Major operators and distributors flock to new Commercial Kitchen show

Catering equipment buyers, specifiers, distributors, and consultants from across the UK will be out in force at the NEC Birmingham next week – checking out the latest new products and services on offer at Commercial Kitchen.

Kicking off at 10am on Tuesday 7 June, Commercial Kitchen is the UK’s first trade show dedicated solely to the catering equipment market; and the latest launch from Diversified Communications UK (organiser of the multi-award winning lunch! and Casual Dining events).

Many of the UK’s biggest foodservice, hospitality and leisure businesses, including Pizza Hut, Azzurri Group, The Restaurant Group, McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, TGI Friday’s, wagamama, Strada, YO! Sushi, GBK, JD Wetherspoon, Whitbread, Mitchells & Butlers, Marston’s, Punch Taverns, Geronimo Inns, Be At One, Hilton, Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn, Bourne Leisure (Haven, Butlins and Warner Leisure Hotels), Merlin Entertainments, Hollywood Bowl, Searcys, Pret A Manger, Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Patisserie Holdings, and SSP Group have confirmed their attendance.

They’ll be joined by leading contract caterers – from Compass, ISS, Sodexo, Elior, WSH (BaxterStorey, Caterlink and Holroyd Howe), and Gather & Gather – plus key buyers from supermarkets, universities, schools, hospitals, care homes, local authorities and thousands of independent operators.

While visiting distributors include C&C Catering Equipment, Alliance, Gratte Brothers Catering Equipment, Caterquip, Catering Equipment, Brakes Catering Equipment, Bidvest Foodservice, Wilcox Burchmore, Airedale Group, ScoMac Catering Equipment, Modo-CKD, Tailor Made CES, Denby Catering Equipment, Direct Kitchen Equipment, Certa Catering Equipment Supply, BETTAquip, and YCE Catering Equipment.

“The kitchen is one of the most important investments any operator has to make, and Commercial Kitchen aims to be the most comprehensive trade show of its kind, in this country, where key decision makers and specifiers can see and compare the latest products, and get advice and inspiration to ensure they make the best decisions for their business and boost their kitchen’s profitability,” says group event director Chris Brazier.

“What makes this event so unique, is that it brings together operators from all types of kitchens, allowing everyone to learn from each other and to see the full spectrum of products available for all commercial kitchens, whatever their size or need.

“From our speakers and exhibitors to the visitors themselves – the who’s who of the commercial kitchen industry will be at this show doing business.  It’s going to be a very important and productive two days,” he says.

Big name seminars

The inaugural seminar line-up includes celebrity chef Theo Randall, Simon Xavier (executive chef – leisure division at The Restaurant Group), Chris Knights (group executive chef at Young’s and Geronimo Pubs), Paul Dickinson (head of food at Fuller's Managed Inns), Simon Lee (head of F&B at Staycity Serviced Apartments), Peter Woods (exec head chef at The Corinthia London), Dominic Burbridge (associate director at The Carbon Trust), and Myles Bremner, former director of the School Food Plan.

The editors of Foodservice Equipment Journal and its sister magazine Catering Insight, Andrew Seymour and Clare Nicholls, are set to host four seminars across the two days; including a debate on the hot topic of value engineering, solutions for producing striking open theatre kitchens, a discussion on the real factors driving up kitchen costs for operators, and an exclusive ‘in conversation’ Q&A session with Dirk Wissmann, senior equipment manager at Pret A Manger.

New additions to the HCA’s NHS Kitchens panel (chaired by the Phil Shelley, national chair of the Hospital Caterers Association), include Andy Jones, past HCA Chair and MD of AJ Associates, and Winner Varghese, assistant facilities manager – catering lead at Black Country Partnership NHS.  They’ll be looking at the biggest challenges facing NHS kitchens and discussing ways that hospital caterers can get the best out of the consultants and distributors they work in partnership with (Wednesday, 8 June at 2.45pm).

For Keynote timings and listings, please visit www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk/seminars.

CEDA Design Gallery

Thanks to Commercial Kitchen’s close association partnership with CEDA, visitors to the show will be able to view (and be inspired by) all the shortlisted design entries from the prestigious CEDA Grand Prix Design Awards in one place – the CEDA Design Gallery (located near the show’s entrance).

The Grand Prix award winners of Best Small, Best Medium and Best Large Projects will also be appearing at the show in an exclusive Foodservice Kitchen Design Panel (on Tuesday 7 June at 12.30pm).  Paul Neville, managing director at CHR Food Service Equipment, will be discussing their energy-saving kitchen at The Dawnay Arms; Peter Farrell, sales director at C&C Catering Equipment, offers insights into their kitchen for Ynyshir Hall Country House Hotel; and Clive Groom, managing director at CNG Foodservice Equipment will outline their creative approach to producing a range of foodservice areas in Fenwick’s new food hall.

Innovation Challenge Gallery & Awards 2016

Commercial Kitchen’s Innovation Challenge Live is designed to promote the best new equipment and technology innovations over the last twelve months.

