Five reasons not to miss HRC 2024

In just a few weeks’ time, the hospitality and foodservice sector will reunite at HRC, part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week on 25-27 March at ExCeL London.

The ultimate business event for the UK hospitality industry, HRC is packed with opportunities to network with industry peers, hear from inspiring hospitality leaders and discover a wide range of quality suppliers, products and services.

HRC has united with IFE Manufacturing, IFE, The Pub Show and International Salon Culinaire to form Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, an unrivalled opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of food & drink and gain invaluable insights to grow your business.

Here are just five reasons not to miss HRC 2024:

1.Be inspired by industry leaders

The Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design, is a must-visit for hospitality owners and operators to uncover the very latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the sector.

Highlights of this year’s programme include futurist Simon Stenning taking a look into the future of foodservice, UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls OBE breaking down the potential impact of the new national living wage, and panellists including Sodexo food transformation director Adrian Evans and the Good Eating Company MD Alex Kristall discussing contract catering in 2024 and beyond.

Julian George, founder of the Future Plate, will also be joined by an all-star panel featuring chefs Simisola Idowu-Ajibodu, Carniel Francis Levy, King Enekeme and William Chilila to discuss the future of African and Caribbean cuisine.

Outside of the kitchen, Greg Früchtenicht, COO of Saira Hospitality, will be joined by Dolores Panetier, Head of Employment Partnerships at Only A Pavement Away, to discuss diversifying talent pools and recruiting beyond job boards, plus Hayley Roy, Founder of Harp Design and Cheryl Sutton, Head Rebel at Rebels Design, will be taking to the stage to discuss 2024’s hottest design trends.

2. Discover quality suppliers to the hospitality sector

HRC is divided into four key show sections – hospitality tech, professional kitchen, foodservice and furniture, interiors & tableware – each with a wide range of innovative suppliers ready to help you elevate your business offering and customer experience.

In Professional Kitchen, visitors can expect demos, events and new product launches from suppliers including Welbilt, Rational, Grand Cuisine, UNOX, Meiko, Jestic Foodservice Solutions, Liebherr, Panasonic, Retigo and many more.

In Furniture, Interiors & Tableware, hospitality professionals can meet with suppliers ranging from sanitary products leader Geberit to tableware and cookware experts Denby Pottery to bespoke seating manufacturer Craftwood Interiors to unique brands such as Ethereal Blooms, who combine beauty and biotech to create real, natural flowers that stay fresh for at least 12 months. For those looking to connect with new foodservice suppliers, HRC will be showcasing brands including Alsop & Walker, Chelmer Foods, Clearwater Seafoods & Macduff Shellfish, La Tua Pasta, Müller Yogurt & Desserts, Nostalgia Foods, PizzaSi and many more.

3. Hear from leading UK and European chefs

This year’s event will see the return of Chef HQ, in partnership with Chef Publishing, a stage and demo kitchen set to welcome a wide range of culinary superstars and well-known chefs to share their insights and expertise.

Visitors to Chef HQ can check out sessions by Tom Shepherd of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Tom Brown of Cornerstone, Simon Hulstone of the Elephant, 2023 Young National Chef of the Year Sam Dixon, Glynn Purnell, Kerth Gumbs of Fenchurch at the Sky Garden and the legendary, triple- Michelin Star-awarded Pierre Koffmann.

Plus, HRC’s Vision Stage will be home to a number of must-attend sessions including a keynote interview with HRC Chef Ambassador for 2024 Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef at the Northcote, and a discussion of social sustainability hosted by Juliane Caillouette-Noble, MD of Sustainable Restaurant Association with panellists Lorraine Copes of Be Inclusive Hospitality, Chet Sharma, chef patron at BiBi, Matt Wood, MD of Lexington Catering.

4. Perfect your tech stack

Hospitality tech is an integral part of HRC, with suppliers including Planday, Dojo, Kobas, Point One, QikServe, SumUp, Toast and Tenzo taking part in this year’s event.

HRC 2024 will also see the return of the TechX stage, which is packed with tech and hospitality leaders ready to share insights into improving internal processes and the future utilities of tech like generative AI.

The seminar programme will see speakers including Gail’s Bakery operations director Edyta Stec, PizzaExpress productivity & change director Graham Fenwick and Grey Goose global head of brand experience Joe McCanta discussing how labour productivity tools can transform multi-site operations and how customer feedback can supercharge everything from menu optimisation to drinks development.

Plus, new for 2024, HRC is partnering with Tech on Toast to host a live podcast recording at the show and deep dive into topics including rebuilding a fractured tech stack, retaining customers through loyalty programs and modernising shift patterns.

5. Network with the hospitality community

The Networking Hub, designed by Design Command, will be a bustling hub of networking and industry connection at the heart of HRC.

With sessions including a discussion on the importance of leadership with buns from home CEO Shereen Ritchie, Arena Director Lorraine Wood, Bidfood head of digital marketing Britta Ashu and WiHTL director Joanna Aunon, and an examination of the future skills landscape with UKHospitality skills director Sandra Kelly, the Hub is not to be missed.

To find out more about everything happening at HRC 2024, and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, visit hrc.co.uk.