CEO of Jamie’s Italian confirmed for headline Keynote at Casual Dining 2018

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Jon Knight, the new CEO of Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, is the first big name Keynote speaker to be announced for Casual Dining 2018.  The multi-award winning trade event for the UK’s restaurant and pub operators returns to the Business Design Centre in London, next year, on 21-22 February. Today’s announcement follows the opening of the show’s online visitor registration for 2018, and comes just weeks after Knight’s appointment as CEO.  He was formerly the managing director of Jamie Oliver’s international restaurant portfolio. Knight is the latest exclusive speaker signing for the show, which – since its launch in 2014…

Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017 winners

Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2018: entries now open

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The Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards, organised by Diversified Communications UK, is now accepting entries for 2018. The awards recognise and celebrate the standout restaurant and pub operators of the year across the growing multi-billion pound casual dining sector.  Previous winners include wagamama, Las Iguanas, ASK Italian, The Breakfast Club, Peach Pub Company, JD Wetherspoon, Côte Restaurants, Zizzi, and Gourmet Burger Kitchen. There are 17 categories for 2018, encompassing everything from new concepts and new openings, to menu innovation, employee engagement, marketing and design, as well as recognising the outstanding brands of the year.  They’ll be judged by some…

Casual Dining in the running for its third Best Trade Show Award

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Casual Dining, which already has two best trade show awards to its name, is up for ‘Best UK Tradeshow – over 2,000 sqm’ at the exhibition industry’s AEO Excellence Awards this week. The multi-award winning UK event for casual dining operators (including multiple and independent pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels) has now been nominated for a best trade show award every year since its launch in 2014.  That year it won the AEO Awards’ under 2,000 sqm category.  A title it successfully defended again in 2015. Now, thanks to the show’s significant year-on-year growth in attendance, exhibitor numbers and floor…

Casual Dining enjoys best show yet with 9% increase in attendees

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London was the capital of the casual dining world last week – as Casual Dining returned to the Business Design Centre in Islington, on 22-23 February, to showcase the best new products, solutions, insights, and innovations of the year. The multi-award winning event enjoyed its fourth year of significant growth, raising the bar yet again to serve up 4,785 unique attendees, with over £736m annual spending power, to its 200 exhibitors.  Notably, nearly one in three visitors are responsible for a corporate spend of over £500k. Demonstrating their growing appetite for casual dining, senior executives from all the UK’s biggest…

Casual Dining crowns two Kings of Craft

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In a first for the show, two exhibitors were named ‘King of Craft’ at Casual Dining 2017.  Thistly Cross Cider’s Whisky Cask Cider and Freedom Brewery’s Organic Helles Lager both received top marks from the judges, who included selected VIP visitors. The competition was open to all Craft Beer & Cider Pavilion exhibitors. “Being voted King Of Craft at the 2017 Casual Dining Show is fantastic for Thistly Cross,” says head cidermaker Peter Stuart. “As a truly independent craft cider company, we’re continuing the proud tradition of hand-pressing real fruit for cider made on our farm.  So to have our…

Innovation Challenge Awards: The results

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Three Casual Dining exhibitors struck gold today – winning coveted Innovation Challenge Awards at the show. Fourteen finalists (chosen by popular visitor vote yesterday from a record 40 entries this year) took turns to impress the judges in the live pitching session this morning.  Those judges included big name buyers from Casual Dining Group, Jamie’s Italian, TGI Friday’s, GBK, Young’s and Geronimo Pubs, The Restaurant Group, Nando’s, Côte Restaurants and Anglian Country Inns. The results (announced this afternoon) saw three companies receive gold awards, three awarded silvers and eight taking home the bronze. The results: Gold Ascentia FSE: F1 High Speed Oven ‘’Gold…

What’s in store today?

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If you weren’t able to attend Casual Dining yesterday, there’s still plenty of great content to enjoy today – including Keynotes from TGI Friday’s, Côte Restaurants, Hippo Inns, and Hard Rock International; market insights from MCA and CGA Strategy; The future of pub food panel debate; and the results of the 2017 Innovation Challenge Awards. Keynote highlights include: Simon Stenning, executive director of MCA: Casual Dining market overview Andrew Gallagher, group marketing director at Côte Restaurants: How to market like a chain but feel like an independent Karen Forrester, CEO of TGI Friday’s UK: Crossing the line for growth Rupert Clevely, CEO…

Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017 winners

Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017: winners announced

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The UK’s best casual dining operators were revealed tonight at the Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017, organised by Diversified Communications UK. wagamama, Las Iguanas, ASK Italian, The Breakfast Club, Peach Pub Company, and Levi Roots all took home awards.  While wagamama’s chief executive David Campbell was also named ‘Trailblazer of the year’. The 2017 winners were presented their awards by Matt Dawson MBE at a prestigious ceremony at the Marriot London Grosvenor Square, following the first day of the Casual Dining show. Over 400 industry professionals – including senior representatives from Casual Dining Group, Living Ventures, Las Iguanas,…

Innovation Challenge Awards: The votes are in!

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Casual Dining visitors were busy casting their votes today at the Innovation Challenge Awards Gallery on the show’s Upper Feature Level.  Their top-picks (14 in all) have now been shortlisted for tomorrow’s Innovation Challenge Live ‘pitching’ session, taking place at 11am in the Executive Suite (located on the ground floor of the Business Design Centre). Exhibitors hoping their products will come away with a coveted ‘Gold Award’ will need to impress this year’s judges first; including big name buyers from Casual Dining Group, Jamie’s Italian, TGI Friday’s, GBK, Young’s and Geronimo Pubs, The Restaurant Group, Nando’s, Côte Restaurants and Anglian Country Inns. The…