Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) will return to ExCeL London on 20-22 March with a seminar programme focussed on providing key insights for hospitality and foodservice professionals to elevate their future business offering.
Each year the show brings together an unparalleled selection of quality suppliers across professional kitchen, foodservice, hospitality tech and design & décor to provide visitors with everything needed to grow their business, raise profits and enhance their customer experience.
This year’s event will once again include The Pub Show @ HRC, an opportunity for visitors to explore a wide range of pub & bar focussed suppliers and will include two stages and a new feature packed with insightful industry discussions.
The Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design
HRC’s Vision Stage will once again be at the heart of the show, delivering invaluable insights into hospitality and foodservice business owners, hosting lively debates with industry experts and providing a platform for well-known industry names such as UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls and HRC Chef Ambassador Monica Galetti.
Three packed days of content will kick off with a global look at the 2023 hospitality industry from Nicola Knight and James Walton of IGD, followed by a panel discussion looking at how hospitality and foodservice professionals can interpret future trends to unlock new revenue streams.
Host of the session Kateline Porritt of Egg Soldiers comments: “I’m so looking forward to hosting the seminar at HRC. Along with tips and guidance from the Egg Soldiers team, we will have real life case studies of how successful businesses have recognised future trends and delivered them for customers now.”
The session ‘The psychology of design’ will see designers, hospitality professionals and psychologists come together for a discussion around the impacts of design on customer behaviour in ways that benefit hospitality businesses.
Panellist Claire Smith, Director at ABDA, says: “As a business we really try to delve a little deeper and to us, understanding consumer behaviour and the psychology of design is imperative to creating an inspired environment. HRC is one of the biggest events in the hospitality calendar and we look forward to sharing our thoughts.”
Also taking place on the Vision Stage is the session ‘Low & no: The secret money maker’, where host Laura Willoughby of Club Soda will be joined by panellists including Lucky Saint Managing Director Emma Heal to discuss what it takes to make investment in low & no profitable for hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars.
Heal comments: “With a whopping one in three pub visits now alcohol-free, nine million people taking part in Dry January and over 50% of the UK actively moderating their alcohol intake, there’s no better time to invest some love into your alcohol-free offering…you can turn tap water into a pint of alcohol-free beer! I’m looking forward to speaking at HRC this March on a brilliant panel full of passionate and knowledgeable advocates of no and low.”
Tech X
HRC’s Tech X stage will play host to a wide range of insightful sessions looking into how technology can work to elevate customer experience, insights, profits and more for hospitality businesses.
The stage will also be hosting ‘Launchpad’ sessions each day at 1pm, where visitors will have the opportunity to hear innovative up-and-coming hospitality tech providers pitch their product or service live.
Day one of the show will see Futurist Simon Stenning take to the Tech X stage to provide an overview of the hospitality tech landscape in 2023, with forecasts for major developments and analysis of key trends.
He comments: “HRC is a great melting pot of new developments, products and people, and a strong programme of presentations, which I’m proud to be a part of. I’ll be sharing some of our forecasts for the future of the industry, including a focus on key tech developments for hospitality that are part of a completely changing landscape; hopefully, attendees will gain a good idea of what the future looks like, and glean inspiration for making their businesses fit for the future.”
The Tech X stage will also host an insightful panel discussion on how technology can support hospitality businesses in providing more accessibility services to guests.
Panellist Paul Bayliss MBE, Regional General Manager at Hotel Brooklyn, says: “It’s great to be asked to speak on a subject of technology and accessibility because without it we’d struggle to communicate with and deliver the kind of experience a guest with challenges requires from a luxury hotel. I’m really looking forward to talking about how it helps our Hotel Brooklyn properties thrive in delivering a great experience for all and just how much we continue to learn on the subject.”
Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit The Networking Hub, a central location where they can meet with fellow hospitality and foodservice professionals for guided networking led by industry experts and show partners, including the British Institute of Innkeeping, the Foodservice Equipment Association, Sustainable Restaurant Association and many more.
Chef HQ, curated by Chef Publishing
An exciting new addition to HRC 2023 is Chef HQ, a demo kitchen, stage and networking area for the show’s diverse chef community. Leading lights in the UK and international culinary scene, including National Chef of the Year Ben Murphy, will be taking to the stage to discuss their kitchen innovations and inspirations and whip up some delicious dishes for visitors to the show.
Sessions taking place across the three days of HRC include:
- We cook for cuisine and culture, with chefs from The Future Plate
- The UK Bocuse d’Or, with Restaurant Story Executive Chef Tom Philips
- 2 Michelin Starred Dim Sum, with A. Wong Head Chef Andrew Wong
- My journey as a Roux Scholar, with winners of the Roux Scholarship
To view the full seminar programme for HRC 2023, and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, head to hrc.co.uk.