Call the WSTA Team
020 0789 3877
Email: info@demo.wsta.co.uk
The Restaurant Show and Food & Drink Expo 2024
Events | 16 February, 2024
What to Expect at…The Restaurant Show 2024
The Restaurant Show moves to a national scale in the centre of the UK, at the NEC, Birmingham for the first time this April (29th – 1st May) as part of the UK Food & Drink Shows in a move that will offer visitors the most comprehensive package of co-located shows of their type anywhere in the UK.
The Restaurant Show joins Food & Drink Expo, Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show and The Forecourt Show to bring together over 1200 exhibitors covering the entire UK food and drink supply chain.
The flagship tradeshow for chefs, restauranteurs, casual dining operators, pubs and street food operators, its timely move to Birmingham reflects the changing landscape of hospitality and the burgeoning restaurant scene in cities throughout the UK.
Visitors can expect a wealth of innovation and expertise as some of the UK’s best-loved chefs and most up-and-coming suppliers take to the show floor. Expect to see stand out exhibitors including hospitality software specialists Polaris Elements (Stand JJ220), Aviko UKI (Stand LL280), Hobart Service (Stand LL230), premium one-of-a-kind cocktail producers Massimiliano’s (Stand GG229), Love Handmade Cakes (Stand GG241) and Be Inclusive Hospitality (Stand JJ243), a not-for-profit dedicated to fostering race equity in hospitality.
For the full list of exhibitors and products on show, visit here.
The show is also set to welcome eight of the country’s leading names for exclusive book signing sessions – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for exhibitors and visitors alike to meet their culinary heroes.
To find out more visit here.
Meanwhile, across the three days of The Restaurant Show, two stages on the show floor are dedicated to the trials and tribulations of life in hospitality. The Chefs’ Stage focuses in on the lives and careers of some of the UK’s most successful chefs, including Akhtar Islam, Kenny Atkinson, Dipna Anand, Brad Carter and Sabrina Gidda. The Restaurant Stage tackles the practical side of running a hospitality business with advice and insight from industry experts including Patrick McNulty, Head Chef, Ynyshir Restaurant & Rooms, Hannah Plumb, Talent & Culture Director at The Alchemist, Alex Claridge, Chef-Patron, The Wilderness and Emma Reynolds, Co-Founder, Tonkotsu.
Key highlights of the schedule’s programme include:
- The UK eating out consumer: What you need to know, Monday 29th April, 10.45am
- On your radar: Chefs to watch in 2024, Monday 29th April, 11.30am
- Rising costs: What support is out there and what more needs to be done, Tuesday 30th April, 10.45am
- The making of a Michelin Star pub, Tuesday 30th April, 3.15pm
- How can restaurants use their influence to effect global change through customer food choices? Wednesday 1st May, 1.45pm
- Hospitality technology: Using tech to enhance experience, Wednesday 1st May, 2.30pm
See the full line up of sessions and speakers here.
Andrew Reed, Managing Director – Wine & Exhibitions, William Reed, said: “The time is ripe to bring The Restaurant Show – and everything it delivers to the hospitality industry – under the umbrella of our fantastic UK Food & Drink Shows. 30% of our existing audience in Birmingham already operate in hospitality in some capacity and so what better way to enhance their visit than bring this longstanding event to the NEC.
“With exclusive chef content as well as the latest tips and trends to look out for, I urge you to register for your free pass today”: GET YOUR PASS
Covering the entire industry, the UK Food & Drink Shows are unparalleled in their ability to bring people together, build and foster better relationships, discover business building insight and celebrate innovation, all with the support of the multi-award-winning William Reed brand.
What to Expect at… Food & Drink Expo 2024
Over 1200 exhibitors are set to come together this April as Food & Drink Expo returns to the NEC, Birmingham alongside The Restaurant Show, Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show and The Forecourt Show as part of the 2024 UK Food & Drink Shows (29th April – 1st May).
Providing the most direct route to the UK food and drink market and bringing together the very best in product innovation, business advice and operational insight, Food & Drink Expo is a festival of grocery, foodservice, manufacturing and speciality retail offering visitors a unique perspective across three days.
Visitors can expect to see an unparalleled range of products and services as big name exhibitors, small scale innovators and technical solutions fill the show floor. Those exhibiting include: Au Vodka (Stand FF248), Rosemullion Distillery (Stand T221), Sunnyside Drinks Co (Stand V249), Belvoir Farm Drinks (Stand T238), Belvoir Farm Drinks (Stand T238), Onken and Emmi Caffe Latte (Stand U210), Folkington’s (Stand S239) and The Tofoo Co. (Stand DD251).
For the full list of exhibitors and products on show, visit here.
After their inaugural success in 2023, two exclusive zones are set to return to Food & Drink Expo for 2024. Healthy & Natural zone will include a range of healthy, wellness and natural products encompassing free-from, vegetarian, low-calorie and organic items to name a few. Suppliers including Geo Organics (Stand V259), sellers of Sea Moss gels Mossgems (Stand S279) and Clearspring – pioneers of authentic Japanese specialities (Stand S259) have already signed up to exhibit.
Plant-Based Zone will also be making a comeback with everyone’s favourite vegan and plant-based exhibitors showcasing the future of this ever-growing sector. Big names include Moving Mountains (Stand BB228), Heura Foods (Stand CC219) and Suma Wholefoods (Stand CC210).
On The Grocer Stage, a variety of expert panels will call on some of the industry’s biggest names for their take on the sector’s most pressing challenges. Founder of Proper Snacks Cassandra Stavrou; UK&I MD of Innocent Drinks Sam Akinluyi; CEO of FareShare George Wright; Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall; and VP of Grocery & Retail at Deliveroo Suzy McClintock; are just a few of the panellists scheduled to appear.
Key highlights of the schedule’s programme include:
- The Coronation Food Project: A King’s mission, Monday 29th April, 10.30am
- James Cosmo: From Game of Thrones to Storyman Whisky, Monday 29th April, 1pm
- Diversity and inclusion: How far have we come and where do we need to get to? Tuesday 30th April, 10.30am
- Social Media Food & Drink Trends – What’s Hot Now, Tuesday 30th April, 2.45pm
- The Marketplace Model: Making it work for Everyone, Wednesday 1st May, 11.15am
- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Loving Food, Hating Waste, Wednesday 1st May, 12.45pm
See the full line up of sessions and speakers here.
Andrew Reed, Managing Director – Wine & Exhibitions, William Reed, said: “Food & Drink Expo is a real celebration of our industry. It has product innovation and specialist advice at its very heart, offering visitors three days of insight which simply cannot be found elsewhere.
“Our rich and diverse industry deserves such a platform and I would urge anyone with a stake of any size in this sector to register for their free pass today”.
Covering the entire industry, the UK Food & Drink Shows are unparalleled in their ability to bring people together, build and foster better relationships, discover business building insight and celebrate innovation, all with the support of the multi-award-winning William Reed brand.
Register for your free pass for Food & Drink Expo here.
