On 21-23 March, the foodservice and hospitality industry descended on ExCeL London for the highly anticipated return of Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC). 

Packed with innovative suppliers, insightful discussions and top chefs, HRC 2022 was a must-attend event for hoteliers, restauranteurs and caterers to efficiently source quality products and stay ahead of industry trends. 

Taking place alongside The Pub Show, IFE, International Food & Drink Event, IFE Manufacturing and The London Produce Show for the first time, this year’s event delivered a comprehensive offering for the entire food, drink, hospitality and foodservice sector. 

Powerful thought leadership was placed front and centre, with a diverse range of speakers debating some of the industry's most business-critical trends and challenges on the show’s Vision Stage, designed by Harp Design and curated by EXP101. 

In addition to the Tech X stage, which hosted a wide range of sessions covering all things related to hospitality technology, this year’s event also featured two additional conferences: The Better Hospitality Conference by Tried & Supplied and Hospitality’s Talent Conundrum by Hospitality Jobs UK. 

HRC Event Manager Ronda Annesley commented: “We were thrilled to have the support of such fantastic content partners for this year’s event. EXP101 brought some fantastic debates and industry heavy hitters to the Vision Stage at HRC, providing insightful and practical advice and guidance for our audience.” 

Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality, joined an all-star session examining the industry’s recruitment and retention challenges, and commented: “It’s fantastic to be back at HRC, reuniting with the hospitality industry and debating the most important issues facing the sector. 

“Hospitality professionals are dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial people and it’s been great to see the industry back meeting face-to-face and doing business.” 

As part of The Pub Show at HRC, the Vision Stage included a session from KAM unveiling brand new research on the pub and bar sector, followed by a session on the return of the pub featuring British Institute of Innkeeping’s Steven Alton, Louise MacLean of Signature Pubs, Joby Mortimer of Brakes, James Nye of Anglian County Inns and Yummy Pubs’ Anthony Pender. 

Pender remarked: “By bringing so many events together under one roof, HRC and associated shows make it a worthwhile day out of my business to really take stock and look for future innovation. A great day well spent.” 

Katy Moses, MD of KAM, added: “It was great being at HRC this year. After two years of Zooms, being face-to-face with industry colleagues was a breath of fresh air. The Pub Show at HRC is the place to get industry insight, network with peers and understand the trends in the hospitality industry.” 

Live cooking from the UK’s top chefs 

As always, top quality food was a central component of HRC. This year’s edition saw the return of the hugely popular The Staff Canteen Live, with top British chefs cooking their favourite meals live and sharing their wisdom with the show’s audience. 

Among the chefs at this year’s event was celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, who commented: “HRC is an opportunity for people to showcase new equipment, new ideas, innovation with products and it's a great place for chefs to network and see what's going on.” 

Historic chef competition International Salon Culinaire returned to HRC to celebrate its 120th anniversary, with hundreds of chefs competing to impress the event’s prestigious panel of judges. 

Salon Director Steve Munkley said: “We’re back! Salon Culinaire 2022 was an outstanding success, with all the theatre kitchens buzzing from early doors till the last competition. I was so proud to see the industry showing off its professionalism, hunger and tenacity, not letting anything stand in the way of getting us back on track and cooking. An amazing show, here’s to 2023, so start practicing!” 

Hospitality suppliers hail the success of the show 

In addition to the industry leading seminar programme at HRC 2022, the show was packed with quality suppliers across the pub sector, hospitality tech, professional kitchen equipment, foodservice and design & décor. 

Jack Doolan, Director of Flightcase Bars, commented on the company’s partnership with The Taproom, which showcased a range of breweries at the show: “We had a blast powering The Taproom at HRC this year. It was great to see so many people from the trade back together, and the atmosphere at ExCeL was electric! Our thanks to the Montgomery Group team for looking after us, and for their enthusiasm and faith in Flightcase Bars. We're looking forward to making The Taproom bigger and better in 2023!” 

In the Professional Kitchen section of the show, Foodservice Equipment Association Chair and Grande Cuisine Director Steve Hobbs said: “It’s great to be back at an exhibition after two years of not being able to meet and greet face-to-face. It's been a really great show for us, we've been able to showcase and launch the Grande Cuisine academy and it's been a great opportunity to get back in front of the dealers, distributors and consultants.” 

HRC will return to ExCeL London on 20-22 March 2022, stay up to date with all the latest news at hrc.co.uk. The Vision Stage and Tech X stage panel discussions will soon be available on demand on the HRC Connects platform.