As Hotelympia 2016 approaches, the show has asked its exhibitors, gathered from the worlds of catering equipment; interiors; food & drink and technology, to pinpoint key trends for the year ahead and how their products and services can help visitors meet these head-on.
Toby Wand, Managing Director at Fresh Montgomery comments: “Hotelympia has a long and illustrious history of giving visitors their first-look at ground-breaking product developments and 2016 is no different. We’re proud to host almost 1,000 innovators under one roof, offering visitors a glimpse of the year ahead, with tangible tools to help their businesses profit from key industry developments.”
With 250 Catering Equipment suppliers confirmed for Hotelympia 2016, here, some of the sector’s brightest lights offer their forecast.
Back to Front – the Kitchen as Theatre:
With uniqueness and ‘experience’ becoming ever more important to diners, exhibitors are unanimous that open kitchens or ‘pop-up’ modular, mobile units that add ‘theatre’ and break the fourth wall between back and front-of-house, are elements worth exploring.
Falcon Foodservice Equipment’s (3530) new F900 range of products are ideal for open kitchens as they are easy-to-clean, aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use. Units can be linked tightly together to offer the benefits of a single-piece top, without the price-tag while, crucially, the units emit less heat, making them ideal for front-of-house use.
Cambro Manufacturing (3350) will be launching its new Cam “Go Box” the latest product in its line of insulated transporters. Ultra-lightweight and with superb temperature retention of over four hours, the “Go Box” is ideal for those catering towards the pop-up restaurant and supper-club trend where caterers may be cooking and serving in different locations.
Williams Refrigeration (3530) will be showcasing its striking coldrooms with designer cladding and viewing windows, offering sites a theatrical ‘statement’ display of items such as meat, cured fish and drinks.
Synergy – Harder, Better, Faster, Smarter:
With equipment innovation moving at pace, catering equipment – harnessing an ever greater synergy between mechanics and technology – is growing smarter by the day helping sites make real-world savings.
De Manincor UK (4250) will be showcasing its De Manincor Total Control System which links to all kitchen equipment via digital control cards and can monitor software that controls energy consumption, troubleshooting any faults in the process.
Precision Refrigeration (3550) will be exhibiting its advanced energy-saving refrigeration technologies which have achieved A* ratings in the latest drafts of the Ecodesign Directive tests.
Smeg Foodservice (3160) will be unveiling its new digital touch screen control panels on the Topline and Greenline dishwasher ranges. The machines are wireless internet and Bluetooth enabled with a web-based app developed in-house by the company to help operators access machine performance data, temperature info and early fault diagnostics.
Multifunction – Compact is Beautiful:
With available space and energy consumption providing sites with a serious challenge, equipment that fulfils multiple functions in a single footprint, becomes more and more appealing.
Multiple Choice by Carpigiani UK (4010) is an innovative ice cream and milkshake machine, boasting an impressive output of up to 400 cones and 250 milkshakes per hour. The space-saving machine eliminates the need to purchase multiple pieces of equipment while significantly reducing energy usage and accompanying expenditure.
Hobart Cooking Solutions (3840) will show its revolutionary Bonnet Compact Kitchen Concept, which allows restaurateurs to save up to 40% space from the kitchen to extend profitability. Five years in the making, this energy efficient cooking range has a footprint of just 2.4 metres long, but offers 50% lower fuel use compared with a traditional range.
FRIMA’s (3471) VarioCooking Center Multificiency can replace kettles, large pots, bratt pans, fryers and griddles, saving 30% or more space in the kitchen. It is also four times faster than conventional cooking appliances – pans can get from 0 to 200°C in two and a half minutes, and it saves up to 40% in energy, compared to conventional appliances.
Hotelympia’s overall Innovation Award winner in 2014 was from the Technology sector and in 2016, the focus is just as great.
Debunking Formalised Dining:
With the rise of casual dining paving the way for consumers enjoying food ‘their way’ and on ‘their terms’, the pressure is on for operators to keep up with the fast pace of this more de-formalised style of dining. Smart technology can aid smooth service.
Wi-Q by Wi-Q Limited (1712) allows customers to order and pay for their food and drinks via any device, with no apps needed to be downloaded, no passwords, no updates and no roaming charges.
Rather than focusing on managing queues, operators can focus on providing customers with the highest levels of service.
Kepos Systems (1646) will be debuting its Spin Pad Handheld POS System; using RF connection the Spin Pad faultlessly communicates with Kitchen or Bar Printers no matter how small or large the space. Whether indoors or outside, the Spin Pad Handheld POS System stays in touch.
