On 20th-21st March, we’re proud to be featuring at Northern Restaurant & Bar in Manchester Central. This industry function draws individuals and businesses in hospitality from across the region to network, witness live demos and hear from established players. As one of the 275 exhibiting suppliers, we’re hugely looking forward to the opportunity to show off our app and discuss our service, which includes growing branches in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. We’ve had a look at some of the events occurring during NRB 2018 – including 65 live demos – and selected the ones we think will be real highlights. If you’re attending, stop by Stand A24 and say hello! If not, commiserations, you’ll be missing out on…
Celebrity chef Ed Baines presents a seafood masterclass
Market Kitchen, 20th March
For over 20 years, chef Ed Baines has worked to establish Soho’s Randall & Aubin as one of the capital’s culinary hotspots. Bringing together premium British ingredients and classic French influences, Baines’ speciality is his seafood dishes, with an underlying ‘net to plate’ ethos ensuring fresh, responsibly sourced produce. In this demonstration, Baines will guide attendees through preparing a range of seafood dishes, showing off the tips and tricks you only gain from decades of experience. Last year, Baines opened the second branch of Randall & Aubin in Manchester, further confirming the city’s status as a must-visit destination for foodies.
How wine can learn from craft beer
Grape & Grain, 20th March
So long Stella Artois, farewell Fosters, bye-bye Becks. In recent times we’ve witnessed consumers across the UK, and much of the world, move away from drinking lager produced by established brands and instead explore the flourishing craft beer scene. People are keen to taste unusual flavours and sample exotic variations, often happily paying a few more pounds in the process. In this presentation, Nic Rezzouk from Manchester’s Reserve Wines will analyse the wine industry’s current situation and what influence it can take from burgeoning independent brewers. It’ll be interesting to hear what cross-over exists between two very different products and what changes the wine industry could undertake.
CJUK live panel discussion
Cobden Suite, 20th March
One of the factors currently hampering the hospitality industry is staffing issues. Currently there’s a lack of workers, and analyses project a shortage in the future, while workers also lack the practical skills to effectively engage with their jobs. This panel, brought together by chef recruiter CJUK, includes TV chef Adam Reid and The Lowry Hotel’s general manager Adrian Ellis. They will address the problems head on and discuss potential solutions, such as improving worker satisfaction and promoting the use of flexible workers. As suppliers to the hospitality industry ourselves, it’ll be hugely interesting to engage in such a pressing conversation.
Meet the Ladies of Restaurants
NRB Hub, 21st March
Established in 2016, Ladies of Restaurants is a group for women who work in hospitality to meet peers and build links across the industry. The group’s 500 members pursue an array of careers, including venue work and marketing and PR, to varying degrees of seniority, ensuring a diverse, welcoming atmosphere. Ladies of Restaurants’ co-founders, Natalia Ribbe and Libby Andrews, will be exhibiting at NRB on Wednesday, where you can learn more about the group, what functions they perform and their thoughts on today’s industry. Previous events have sold out- don’t miss the chance to hear from them.
Food Porn Awards presentation
NRB Hub, 21st March
Take a scroll through Instagram and among the gratuitous selfies, memes and inspirational quotes you’ll find a serious amount of food. Dishes of every size imaginable, in any course, from all over the world, often with a painstakingly selected filter, looking so good you’ll want to climb through your screen and tuck in. The Food Porn Awards celebrates this trend and 2018’s edition has attracted 350 entrants from across the north to each claim to have great looking grub. You can vote for your favourite here and find out the winner on Wednesday.
From live demos to industry discussions, via a heap of free food and drink, Northern Restaurant and Bar has a lot to offer over its residency.
If you think we’ve missed any good events at NRB 2018, get in touch via Twitter: @syftgroup
