Industry trends and new products in the spotlight as HRC prepares to return

Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) is set to return to ExCeL London on 21-23 March with a showcase of the most important hospitality trends and exciting new products to emerge over the past two years.

“Since the last edition of HRC in March 2020 we’ve seen a huge amount of innovation and creativity in the world of hospitality and foodservice” comments Event Manager Ronda Annesley. “This year’s event will be a not-to-be-missed reunion for the industry and a chance to discover all the trends, opportunities and products to grow your business in the years to come.”

Hospitality tech to revolutionise the industry

The past two years have seen a huge rate of adoption of hospitality technology, both from business owners and customers. 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’ 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 speaker at HRC 2022, comments: “Our customers and team members are now using technology in almost every aspect of their lives and have come to expect a level of convenience and tech savviness with the businesses they interact with. As the workforce gets younger modern, consumer grade tech will be essential to engage our teams.”

Tackling the industry’s staffing shortages

Staffing challenges are top of the agenda in the world of hospitality and HRC 2022 is addressing the issue directly on the Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design and curated by EXP101. A key session is ‘Tackling the industry’s staffing shortages’ on 21 March, where EXP101 Co-Founder Kieron Bailey will be joined by Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, Mark McCulloch, Founder of Hospitality Rising & Supersonic Marketing, Abi Dunn, Founder of Sixty Eight People and Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality.

Day Three (23 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.

HRC will once again be partnering with Hospitality Jobs UK for a conference dedicated to the issue of recruitment and retention, entitled ‘Hospitality’s Talent Conundrum.

Hospitality Jobs UK Founder Dawn Bowstead commented: “We will be offering innovative solutions for hospitality businesses to attract and retain candidates. Expect leading industry figures discussing their journeys, their solutions 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.”

Suppliers are doing their part to tackle the industry’s staffing challenges, with exhibiting platforms like Stint offering a quick and 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 and atmosphere in a hospitality or foodservice environment.

Design partners Harp Design and Accanto Interiors will be on hand at the show to provide complimentary consultations to show visitors, as will leading brands in the design & décor space 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 such as Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg to discuss the very latest trends and challenges in this sector.

Celebrating culinary excellence

HRC will see the return of International Salon Culinaire for its 120th edition. This year’s competition has over 100 live and static challenges and displays, showcasing some of the UK’s best chefs. The first live edition of the competition since 2020 has introduced new categories including The Apprentice Challenge and Pub Chef of the Year.

The event will also welcome back the Staff Canteen Live, which will see 12 chefs, plus a chef they see as ‘one to watch’, recreate their favourite dishes and share their experience and insights with the live audience.

The line-up for 2022 includes Tom Booton, Head Chef, the Grill at The Dorchester, Sally Abé, Consultant Chef, the Pem, Gareth Ward, Chef Proprietor at the two-Michelin-starred Ynyshir and celebrity chef Tom Kerridge.

The Foodservice section of the event will be showcasing a wide range of new products in food & drink, from sangria in a can by Sangria Solsueño to the Nutella Muffin from Ferrero Foodservice to Candy Can Sparkling Bubble Gum drink from Pubby’s, and much more.

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 Bew Co, Old Street Brewery and Siren Craft Brew.

There will also be a number of sessions on the Vision Stage dedicated to the pub & bar sector including ‘The return of the pub’, a must-see discussion kicking off Day One of the show and featuring Katy Moses, Founder & 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 suppliers focussed directly on the pub & bar sector, such as Flightcase Bars, who offer unique mobile draught systems built into rolling flightcases, 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 will take place alongside IFE, International Food & Drink Event, IFE Manufacturing and the London Produce Show, creating the UK’s biggest gathering of food, drink and hospitality professionals. View the full seminar programme, and register to attend, at hrc.co.uk