On January (23-25) we will enjoy a new edition of Great Hospitality Show, the UK’s largest exhibition for foodservice and hospitality. The managing director of the show, Toby Wand's, has answered us some questions in order to learn more about the major platform for the sector. If you are planning to attend, don't miss a detail!
What do you think makes it stand out from other shows?
The show offers so much under one roof and its diversity is its strength.
Nowhere else in 2017 will give you the chance to see Michelin-starred chefs rubbing shoulders with the up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. No other show can offer the very latest and most pertinent trends, the hot-button issues debated, or offer the chance to privately discuss business challenges with industry experts.
And absolutely nowhere else will give visitors such a broad snapshot of the latest, greatest innovative products on the market, sourced via a host of exhibitors from across hospitality.
The show is also the perfect place to discover cutting-edge products across food and drink, technology or equipment. What are the coming trends?
Well if I told you, I’d ruin the surprise! What I can say is that as far as the Great Hospitality Show is concerned, New Year means new products, and we’re keen to continue the tradition of bringing the very latest innovations to the public’s eyes, first. For our roster of exhibitors, the R&D barely ceases, which is why we are bringing back the Great Product Awards – set up to crown the ten finest hospitality products of 2017.
The final ten are set to be on show in a dedicated area throughout the three days while an overall winner will then be selected by an esteemed panel of judges and announced on the Business Briefing Stage at 4 pm on Monday 23 rd January. Show visitors will also be able to have their say in a very special People’s Choice accolade – decided via a Twitter vote.
The trend-spotting doesn’t stop there. The Business Briefing Stage will play host to a specially-curated programme of panel discussions which should help demystify a number of highly-pressing issues including Brexit, skills, apprenticeships, sustainability, careers, trends, branding, productivity and retention, revenue management, marketing, ground-breaking products and smarter kitchen design.
And on the same line, what can you highlight from the next edition? What is going to be the novelties?
This time around, the show is strengthened by a team of dedicated Ambassadors, representing the many facets of the industry-at-large. Sally Beck, GM of London’s Lancaster Hotel and a passionate champion of young talent in the industry, joins highly respected chef and bastion of kitchen skills Cyrus Todiwala OBE; Michelin-starred restaurateur, Andreas Antona and Mike Coldicott, director of kitchen design pioneers, Tricon. Each will be involved in events in and around the show throughout the three days.
Now in its fourth rotation, the Great Hospitality Show’s highly successful business mentor programme also returns to help show visitors with a host of challenges including design & branding, menu development, PR & marketing, staff motivation, revenue management, technology, kitchen management, legal and skills and development. The programme offers visitors completely FREE, bookable face-to-face business surgeries with some of the best in the business including, Senior Director at Michels and Taylor, Krupesh Patel, Client Services Director at Jellybean Creative, Susan Bolam, founder of Rixon Associates, Kellie Rixon, MBE, Sodexo Prestige Chef, Gareth Billington and wine consultant, Alistair Morrell.
In a Great Hospitality Show coup, one of the UK’s most admired and yet most enigmatic hoteliers, Ken McCulloch, will, alongside his wife, Amanda Rosa, be discussing a long and illustrious career as a creator of One Devonshire Gardens and the world famous Malmaison. Amanda is the creative genius behind the design of many of the world’s most beautiful hotels, making this dual interview one not to miss!
Exciting new elements will join old favourites in creating a serious buzz on the show floor when one of the world’s premier culinary competitions, Salon Culinaire, returns bigger and better.
The Salon Display category, sponsored by Compass Group, returns with a range of challenging platters, restaurant plates and pastry classes as well as the ever-popular sugarcraft which, for the very first time, will invite talented teams to work in collaboration on stunning displays.
When it comes to the Live Theatre, entrants can expect some exciting new competitions including the Vegan Challenge, Cheese Starter and Breakfast Power Bowls in addition to team challenges alongside returning favourites such as the Street Food Challenge.
Another new element, The PS100 Culinary Showcase, will demonstrate the impressive culinary skills within the public sector. Chefs and cooks will have one hour to produce a main course and a dessert using the same key ingredients but will be constrained by both the budgets and nutritional guidelines faced daily in their own particular areas of work, be it care, education, hospitals or otherwise.
Junior La Parade des Chefs is also set to return, with mentored brigades consisting of competitors aged 23 or under tasked with preparing a three-course lunch menu for 100 covers with £2 from each dinner going to the charities Just A Drop and Hospitality Action.
2017 also sees the return of the Staff Canteen Live; a chance for visitors to get up-close-and-personal with some of the UK’s best known chefs as they create recipes from their respective repertoires.
Birmingham’s very own Glynn Purnell and his dedicated pastry chef, Luke Butcher, lead a stellar line-up, including: The Beehive’s Dom Chapman; Brad Carter of Carters of Mosley; Beverley Dunkley and Julie Sharp from high end chocolatiers, Callebaut; Shay Cooper of The Goring Hotel; Hywel Jones of Lucknam Park Hotel; Nick Edgar from Cumbria’s The Samling; Cliveden House’s André Garrett; Mark Abbott from Midsummer House and Adam Reid from Adam Reid at the French.
The show attracts exhibitors from many segments, can you give some tips for those exhibiting for the first time, not just in Great Hospitality Show but in NEC Birmingham?
The most effective tip is to prepare what you want to achieve out of the show, tell your team what it is, and measure the results.
Who can attend the show?
The show is open to anyone who works in this great industry. Visitors can pre-register for the Great Hospitality Show 2017 now at the official website.
During the exhibition, we can also enjoy many activities: classes, live presentations, awards. Do you recommend us an activity in particular?
Find a relevant mentor and spend 20 minutes with him or her. It may be the most productive 20 minutes of your business year!
Lastly, can you give us some participation results from the last edition?
In 2015 visitors came in their droves from across the UK to join in the festival of innovative new products and show-stopping new attractions – contributing to a giant 20 percent rise in attendance, compared with previous years. Visitors and exhibitors alike were unanimous in their praise of the show’s “special atmosphere” hailing it as “inspirational”, “the best yet” and “the only place to source hospitality’s newest products in 2015”.