Commercial Kitchen – the UK’s leading kitchen equipment, services and design show – bid farewell to Birmingham in style this week (4-5 June). With final figures still to be announced, the 2019 show saw the best quality of buyers yet and 50% of exhibitors already rebooking for the much-anticipated 2020 show at ExCeL London.
The show’s prestigious visitor list annually includes many of the biggest catering equipment purchasers and specifiers working in foodservice and hospitality today. Philipp Schumacher, director at Hupfer, said that, “the number of high quality buyers at Commercial Kitchen 2019 was the best we’d ever seen”.
Now, after four incredible successful years – where the show has become firmly established as the two days a year where the industry meets, launches innovations and does business – Commercial Kitchen will move to London (said to be home to more kitchens per sqm than anywhere else in the UK) in June 2020 for its ‘biggest edition yet’.
It’s an exciting development to the show, which boasts huge support from the industry’s major associations and trade media titles. It also counts a raft of leading CEOs, MDs, top chefs and food chiefs from across the hospitality industry among its many fans.
Glenn Evans, head of food development at Las Iguanas, La Tasca & La Vina, said, “I love Commercial Kitchen and I’m delighted it’s moving to London for an even bigger and better show in 2020 It has my full support.
“Commercial Kitchen 2019 was brilliant. After seeing what the organisers did when they moved their food-to-go show lunch! to ExCeL, I have no doubt that Commercial Kitchen 2020 will be the best one yet,” says Arnaud Kaziewicz, executive chef at EAT.
“It’s a great show and it will be so much easier for me and my team to attend now that it’s moving to London. Great move!” agrees Peter Woods, executive chef at Ace Hotel.
Notably, the move will enable Commercial Kitchen to continue to grow and deliver on its promise to be the only truly dedicated show serving buyers from every vertical sector and every type of kitchen.
Event manager Katie Tyler, from organiser Diversified Communications UK, said, “Following a very busy, valuable and productive two days at Commercial Kitchen 2019, we’re delighted to announce the show’s move to ExCeL London. The time is right for a change and the news has already generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm from our exhibitors, supporters, and visitors alike.
“Best of all, the tenancy enjoys similar dates, with our 2020 show scheduled to open on 3-4 June. Plus, when the Elizabeth line opens, ExCeL London will become even more accessible from both Heathrow and central London in minutes.
“We’ll be drawing on all our strengths – harnessing Diversified’s unique experience, connections and knowledge within the hospitality, foodservice and catering industry to ensure Commercial Kitchen’s fifth anniversary show in London is as memorable as it is unmissable for buyers across the whole country.”
Ceda, the UK’s leading membership association for companies involved in the distribution and servicing of commercial catering equipment, has been a pivotal lead partner for the show since its launch in 2016.
Ceda’s director general, Adam Mason said, “As lead-partners since Commercial Kitchen’s inception, ceda are happy to support the move to Excel from 2020. Our relationship with the show has been hugely beneficial for both parties and our Members are passionate about an exhibition that has such a tight focus on equipment and services, as it is so relevant to their businesses.
'We look forward to supporting Diversified Communications UK in their move and developing the show for the benefit of our Members, our Partner exhibitors and end-user operators.”
Louise Willis, executive director at FCSI (UK & Ireland), which has been an association partner since 2017, added, “We are delighted to be a partner of the Commercial Kitchen Show, and think the decision to relocate the event to London’s ExCel for 2020 will be a positive move and will encourage more members to attend.”
Commercial Kitchen will open at the new venue of ExCeL London on 3-4 June 2020.