ScotHot 2019: what not to miss

This year's event will be held at SEC Glasgow on 13-14 March and promises to be the biggest yet, showcasing Scotland's best suppliers, most exciting and talented chefs and finest produce

Among the high-profile brands exhibiting at ScotHot will be a series of presentations curated by the Scottish Tourism Alliance designed to stimulate debate and raise awareness.

Key themes on this year's programme include staff retention and training, social media, brand relationships, waste management and mental health. Highlights include ‘Teamwork makes the dream work', a gameshow-style panel presented by Scottish Tourism Alliance chief executive Marc Crothall, where three couples working in hospitality will share the secrets of their success; and ‘Talking about it: mental health in hospitality', a panel discussion with leading industry figures, chaired by broadcaster and journalist Stephen Jardine.

Meanwhile, Justin Reid, TripAdvisor's director of destination marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will explain to visitors why ‘TripAdvisor is a friend not a foe!' and offer some tips on how to make TripAdvisor work for every business.

Crothall adds that the Spotlight Stage has been curated to complement the Scottish Tourism Alliance Signature Sessions.

He says: "The 2019 programme has evolved and changed in style and format over the years, and now offers delegates visiting the show or attending the Scottish Tourism Alliance conference and workshop sessions even more flexibility to build their own two-day itinerary that benefits them, their business and sector."

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Liquid Academy Live
This year the Liquid Academy will look at the latest global drinks innovations, such what will the next big trend be and how your business can prepare for the challenges that lie ahead in the drinks industry.

Over the course of two days, Liquid Academy Live's calendar of speakers will discuss innovation and development across the drinks industry. ‘Ready Steady Cocktail', will involve 10 of Scotland's top bartenders going head to head in a cocktail crafting competition, where two rounds of 10-minute challenges will result in 10 cocktails to be judged by the audience and Liquid Academy Live's panel of experts.

The Covered Market New to ScotHot for 2019 is the Covered Market, developed in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink. The Covered Market was designed following feedback from previous year's visitors, who placed raw ingredients and meeting the producers behind the product as one of the key reasons for their attendance.

For ScotHot 2019, this area will feature high-quality products from artisan businesses across six specialist categories: bakery, butchery, dairy, fresh fish, fresh produce, and herbs, spices and pulses.

The Scottish Culinary Championships

The event's pinnacle, the 33rd Scottish Culinary Championships, sponsored by Compass Group, highlights the skills of Scotland's next generation of top chefs, with awards presented for Scottish Chef of the Year and Scottish Junior Chef of the Year.

Sponsored by the Federation of Chefs Scotland, the Scottish Culinary Championships provides an opportunity for chefs of all ages to display their skills both in Live Theatre and Culinary Arts.

The show itself will feature more than 200 exhibitors, including high-profile brands such as Lynas Foodservice, Booker Group, Tetley, Fishers, Heineken and Krupps.

• For more details about Scottish Tourism Month, visit www.scottishtourismalliance.co.uk or www.scottishtourismmonth.scot

• Hospitality and foodservice professionals can register to reserve complimentary tickets for ScotHot 2019 via www.scothot.co.uk

• Keep up to date with ScotHot on social media:
www.facebook.com/ScotHot
Twitter @ScotHot2019
Instagram @scottishhospitalityshow
#ScotHot19