This year with the introduction of a restaurant and bar design component, Sleep, Europe’s leading hotel design show, has become Sleep + Eat and will be debuting an Eat Conference.
Packed with the foremost influencers shaping wining and dining experiences, the Eat Conference will be hosted by food and beverage strategist Heleri Rande and will debate the challenges and aspirations driving the hospitality industry forward. These will encompass the convergence between independent and hotel restaurants; how to keep up with the rate of change in the sector; the role of AI; appealing to Millennials; and the re-invention of afternoon tea. The free-to-attend two-day Conference will take place in the National Hall of London Olympia.
Eat Conference’s curator and host Heleri Rande
What’s Cooking?
A panel discussion about the growing interdependence of restaurants, bars, and hotels will launch the conference with a session entitled “What’s Cooking?”, which will reveal how to navigate the fast-paced hospitality environment, where trends change faster than hotel restaurant projects can become reality.
Whether design should take this into consideration will be debated by Conran and Partner’s director Tina Norden, Aukett Swanke’s Associate Architect Nick de Klerk, and CRÈME Design’s founder Jun Aizaki, who is also creating the show’s Sleeper Bar.
The Evolving Nature of Food & Beverage
Over the last few years, hotel public spaces and F&B have gained tremendous importance in the hospitality industry. The first day will focus on “Made-to-Measure” Restaurant Design”, with editor Harry McKinley and the duo behind eponymous studio B+K Architecture – Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg – recognized internationally for such benchmark work as Mr. Porter and Duchess restaurants at the W Amsterdam. For Sleep + Eat, the pair will delve into the art of collaboration and the evolving nature of restaurant and bar design.
B+K Architecture – Irene Kronenberg and Alon Baranowitz
Artificial Intelligence Is on Its Way
Change is inevitable for any business to stay relevant and competitive, and embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly yet steadily gaining importance in the hospitality industry. Benjamin Calleja, CEO of Livit Design, the world’s leading Food & Beverage design company that acts as strategic consultants to restaurants in 43 countries, will explore in a disruptive presentation “How AI Can Improve Operations”. Benjamin will share real-life success stories from major brands and from his company’s test-lab restaurant on how data can be used to improve the customer experience and drive sales through integrated technology.
The Evolution of Afternoon Tea
The afternoon brings “GM Talks: Reinventing Afternoon Tea”, a review of the quintessentially British tradition and its evolution in numerous luxury hotels. From art to fashion to detox, each property is now looking for ways to re-invigorate the lobby space with an afternoon tea offering and tap into the experiential hunger of the modern traveler.
The conference will also highlight the growing importance of the drinks offering due to both the level of sophistication that customers demand and the bottom line it can generate for owners and operators, with the result that hotels now think harder about “The B in F&B” and partner with industry leaders in designing their bar program.
The Eat Sets are debuting this year as a trio of concept rooms based on restaurants, cafés, and nightclubs. The first day of the conference will culminate in each design team – 3Stories, and Shalini Misra – presenting their thought processes and challenging assumptions about what makes a meaningful café, restaurant, and nightclub experience in today’s demanding R&B scene.
Just Opened Across Europe
Day two will kick off with the story of HIDE, one of the most talked-about restaurant openings in London this year. The designer Rose Murray will be sharing her story of the three distinct concepts within – Above, Ground, and Below – and how working with three female artists on the project was more than just a collaboration.
Another headline-grabbing London opening this season – Hotel Café Royal – has enjoyed a major renewal of concepts and design over the last year and Managing Director Guillaume Marly will divulge how this particularly exciting project was developed in collaboration with celebrity chefs, Albert Adrià and Laurent Tourondel. This presentation will be followed by “Design Case Study: Fitz’s at the Principal London”, a keynote talk by Robbie Bargh, founder of Gorgeous Group.
The panel discussion “Moving East” with Melita Skamnaki (Double Decker London), Valeri Chekheria (Adjara Group), and Michael Ingemann (Claus Meyer Holding) will highlight award-winning hotel F&B spaces in Tbilisi, Vilnius, and Gdansk that are setting the pace in restaurant and bar innovation.
Speaker Panel – Eat Conference 2018
In addition to the Eat Conference, Sleep + Eat 2018 will comprise an international exhibition packed with innovative products, Sleep Conference, Sleep Sets, and the Sleeper Bar. The show will be open from 10 am – 8.30 pm on Tuesday 20th November and from 10 am – 6 pm on Wednesday 21st November.
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