Visiting buyers get their chance to decide the final shortlist by casting a vote for their favourite new product – in the Innovation Challenge Gallery – on the show’s opening day.  The products to secure the most votes before 4pm will then be invited to ‘pitch’ their product’s USP live to a panel of industry judges the following day at 11.45am (on Wednesday 8 June), with the results to be announced at 2pm.

Innovation Challenge Award entries include:

• Ascentia F1 Oven (Ascentia Foodservice Equipment)
• Waste Cooking Oil Tank (Bensons Products)
• 49” Hybrid Cooler with Transparent Display (Catertherm)
• Electrolux Express Finance (Electrolux Professional)
• Giorik Evolution "Smoker" Combi (Euro Catering Equipment)
• Klima Food Control Dry Ager Fridge (Euro Catering Equipment)
• The FRIMA 112L (FRIMA UK)
• Burco Autofill Water Boiler (GDPA)
• Titan Induction Range Cooker (GDPA)
• Gram Superior Plus Refrigeration (Hoshizaki Gram)
• Hoshizaki Emerald Range Ice Makers (Hoshizaki Gram)
• Convotherm 4 easyTouch (Manitowoc Foodservice)
• Merrychef eikon e2s (Manitowoc Foodservice)
• Professional Slow Juicer (Panasonic UK)
• Kromo Wash & Store (Pentland Wholesale)
• Simag Mojo Ice SMI80 (Pentland Wholesale)
• Pro Auction Refit (Pro Auction)
• New Covent Garden Soup Server (R H Hall Foodservice Solutions)
• Microsave Cavity Protection System (Regale Microwave Ovens)
• Synergy Grill (Synergy Grill)
• 250 HACCP Management System (Testo)
• U-Select by PKL (U-Select by PKL)

Free advance registration

The sold-out Commercial Kitchen show will feature over 80 founding exhibitors showcasing the complete range of innovative equipment, devices and utensils required to run a commercial kitchen.  Among them are E.A.I.S, QCR Recycling Equipment, Lincat, Rational UK, Middleby, ACO Building Drainage, Nayati, Velox Silesia Grills, Jemi, TME Thermometers, Unox UK, Cedabond, and CEDA.

“Lots of innovation goes into menu development, sometimes kitchen kit gets forgotten.  It’s important to keep up with new innovation when it comes to kitchen design, in my opinion it goes hand in hand with menu design, the Commercial Kitchen show is a great opportunity for all to see what’s new and on offer,” says Simon Xavier, executive chef – leisure division at The Restaurant Group.

“I’m particularly looking forward to the Commercial Kitchen Show.  With so many exhibitions focusing on the Front of House side of the catering business, it promises to be an event that will centre on the kitchen – the heart of the business, and will assist in the process of planning for the future,” says James Harrison, group operations manager at Seymour Hotels of Jersey.

“I recently joined Stonegate Pub Company as senior purchasing manager, CAPEX.  Having had over 20 years’ experience with in-directs procurement, I am looking forward to understanding a new industry sector and meeting our current and potential new suppliers to support our growing business.  Commercial Kitchen will provide me with the opportunity to gain insight to this market place,” says Jonathan Self, senior purchasing manager at Stonegate Pub Company.

Commercial Kitchen will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7-8 June at the NEC Birmingham (open 10am-5pm, both days).  To register for a free trade pass, please visit www.CommercialKitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code PR1 (https://registration.n200.com/survey/16xd2hizo1znx?actioncode=PR1).  Please note, free advance registration closes at 9.30am on Tuesday 7 June (after which a £20 door charge may apply).

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Media enquiries & press pass requests to:

Emma-Louise Jones, Head of PR
Editorial representatives of relevant trade and consumer media (including freelancers) are invited to apply for press passes via email to ejones@divcom.co.uk (please note, additional details may be requested to verify journalistic activity and all press passes are issued at the management’s discretion).
t: +44 (0)1273 645134
e: ejones@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.divcom.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DiversifiedUK

Exhibitor enquiries to:

Chris Brazier, Group Event Director
t: +44 (0)1273 645123
e: cbrazier@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ComKitchenshow

Simon Watkins, Sales Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645155
e: swatkins@divcom.co.uk

Notes:

Image: http://www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/people.jpg

Diversified Communications UK (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton, Peterborough and Nailsworth.  Diversified UK’s event portfolio includes Commercial Kitchen; lunch!; Casual Dining; Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards; Natural Food Show at Natural & Organic Products Europe; Natural and Organic Awards; Nordic Organic Food Fair in Malmö, Sweden (co–located with Natural Products Scandinavia); camexpo; office*; Accountex; SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; British Tourism & Travel Show; GEO Business; Capturing Reality; Ocean Business; MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference; Euro Bus Expo; Coach & Bus Live; The Route One Operator Excellence Awards; and National Coach Tourism Awards.  For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.

Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face–to–face events, digital and print publications and television stations.  Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine, and business management.  Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified employs over 850 staff, across eight divisions in seven countries.  For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.

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