Countdown to HRC 2025

A vision of the industry’s future

HRC’s Vision Stage, in partnership with Future Menus by Unilever Food Solutions, will be welcoming a diverse range of hospitality leaders, innovative chefs, association heads and much more to the stage across all three days of the event to discuss the most pressing issues for the UK hospitality sector.

Juliane Caillouette-Noble, managing director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, will be leading a session on tackling food waste in the industry and strategies for a sustainable future, joined by panellists Hugh Jones of WRAP, Jass Latchford of Waste Knot and City Harvest’s Sarah Calcutt.

Plus, Julian George of the Future Place will be joined by Adejoké Bakare, founder and head chef of Chishuru, for a fireside chat exploring her extraordinary journey in the culinary world and rapid transition from home cook to building a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Visitors to the event can also expect to hear discussions on innovations in kitchen design, the power of wine in hospitality, building high-performing teams, driving customer loyalty and insights into how to unlock the spending power of Gen Z.

Talking tech on the TechX stage

Tech has the power to transform hospitality businesses, and this year HRC’s TechX stage will be abuzz with insightful conversations and case studies from industry leaders, with sessions curated by Peach and Tech on Toast. Day one of the show will kick off with a fireside chat with Bill’s Restaurants managing director Tom James, who will discuss how tools such as AI-powered chatbots, data-driven decision-making and personalisation can elevate the customers experience and boost profits.

Other speakers across the three days of the show include Wagamama director of digital and loyalty Rebecca Farrer, TGI Fridays UK chief marketing officer Rhiannon Scarlett, Gail’s chief technology officer Darren Wilkinson, Deliveroo’s vice-president of global restaurants Rob Harris and many more.

Plus, visitors to the show interested in exploring the very latest innovation in tech can check out the Hospitality Tech section, where Hawktivity will be discussing AI-driven productivity solutions, Predictive Insights will be discussing strategic forecasting and bespoke analytics for hospitality, All Gravy will be providing data-driven insights into the needs of the Gen Z workforce and much more.

HRC has also partnered with Tech on Toast to launch Tech Xchange, an area where hospitality operators can meet, socialise, gain valuable insights, understand technology and find the best-fit products to help untangle their unique tech needs.

Pouring pints at the Pub Show

The Taproom, a popular feature area within the Pub Show, will see brands including Beyond Belief Brewing, Butcombe Brewery, Keltek Cornish Brewery, Lonkero and Powder Monkey Brewing showcasing their signature drinks for visiting pub and bar operators.

Elsewhere in the Pub Show, visitors will be able to meet suppliers ranging from bespoke furniture providers like Adfix Ironmongery to BrewDog Distilling Co: Wonderland Cocktails, beer line cleaning professionals Clear Brew, Filbert’s Fine Foods and many more.

On the Pub Stage, in partnership with the British Institute of Innkeeping, a wide range of industry leaders will be taking to the stage to discuss trends and challenges in the pub sector, such as elevating pub menus, building resilient teams, creating sustainable business models and how ‘competitive socialising’ can bring in new customers and redefine the pub experience.

Marking 90 years of HRC

HRC is celebrating an incredible 90 years at the heart of the hotel, restaurant and catering sector. To mark this milestone, this year’s show will feature special celebrations, exclusive events and panel discussions reflecting on nine decades of hospitality innovation.

John Cunningham, chief executive of the Foodservice Equipment Association, will join Simon Stenning, strategic advisor and founder of FutureFoodservice.com, to explore the evolution of foodservice, the changing face of hospitality and what the future holds for the industry.

At the heart of the show, a special celebration zone, created in partnership with Amobox, will host live music performances across all three days. The space will also feature a presentation of a special HRC 90th birthday cake crafted by acclaimed pastry chef Sarah Hartnett.

Culinary creativity at International Salon Culinaire

Historic chef competition International Salon Culinaire, which this year saw more than 1,000 entries from chefs across the UK and around the world, returns with more than 100 live and static competitions.

With support from headline sponsor Compass Group UK & Ireland, Salon Culinaire has long been one of the UK’s most important chef competitions, challenging competitors to demonstrate their talent, creativity and ability to deal with the pressure of cooking live in an unfamiliar kitchen.

This year’s event includes the return of Tilde Chef Team of the Year in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef Team of the Year, the Mystery Basket grand Prix, sponsored by Fresh Direct, and Pub Chef of the Year, sponsored by Essential Cuisine. 

Plus, 2025’s event will see the return of the Association of Pastry Chefs’ Dessert of the Year and the addition of new competitions such as the St Ewe Global Egg Fusion and the Duck Culinary Showdown inspired by Bresc. 

To find out more about everything happening as part of HRC 2025 and to register for your complimentary trade ticket, visit hrc.co.uk.