Northern Restaurant & Bar 2014, the largest hospitality trade show outside London, returns to Manchester Central on 18 – 19 March with its most exciting line-up yet. Highlights amongst the 50 tastings, talks and demos include superstar chefs Michael Caines and James Martin cooking live, the launch of the NRB Debate, and a cocktail competition with a top prize of a trip to St Lucia, courtesy of Chairman’s Reserve.
With over 225 exhibitors supplying everything from food and drink to technology and services, the show is bursting with new ideas and products for launching, refurbing or expanding businesses.
Thom Hetherington, Managing Director of Northern Restaurant & Bar, says “The show is 15% bigger this year, but the levels of interest have gone through the roof and we predict a sell out”. He continues “The hospitality industry in the North has gone from strength to strength and our show reflects the confidence, ambition and aspiration amongst the leading operators”.
NRB debate
New to 2014 is the NRB Debate, supported by Pro Manchester. This conference event will trigger unique discussion and generate valuable insights into the best of the Northern Hospitality Industry. Join Tim Bacon of Living Ventures, Marcello Distefano of San Carlo and Beau Myers of Beautiful Drinks as they discuss with Thom Hetherington how they developed their businesses and the future trends they see shaping the industry. Tickets are £50 incl VAT and are on sale from 31 January 2014.
Chef Live
The main theatre houses its most star-studded line-up yet, with Michael Caines and James Martin making their first ever appearance and Simon Rogan and Aiden Byrne appearing hot from their BBC2 documentary. Marc Wilkinson and Steven Smith both return following sterling reports in the national guides, as well as leading names from Liverpool, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
Market Kitchen
A theatre focused on the finest artisan regional ingredients, with demos featuring the skills and techniques needed for game, cheese, hot stones-cooking, patisserie, butchery and fishmongery. The theatre is surrounded by stalls featuring over thirty leading regional food and drink suppliers, including producers from Wales, the North, and via Game To Eat.
Drinks Live
Bartenders can join the team of experts for a range of tastings covering everything from tea and coffee to absinthe, sherry and rum, not to mention a cocktail competition offering the winner a trip to St Lucia. The adjacent Spirit Room hosts over twenty unique brands sampling rum, gin, vodka, pastis and more surrounding the Drinks Live theatre.
Grape & Grain
With tutored tastings of wine beer and cider the Grape & Gain theatre attracts publicans, bar owners and restaurants looking to improve their drinks offering. Returning speakers include the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, Robinsons and Majestic Commercial. New brands to the theatre this year include Budweiser, Magners and Miller Brands
The Tap Room (new for 2014)
Reflecting the continuing boom in Craft ales and building on the success of the craft ale tastings in the Grape and Grain theatre last year this new feature will allow small artisan brewers to display a selection of different styles of ale for visitors to sample. Not just for traditional pubs, keg craft ales are aspiring perfect for bars or restaurants too.
This year Northern Restaurant & Bar forms the hub of Northern Hospitality Week (NHW), five days of class-leading industry debates and special one-off business events. As well as the exhibition, the NRB Debate and the NRB Top 50 awards, NHW includes industry charity dinners from Hospitality Action and Action Against Hunger dinner, a host of industry association meetings and visitor discounts and special offers in bars and restaurants.
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