Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) returns to ExCeL London on 21-23 March alongside IFE, International Food & Drink Event, IFE Manufacturing and London Produce Show for the UK’s largest gathering of the food, drink and hospitality sector.

Dedicated to driving innovation and creating profitability within the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors, HRC will showcase exciting global suppliers across catering equipment, foodservice, hospitality tech and design & décor, alongside inspiring talks, chef demonstrations, cooking competitions and a wealth of networking opportunities, making it an unmissable event for all hospitality and foodservice professionals.

In addition to the show’s packed seminar programme, HRC 2022 will also feature two partner conferences, the Better Hospitality Conference from Tried & Suppled and the Hospitality’s Talent Conundrum conference from Hospitality Jobs UK, covering some of the most urgent challenges and opportunities facing hospitality, with a focus on sustainability, recruitment, and retention.

The show will also be partnering with HOSPA for the Tech Solutions Bar, a chance for hospitality business owners to receive bespoke, confidential and unbiased advice on the tech products best suited to their business from independent industry tech experts.

The Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design

The Vision Stage seminar programme has been curated by EXP101 for the 2022 event, with an unparalleled array of top industry figures taking to the stage to discuss the very latest trends and topics impacting on foodservice and hospitality.

Visitors to the event will have the opportunity to hear from brands including Grind, Pizza Pilgrims, Honest Burgers, Wonderland Restaurants and Market Halls, plus industry leaders including UKHospitality’s Kate Nicholls, Springboard CEO Chris Gamm and HRC’s 2022 Chef Ambassador Michel Roux Jr.

Gamm, who will be taking part in a session entitled ‘Tackling the industry’s staffing shortages’ on Monday 21 March, commented: “Staffing is the biggest challenge every hospitality business is facing today, and this session will focus on practical tips and strategic challenges the industry must overcome to ensure there is a sustainable workforce for many years to come.”

The Tech X stage

HRC’s Tech X stage will be focussing everything hospitality tech, and in particular how different technologies can improve profits, performance and the experience of customers and staff.

Day One will see a not-to-be-missed case study from QikServe and Wahaca CEO Mark Selby examining the rise in customer adoption of hospitality technology over the past few years, and how the company has effectively adapted to this change.

Day Two will see a focus on tech adoption in pubs & bars led by insight agency KAM, as they unveil new research on the subject and speak with Yummy Pubs Co-Founder Tim Foster and Thorley Taverns Operations Director Philip Thorley.

Day Three will provide hospitality business owners with the chance to gain vital insights into topics such as the effective capture and use of customer data, hospitality marketing strategies and the place that tools like AI voice assistants may hold in the future of the sector.

The Pub Show

The Pub Show and HRC will be joining forces for 2022, with a new range of pub & bar-focussed exhibitors and the addition of popular feature The Tap Room, which showcases exciting brewery brands including Siren Craft Brew, Anspach & Hobday, Big Smoke Brew Co, Full Circle Brew Co and Old Street Brewery.

PUB22 will also feature guided ‘Pub Crawls’ by show partner On-Trade Consultancy, covering experiential products to elevate a customer’s night out, drinks brands that reflect 2022 consumer drinking trends and hospitality tech suppliers designed to streamline pub & bar offerings.

International Salon Culinaire

Historic chef competition International Salon Culinaire returns for its 120th year, giving some of the UK’s most talented chefs the chance to compete and test their skills. Hosted live at HRC, the Salon Culinaire competitions are open for chefs of all levels from talented young students training at college, to those who are well established on their culinary career journey.

Salon Culinaire offers a platform to highlight the fantastic and exciting gastronomic skills that the industry has to offer and has helped launch the careers of Gordon Ramsey, Nick Vadis, Antony Worrall-Thompson and Glynn Purnell to name but a few.

This year’s edition of the competition will see the introduction of the Apprentice Challenge, the Restaurant Home Meal Kit Challenge and new category Pub Chef of the Year, in addition to returning competitions such as Tilda Chef Team of the Year, Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef Team of the Year and Sodexo Chef of the Year.

The Staff Canteen Live

The Staff Canteen Live returns to HRC for 2022, with 12 top UK chefs recreating some of their favourite dishes live on the show floor, sharing their insights and top tips with audiences (not to mention a chance to sample the food). All chefs will be joined by a team member they consider to be 'one to watch’, giving onlookers the opportunity to meet some of the UK's rising culinary stars.

Mark Morris, The Staff Canteen Founder, said: "I'm really excited about HRC, as I am every year, but I think this year is going to be exceptional. Hospitality has gone through an absolutely terrible time in the last 24 months, so to be able to have all the team together with some amazing chefs on stage, cooking and showcasing their fantastic skillsets will be a real celebration of hospitality."

To view the full seminar programme for HRC 2022, discover the exciting suppliers on show at the event and to register to attend, visit hrc.co.uk.