of a tailored trade event such as Commercial Kitchen! It’s fresh and it is exciting and we will be there!” says Mike O’Keeffe, sales director at Gamble Food Service Solutions.
“It’s great to have a show for exactly what we do and for the exact buyers that we want to do business with. We want to access the whole market and the launch of Commercial Kitchen will allow us to do that,” says Allan Turpin, national account manager at Nelson Glass & Dishwashing Machines.
“We are very excited to be participating at the new Commercial Kitchen exhibition. A dedicated event of this type, for the catering industry, where heavy equipment suppliers can showcase their latest products is something we firmly believe the market needs,” says Melissa Pereira, UK key account director at Rational.
Commenting on the launch, Chris Brazier, group event director of Commercial Kitchen, says: “Like the best things in life, it’s a simple yet very compelling idea. For the first time, Commercial Kitchen will bring together senior decision makers and buyers from all the relevant sectors to do business with the most innovative catering equipment exhibitors in a focused business environment.”
Commercial Kitchen is organised by Diversified Communications, who have a growing portfolio of successful events in the food sector. Among them are lunch! (winner of three best trade show awards) and Casual Dining, which, just last week, was again named ‘Best Tradeshow Exhibition under 2,000sq.m’ at the Association of Event Organisers’ Excellence Awards for the second year running (it only launched in 2014).
Commercial Kitchen will launch at the NEC in Birmingham on 7-8 June 2016.
The Commercial Kitchen website will be launched later this week, on Wednesday 1 July, at www.CommercialKitchenshow.co.uk. Booking for exhibitors opens at 9am on the same day.
For further information or to reserve stand space, please contact Simon Watkins at [email protected] or Chris Brazier at [email protected].