Sustainability and staff retention head HRC’s 2024 seminar programme

Sustainability, retention and the future of African and Caribbean cuisine are some of the topics set to top the agenda as HRC, part of Food & Drink & Hospitality Week, returns to ExCeL London on 25-27 March.

The show will launch with an inauguration ceremony for Food, Drink & Hospitality Week on the show’s vision stage featuring Martin Traynor, small business crown representative for the Cabinet Office, UKHospitality's Kate Nicholls, Institute of Hospitality CEO Robert Richardson and James Bielby, CEO of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors.

Day one will see sessions including ‘Putting the S in ESG’ moderated by Juliane Caillouette-Noble, MD of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and featuring panellists Lorraine Copes of Be Inclusive Hospitality, Chet Sharma of BiBi and Matt Wood of Lexington Catering.

This will be followed by KAM, HospitalityJobsUK and Otolo unveiling the results of ‘The UK’s Largest Hospitality Salary Survey’ and discussing how businesses can recruit and retain staff and remain competitive in the British hospitality market.

HospitalityJobsUK founder Dawn Lawrence commented: “This is our second year of running this survey, and I am delighted by the significant increase in responses. With over 35 years of recruitment experience, I know only by working together can we make a difference and showcase hospitality as a great place to work.”

The event’s first day also includes a session with HRC’s 2024 chef ambassador Lisa Goodwin-Allen, interviewed by Si Alexander of FoodFM, as she discusses her role as executive chef at Northcote, her work with young chefs and industry charities and appearances on programmes including Great British Menu, James Martin’s Saturday Morning and Snackmasters.

Goodwin-Allen said: “I'm excited to be joining HRC as chef ambassador for 2024 and look forward to networking with the chef community and discussing the latest trends and challenges in the world of hospitality.”

Day two of the show will kick off with Future of Foodservice: the 2030 Vision by futurist Simon Stenning, followed by an examination of the impact of the national living wage rise for the industry by UKHospitality's Kate Nicholls.

Nicholls noted: “The rise in National Living Wage is set to have a profound impact on the UK hospitality sector and I look forward to breaking down the implications of this change, both positive and negative, at HRC 2024.”

The day will also include sessions on the physical health of hospitality teams, the future of contact catering and key hospitality marketing trends to watch in 2024.

The final day of HRC will see a discussion of the future of African and Caribbean cuisine with the Future Plate, a session on mastering your menu hosted by Citizen Kind and a look at how hospitality can diversify its talent pool hosted by Saira Hospitality and featuring industry charity Only a Pavement Away.

HRC takes place alongside IFE Manufacturing, IFE the Pub Show and International Salon Culinaire as part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week.