The Restaurant Show 2018 returns to London for its 30th year this Autumn

30-Jul-2018 - Last updated on 30-Jul-2018 at 11:33 GMT

The UK’s largest annual hospitality trade show will return to London’s Olympia this Autumn, marking 30 years of supporting the industry.

Taking place from 1 to 3 October, The Restaurant Show 2018 will run alongside the Bar & Pub and Catering Equipment Expo, across which over 450 suppliers will be exhibiting.

Organised by BigHospitality publisher William Reed Business Media, the trade-only event is the industry’s biggest, comprising food and drink supplier samples; a live stage; a series of panel discussions and sessions from industry experts; food and drink masterclasses; and competitions.

The show is free to attend for anyone working in hospitality.

Some of the country’s most high profile chefs and restaurateurs will be in attendance, including Hand and Flowers chef patron Tom Kerridge; and chef and owner of Midsummer House, Daniel Clifford.

Kerridge will share tips from his own career, as well as discussing his future plans, while Clifford will discuss and sign copies of his book Out of My tree, as well as cooking a signature classic dish onstage.

More speakers will be announced in the run-up to the show.

A range of panel discussions will be held across the three days, during which expert panellists will answer questions and debate key industry issues. Topics covered will include the global market; securing bookings with out-of-town diners; boosting customer loyalty; and how to make a restaurant’s cuisine different.

MCA Foodservice executive director Simon Stenning will discuss emerging trends and how operators can apply them during a Trend Watching session.

Masterclasses in food and drink will be held by Master of Wine, Peter McCombie; cheese writer Patrick McGuigan; and chef patron of Camden’s The Cheese Restaurant, Matthew Carver.

The industry’s rising stars will be pitted against each other in a series of competitions.

Chefs will compete to be named the National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year.

The Copa Jerez final, held on the Monday, will see teams of chefs and sommeliers from restaurants in seven countries meet to create a pairing between modern cooking and centuries-old wine.

Other competitions taking place will include The Kikkoman Masters and Compass Chef of the Year.

More names, sessions and suppliers will be released over the next two months, and will be announced on The Restaurant Show's Twitter account.