The UK’s biggest restaurant chains and pub groups will be out in force at the Business Design Centre in London this week – checking out the latest new products and services on offer from over 200 exhibitors at Casual Dining 2017.
The multi-award winning two day trade show, taking place this Wednesday and Thursday (22-23 February), is on target to attract well over 4,500 attendees.
Among the pre-registered visitors, to date, are senior decision makers from Jamie’s Italian, TGI Friday’s, wagamama, JD Wetherspoon, Whitbread, Nando’s, Bill’s Restaurants, Marston’s, Revolution Bars Group, Mitchells & Butlers, PizzaExpress, Pizza Hut Restaurants, Carluccio’s, Prezzo, GBK, Enterprise Inns, Punch, ASK Italian, Zizzi, Greene King, Living Ventures, Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Las Iguanas, Giraffe, K10 Restaurants, ETM Group, Côte Restaurants, Novus Leisure, Yo! Sushi, Glendola Leisure Group, Bourne Leisure, Hollywood Bowl, Rick Stein Group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Stonegate Pub Company, Compass Group, Sodexo, WSH, Hilton, Marriot, GLH Hotels, John Lewis Hotels, and Millennium Hotels & Resorts.
As in previous years, smaller independent operators (those with between one and five sites) are also expected to be well represented. Nearly 1,500 visited in 2016.
“Casual Dining is a fantastic exhibition and an incredible opportunity to meet new suppliers and experience innovative products and ingredients,” says Sam Elliott, chef director at Jamie’s Italian. “It’s also a great way to connect with other business leaders and share ideas and challenges within the hospitality industry. I am very much looking forward to this year’s show!”
“From our speakers and exhibitors to the visitors themselves – the who’s who of the casual dining sector will be at the show doing business. It’s going to be a very busy and productive two days,” says Chris Brazier, group event director of Casual Dining.
Free Keynote Theatre
High-profile brands – including Mitchells & Butlers, Marston’s, Casual Dining Group, TGI Friday’s, Bill’s Restaurants, Wahaca, Côte Restaurants, Hippo Inns, and Young’s – will be sharing their expertise in the show’s popular Keynote Theatre.
Full timings and seminar summaries are available at www.casualdiningshow.co.uk/casual-dining-keynote-theatre.
Wednesday 22 February:
- Peter Backman, MD of Horizons: Delivery – The big disrupter
- Exclusive interview with Martin Robinson, chairman of Casual Dining Group (hosted by Peter Martin, VP of CGA Peach)
- Kate Nicholls, CEO of ALMR: Brexit & four other bumps to prepare for
- Exclusive interview with Neil Rankin, director of Temper Restaurants (hosted by Peter Martin, VP of CGA Peach)
- Mark McCulloch, founder & group CEO of WE ARE Spectacular: Marketing your way out of disaster
- Andrew Andrea, chief financial and corporate development officer at Marston’s: Pub grub to food hub
- Mark Fox, CEO of Bill’s restaurants: Studying your past to better shape your future
- Jeremy Roberts CEO of Living Ventures: Living the good life
- Jo Fleet, MD of Wahaca: Growing without changing your culture
Thursday 23 February
- Simon Stenning, executive director of MCA: Casual Dining market overview
- Andrew Gallagher, group marketing director at Côte Restaurants: How to market like a chain but feel like an independent
- Karen Forrester, CEO of TGI Friday’s UK: Crossing the line for growth
- Rupert Clevely, CEO of Hippo Inns, and Jo Clevely, design consultant at Jo Clevely Design: Love and understand your customer
- Graeme Loudon, commercial director at CGA Strategy: Making a splash – the growing importance of drinks
- James Douglas, co-founder & director at Red’s True Barbecue: Staying true to who you are in a crowded market place
- The future of pub food panel: Featuring Chris Knights, group executive chef at Geronimo & Young’s; Paul Dickinson, head of food at Fuller, Smith & Turner; Tim Foster, head of being awesome at The Yummy Pub Co; and (chair) Mike Berry, head of content at Fleet Street Communications
- David Pellow, area vice president – Europe at Hard Rock International: Hard Rock Cafe – our place in the modern UK market
- Exclusive interview with Bob Ivell, non-executive chairman of Mitchells & Butlers (hosted by Paul Charity, MD of Propel)
Casual Dining Innovation Challenge Awards
Voting opens at the Innovation Challenge Gallery (on the Upper Feature Level) from 10am on the show’s opening day and will run until 4pm. The 15 exhibitors to have secured the most visitor votes will then be invited to ‘pitch’ their new innovations the following day. Pitches start at 11am in the Executive Centre (on the ground floor), with the results to be announced at 1.30pm, on Thursday 23 February.
The judging panel includes Ben Geen, senior supply chain manager at GBK, Chris Knights, group executive chef at Young’s & Geronimo Pubs; James Nye, MD of Anglian Country Inns, Simon Xavier, executive chef at The Restaurant Group; Warren Goodwin, innovation chef at Nando’s; Martin Caws, group exec chef at Casual Dining Group; Ed Loftus, director – food development (global) at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group; Alyson Scott, procurement & supply chain director at TGI Friday’s; and Alice Elwes, senior purchasing manager at Côte Restaurants.
King of Craft
Other show highlights include Casual Dining’s prestigious King of Craft competition. The award – voted for by selected Casual Dining VIP visitors – is open to all Craft Beer & Cider Pavilion exhibitors. This year’s pavilion participants include Fierce Beer, Thistly Cross Cider, Wobblegate Juice & Cider, Westside Drinks, Celtic Marches Beverages, Saxby’s Cider, The Cotswold Cider Co, Brewery Meteor, Freedom Brewery, Glebe Farm Foods, and Bonita Cider.
Free visitor registration
For further information about the show, the 2017 online Show Guide is now available to view at www.casualdiningshow.co.uk/show-guide.
Advance visitor registration closes at 9.30am on Wednesday 22 February (after which a £20 door charge may apply). To register for a free trade pass, please visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk and use priority code CD30 (https://registration.n200.com/survey/24y1mqra1qoez?actioncode=CD30).