National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show and lunch! serve up innovation at the London Food & Drink Festival
Everything you need to know about the new format of this year’s food and drink event
“The lines between sectors are becoming more blurred, with many companies operating across sectors, so this is an incredibly exciting time, offering even more value for both exhibitors and visitors.”
This September, the National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show and lunch! will join forces with three other leading food and drink trade events under the umbrella of the London Food & Drink Festival. The festival, taking place on 16-17 September at Excel London, will bring together lunch! (the national food-to-go and coffee shop event), the National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show, the London Drinks Exchange, the Natural & Organic Food Show and the Artisan Food & Drink Show into one free trade event.
The new format will give buyers and operators access to the full breadth of the food and drink industry in one visit. The event will feature thousands of new food, drink, tech and equipment products from more than 600 exhibitors, as well as more than 200 industry speakers across eight stages. Chris Brazier, group event director, London Food & Drink Festival says: “We have always been incredibly proud of our unique, high-quality events, serving key sectors within hospitality and the food retail industry.
We have a strong track record of delivering the most innovative exhibitors, the most forward-thinking buyers and industry leaders talking across our keynote stages. “The lines between sectors are becoming more blurred, with many companies operating across sectors, so this is an incredibly exciting time, offering even more value for both exhibitors and visitors.”
Pano Christou, chief executive of Pret A Manager says: “lunch! is a fantastic event showcasing world-class innovation that will help take our industry forward.” The Chef Live!
Stage will host chefs such as Tom Aikens of Muse, Atul Kochhar of Atul Kochhar Restaurants, Nikita Pathakji of Maai by Nikita, Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen, Cyrus Todiwala of Café Spice Namasté, James Knappet of Kitchen Table, James Golding of the Larder House, Abbie Hendren of Teal, Ayesha Kalaji of Queen of Cups and Steve Mangleshot of Wagamama. Mark Birchall of the three-Michelin-starred Barn at Moor Hall will also sit down for an interview on the Restaurateurs Stage.
Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen and Nikita Pathakji of Maai by Nikita Other show features include Start-Up Zones, Innovation Challenge Galleries, live DJ sets and interactive festival features running across both days offering a snapshot of where the industry is heading.
The festival’s other stages include the Pub & Bar Stage, the Casual Dining Stage and the Natural & Organic Food Stage. Confirmed speakers include John Hutson of JD Wetherspoon, Gemma Glasson of Wahaca, Nisha Katona of Mowgli Street Food, Des Gunewardena of D3 Collective, Tom James from Bill’s, Allen Simpson and Kate Nicholls of UKHospitality, Steve Alton of the British Institute of Innkeeping and Amber Wood of the New World Trading Company, with more names still to be announced. The lunch! exhibitor list of confirmed names spans plant-based drinks, functional snacking, sustainable packaging, trend-setting coffee, drinks and more.
Brands such as Oatly, Trip, Popcorn Kitchen, Deliciously Ella, Organix, Moju, Capri Sun UK, Minor Figures, Twinings, Love Corn, Graze, Yeo Valley Organic, Walkers Shortbread, Biomel, Vegware, UCC Coffee, Kellogg’s (Kellanova) will be showcasing their latest launches and existing products. Free trade registration for the London Food & Drink Festival, including lunch!, is open now at lunchshow.co.uk (priority code VLU89), with registration subject to verification.
For anyone in hospitality trying to stay a step ahead of what’s next, September’s diary date is one worth locking in early.
- Who: London Food · Drink Festival · National Restaurant · Bar Show · Nikita Pathakji