SCOTHOT RETURNS TO THE SEC GLASGOW IN MARCH – JASON CADDY TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON OFFER.
Which hotelier worth his or her salt isn’t looking for an opportunity to meet with suppliers, network with others to share ideas and inspiration, and
learn about the latest trends from across the industry all under one roof?
That’s why ScotHot at the SEC Glasgow is where you should be hot-footing it to on 13th and 14th March 2019. It’s Scotland’s premier showcase for food, drink, hospitality and tourism and, in collaboration with Scottish Tourism Month, ScotHot is the Scottish hospitality and catering sector’s largest and
most comprehensive trade event.
More than 7,000 people are expected to attend, and over the course of two days and ScotHot 2019 features more than 200 curated exhibitions from hospitality operators and suppliers, educational talks from key industry
figures, and demonstrations from some of the country’s leading chefs, culminating in the Scottish Culinary Championships.
ScotHot’s extensive exhibitor space is a one-stop-shop for industry professionals to network and conduct business. With exhibitors arriving
from throughout the UK, as well as Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy and the United States, this year’s event is set to be one of the largest and most comprehensive yet. Exhibitors in 2019 include SIMS Automatics, Alliance Scotland, Elite Contract Furniture, Fishers, InStock, Valentinez
and Clear Brew.
According to ScotHot, 61% of visitors that attend do not attend any other event, while 63% of visitors place orders with exhibitors. It also reports that 74% of attendees are owners, directors, managers and executive chefs and
78% of visitors in 2017 plan to return in 2019.
According to one testimonial, “It’s cutting edge. If you don’t go to ScotHot you will have to trawl through magazines, articles, and the internet. It’s all under one roof at ScotHot – get a coffee and have a look around for a
couple of hours”
The Spotlight Stage, in partnership with Scottish Tourism Alliance, features a packed programme of expert speakers from some of Scotland’s leading hospitality and tourism businesses, who will share their experiences and insights on some of today’s hot topics.
Key themes within this year’s programme include staff retention and training, social media, brand relationships, waste management, and
mental health.
Highlights include ‘Teamwork Makes The Dream Work’, a gameshow-style panel presented by Scottish Tourism Alliance CEO Marc Crothall, where three couples working in hospitality will share the secrets of their
success; and ‘Talking About It: Mental Health in Hospitality’, a panel discussion with leading industry figures, chaired by broadcaster and
journalist Stephen Jardine.
Each session at the Scottish Tourism Alliance Spotlight Stage seats up to 70 delegates. Spaces will be available to book on the ScotHot
website in advance of the show.
Ross Carter, Event Director for ScotHot, said,“The Spotlight Stage embodies the real spirit of ScotHot – educational, informative, immersive and entertaining. We’re delighted to roll out the Spotlight Stage Programme in collaboration with the Scottish Tourism Alliance, and we’re
really looking forward to hearing from our
programme of industry leaders.”
Building on the success of its debut at ScotHot 2017, the Staff Canteen Live is returning to ScotHot with a demonstration programme, showcasing the culinary skills of some of the UK’s leading chefs. Watch each chef make one of their star dishes live whilst answering questions from the session
presenters – you’ll even have the opportunity to enjoy a taste of the dish each chef creates and take part in Q&A sessions to learn more
about their techniques. Heading for the stage are Peter McKenna, the chef-owner of
The Gannet in Glasgow, Lorna McNee from Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles.
Also on stage will be Scott Smith from Fhior, and closing the show is MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Dean Banks.
They will be joined by Jonathan MacDonald head chef and owner of Ox and Finch in Glasgow; Jamie Scott, The Newport, in Fife; Stuart Ralston the chef-owner at Aizle in Edinburgh and Nick Briggs, head chef of Michelin-starred The Peat Inn in Fife, and Geoff Smeddle, also from The Peat Inn in Fife.
Hot topics being debated this year are ‘Scotland’s Food Tourism Strategy – Farm to Plate, Keeping it Local; The Future of Staffing in Hospitality, Teamwork makes the Dream Team.
Work; Disrupting the Future; Marketing Musts: A Social Media Masterclass; Talking About It: Mental Health in Hospitality; and Our Future World, the Challenge, the Opportunity.
The Staff Canteen Live will be showcasing all eight chefs across the two days, each cooking a dish from their menu and taking questions from the audience at the end of the demo. They will also be handing out samples of the dish.
Dan Newman, managing director of The Staff Canteen, said, “We are delighted to be back in Scotland at the leading hospitality show, ScotHot. Our Live stage showcases some of the very top chefs doing what they do best. Add to this our market leading partners and The Staff Canteen Live is on track to be another huge success.”
Join the Liquid Academy and delve into the latest global drinks’ innovations. What will the next big trend be? How can your business prepare for the challenges that lie ahead in the drinks industry? Whatever your questions may be, Liquid Academy Live has the answers.
Over the course of two days at ScotHot, Liquid Academy Live’s calendar of inspiring speakers will discuss innovation and development across Scotland’s drinks industry. Don’t miss ‘Ready Steady Cocktail’, where 10 of Scotland’s top bartenders from leading hotels and bars will go head to head in the ultimate cocktail crafting competition. Two rounds of 10-minute challenges will result in 10 cocktails ready to be judged by both the audience, and Liquid Academy Live’s very own panel of experts. This will be a true test of each bartender’s on-the-spot creative abilities, and a chance to see the country’s finest bartenders shaking up some exciting new concoctions. One such speaker is Laura Willoughby MBE, co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement, with Drinks Health is Wealth.
New to ScotHot for 2019 is The Covered Market, developed in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink. The Covered Market was designed following feedback from previous year’s visitors, who placed raw ingredients and meeting the producers behind their creation as one of the key reasons for their attendance. For ScotHot 2019, this cost-effective area will feature high-quality products from artisan businesses across six specialist categories: bakery, butchery, dairy, fresh fish, fresh produce, and herbs, spices and pulses.
The event’s pinnacle, the 33rd Scottish Culinary Championships, highlights the skills of Scotland’s next generation of top chefs, with awards presented for ‘Scottish Chef of the Year’ and ‘Scottish Junior Chef of the Year’. Sponsored by The Federation of Chefs Scotland, the Scottish Culinary Championships provides an opportunity for chefs of all ages to display their skills both in Live Theatre and Culinary Arts.