The Chef Crisis:
A hospitality-wide challenge which has been brought into focus by high profile chefs such as Tom Kerridge, Sat Bains and Daniel Clifford, the chef shortage is a problem that requires joined up thinking. Can technology help?
app.thecheftree.com by The Chef Tree Ltd (2891) is a revolutionary system matching chefs to jobs based on experience, reviews and location, the technology gives business owners the ability to hand pick chefs while allowing the chefs themselves to have more control over their careers.
The customer can view a chef’s profile (including reviews from previous similar jobs) and, once they have chosen the right chef to match their needs, they can unlock a profile.
Billed as an ‘Uber’ for temporary staff, Staff Heroes (2992) will be showcasing StaffHeroes.co.uk – an on demand web and mobile app platform matching businesses in sectors such as hospitality with fully vetted and insured quality temporary staff.
With more innovative exhibitors and speakers than ever before waiting to inspire Hotelympia visitors, Interiors is set to be one of the most keenly anticipated sections of the show. Here, some of the leading innovators offer their take on the year ahead.
Modern Nostalgia – Melding Modernity with Tradition:
Even in the modern era, classic and timeless design – twinned with modern manufacturing techniques and given a contemporary edge – is incredibly important to ensure that a space has that all-important longevity and is able to transcend fads.
Led by designer, Andras Lacfi, ALTAR Furniture’s (2345) newest line of tables, the ‘Great Tape’ collection are unique, handmade copies of retro compact music cassettes, enlarged in a 1:10 ratio.
Burgess Furniture (2309) will be showcasing its innovative new Inicio Banquet Chair – a contemporary re-design of the classic banquet chair with a choice of six back shapes an innovative forward sloping frame, unique wedge seat and slim back construction.
Hotelympia is the ultimate Food and Drink event for chefs, hoteliers, restaurateurs, publicans and catering operators and in 2016 includes more specialist producers than ever before.
Gin’s In!
Once the preserve of Gin Lane – the UK exported a record-breaking £400 million worth of gin last year, making it the world’s biggest exporter* – this is a spirit with serious consumer pull and profit potential.
Launched in 2011, the multi award-winning Edgerton Original Pink Gin (1475) has gone from strength to strength. In the 2014 Spirits Business Gin competition it won the accolade of a Masters Medal in the contemporary category and now the company is making its debut at Hotelympia, giving operators the inside track on profiting from drinks with a unique twist.
Fever-Tree’s (1658) customised G&T menus have already proven hugely popular and beneficial to bars looking to sell more premium gins, with some venues reporting an increase in sales by as much as 60%. Providing flavoured tonic pairings to match a large gin selection enables operators to maintain a wider variety of options, something that is proving ever popular with consumers.
Free-From Flourishing:
Figures suggest that the catering industry could be missing out on an estimated £100 million a year by not catering for people with coeliac disease and their friends and family, but it’s not just gluten intolerance; legislation introduced in 2015 requires foodservice operators to identify dishes containing any of the 14 allergens, including, amongst others, lupin, sulphites, milk, eggs and fish.
Hotelympia is set to unveil a class-leading selection of exhibitors to help visitors make informed choices.
Nestlé Cereals (1259) will be unveiling an exciting new range of gluten-free cereals, helping caterers to profit from breakfast time.
With the increasing demand for gluten-free & protein-rich nutrition, INKKA (934) will be showcasing the very first Peruvian 100% quinoa pasta, which is Kosher certified, Vegetarian Society approved, free of GMO and preservatives and rich in calcium, magnesium, iron & omega 3, 6 and 9.
granoVita (1105) specialises in free-from, organic, vegetarian and vegan products, including: dairy-free drinks, meat-free snacks, main meals, free-from savoury sauces, vegetarian pates, organic nutritional oils and seeds & grains.
Register now for Hotelympia (www.hotelympia.com/register) the home of hospitality innovation, which will see the unique needs of visitors from every sector of hospitality, from hotels and restaurants to pubs; cafes; contract catering; casual dining; the cost sector and beyond, catered for by 1000 of some of the world’s most pioneering exhibitors in Food & Drink; Catering Equipment; Technology; Interiors & Tableware; Careers and sustainability-focused Waste-Works.
*Bunzl Lockhart
watch the Hotelympia 2016 launch video #yourshow
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dfR35Suewg&w=640&h=360]