Visitor registration for lunch! – the UK’s favourite and biggest show for the food-to-go trade is now open. The multi-award winning event returns to the Business Design Centre in London on 21-22 September 2016.
Reflecting the show’s enormous breadth of appeal, in the first 48 hours since visitor registration officially opened on 25 May, over 500 buyers and senior decision makers from across the UK’s retailing, hospitality, snacking, convenience, and catering sectors have already added their names to the 2016 visitor list.
Representatives from Aramark, Baxterstorey, Benugo, Bidvest Foodservice, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Boots, Brakes, British Airways, Caesars Entertainment UK, Caffè Nero, Company of Cooks, Compass Group, Costa Coffee, Crussh, EAT., Eden Project, Elior, En Route International, Greene King, Greggs, Holiday Inn, IKEA, ISS UK, John Lewis, LEON, Le Pain Quotidien, Lidl, P&O Ferries, Pizza Hut, Pret A Manger, Rail Gourmet, Sodexo, SSP, Starbucks, Tossed, Waitrose, and Welcome Break, plus hundreds of independent and multiple cafés, coffee shops, tea rooms, bakeries, delis, and sandwich shops, are among them.
Annually attracting over 6,200 attendees, lunch! may need little introduction to the industry it serves. It’s frequently cited as the key annual event for discovering innovative new ideas and concepts. Since its launch in 2008, it’s enjoyed significant year-on-year growth in attendance (and floor space). While its exhibitor numbers have now reached an unprecedented 350 companies showcasing an eclectic mix of food, drink, packaging, catering equipment and technology.
lunch! has also won an impressive three best trade show awards along the way. It’s hoping to secure its fourth in just a few weeks’ time, having recently been shortlisted for ‘Best UK Trade Show Exhibition over 2,000sqm’ in the Association of Event Organisers’ Excellence Awards (it won the ‘under 2,000sqm’ category in both 2011 and 2012, and was also named Best Trade Show at the Exhibition News Awards in 2014).
“The show just gets better every year. The number of suppliers at lunch! relevant to our sector is second to none, and it is great to see so much innovation and enthusiasm at one venue. This show is not to be missed,” says Sandy Anderson, senior buyer – food at Elior UK.
“This is by far my favourite show of the year and it just keeps getting bigger and better,” says Angelina Harrison, food & commercial director at Tossed.
“lunch! is a key event for our buying team. The quality of suppliers makes it the destination show for our industry,” says Helen Higgins, head of food at EAT.
“lunch! continues to truly amaze and inspire a generation of food-to-go buyers,” says Martin Hambleton, head of procurement at En Route International.
Vibrant, innovative, relevant and enjoyable – are just some of the words attendees used to describe their lunch! experience last year, and 2016 promises more of the same.
“We talk about lunch!’s fantastic buzz and unique atmosphere every year but it really was incredible for 2015,” says Chris Brazier, group event director of lunch!.
“Exhibitor-wise, for 2016, we’ve got so many great names for our visitors to see! It’s a testament to the continuing success of the food-to-go sector and the ever-growing appeal of the show that the lunch! sales team have already sold out 90% of all exhibition space. The venue’s mezzanine level, ground level and our new Start-up Zone are full. On the show’s Upper Feature Level, there’s only one stand left in the A area (home to the Working lunch! Theatre), and the F area, which we only introduced last year, is selling at an incredible rate – it’s home to our new Talking lunch! Theatre, the Innovation Challenge Gallery and the VIP Lounge.
“lunch! draws its inspiration from the industry it serves, and we work hard to ensure that everything that food-to-go operators need to run their businesses successfully is catered for. From their kitchen equipment to counter displays, from the food and drink they serve to how it’s packaged and how it’s paid for – it’s all here,” he says.
Confirmed exhibitors for lunch! 2016 (to date) include Bord Bia (Irish Food Board), Nestlé Waters, Life Health Foods, Major International, Coconut Merchant, Pop Up Cookspace (mini kitchens and designs), DayMark Safety Systems, Innocent Drinks, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, Foster Refrigerator, Magrini, Tanpopo Japanese Food, eXpresso PLUS, Twinings, Metcalfe’s skinny, Pukka Herbs, Raynor Foods, Norseland, The Big Kitchen, Whitworths, Rational UK, ABDA creative design & build, Adelie Foods Group, Berrywhite Organic Drinks, Biopac UK, Cawston Press, Drink Me Chai, Matthew Algie, Pipers Crisps, Planglow, The Food Doctor, and Wobblegate Juice and Cider.
Running alongside the exhibition, throughout the two days, lunch!’s free business seminar line-up in the Working lunch! Theatre and new Talking lunch! Theatre includes exclusive Keynotes, research insights, and lively panel discussions.
The full programme will be unveiled over the next few months, with host of high-profile brands and industry leaders from across the food-to-go retailing and catering industry set to be announced.
Save the date for lunch!
“lunch! is a fantastic show and great way to discover new innovations. I would recommend it to anyone in this sector,” says Andy Crowle, product research manager at Tesco.
lunch! returns to Business Design Centre in Islington, London, on Wednesday and Thursday, 21-22 September 2016. For further information and to register for a free trade pass, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk and quote priority code LUN10 (direct link: https://registration.n200.com/survey/28ctrj7rl4tbl?actioncode=LUN10 ).
