ScotHot and IFEX sold to 365 Events

365 Events has acquired Scotland and Northern Ireland’s largest foodservice and hospitality expos, ScotHot and IFEX.

365 Events Ltd – a company co-owned by Toby Wand and events specialist Billie Moore, both formerly of London-based Montgomery Group – has snapped up the two events and will run the trade exhibitions going forward.

IFEX is one of Northern Ireland’s longest-standing trade exhibitions, which sees 6,500 visitors visit when it runs every other year. The event's NI Chef of the Year and the ChefSkills competitions see over 200 student and industry chefs compete over three days. IFEX last took place at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in 2018, while the pandemic put a halt to its plans in 2020. It will return in 2022, with dates for the spring-time show to soon be announced.

Meanwhile, ScotHot welcomes 5,700 industry professionals to the SEC in Glasgow, showcasing the latest trends in food, drink, tourism and hospitality. It also hosts the Scottish Culinary Championships and Scottish Chef of the Year. ScotHot is planned to return in March 2023.

“’As the world of hospitality recovers and realigns post-pandemic, vibrant business events like IFEX and ScotHot will provide vital meeting places for the industries to reconnect, uncover new learnings and discover relevant technologies to improve their businesses and customer focus,” said Toby Wand. “These are hugely important events for the hospitality and foodservice industries in both Northern Ireland and Scotland, and I’m proud that 365 Events Ltd will now be well positioned to drive these events forward.”

Lori Hoinkes, managing director of Montgomery Events, added: “It’s been our privilege to grow and nurture IFEX and ScotHot over many years into the vibrant and feature-rich events that they’ve been recognised for, with IFEX winning the AEO Excellence Award for Best Tradeshow Exhibition under 2,000 sq m in 2016.

“The last 14 months have been extremely difficult for us all, but especially our colleagues in hospitality and the wider events industry. As we move forward at Montgomery Group, growing our biggest trade events across the globe, we’re delighted that the new owners have such strong experience in events, specifically in foodservice and hospitality.”