HRC returns to Excel London from 30 March to 1 April 2026 as part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, offering foodservice equipment professionals a focused yet wide-ranging view of the technologies, infrastructure and operating models shaping commercial kitchens today.
HRC provides a practical environment for comparing equipment, engaging with suppliers and understanding how kitchen design and specification decisions sit within a rapidly evolving foodservice landscape.
Food, Drink & Hospitality Week brings together six events – IFE, IFE Manufacturing, HRC, The Pub Show, Hospitality Tech360 and International Salon Culinaire – across both halls of Excel London. This format reflects the reality of modern procurement, where equipment decisions are increasingly influenced by menu development, production methods, sustainability goals and wider operational strategy. Visiting HRC offers direct access to the hospitality equipment supply chain, with opportunities to engage with professionals from retail, wholesale and out of home.
HRC brings together a broad cross-section of suppliers across cooking, warewashing, ventilation, preparation, packaging, furniture and serviceware. Equipment manufacturers and solution providers taking part include names such as Rational, UNOX, Electrolux Professional, Meiko UK, Retigo, Multivac, Lamber, Nelson Catering Equipment and Meta Hitech Kitchen Equipments, alongside specialists in serviceware, packaging and front-of-house support options including T&G Woodware and Prowrap.
HRC 2026 delivers a seminar programme designed to reflect the pressures and priorities facing today’s hospitality and catering operators. Content is centred around the Vision Stage and Future of Drinks Stage, bringing together more than 100 industry leaders, operators and commentators to address leadership, resilience, workforce culture and changing consumer behaviour.
For equipment and catering professionals, the Vision Stage provides valuable context around how kitchens, menus and service models are evolving. Highlights include sessions featuring Adam Handling MBE, Chef Sally Abé, and sessions examining collaboration, the night-time economy and future food trends.
Meanwhile, the Future of Drinks Stage addresses commercial realities for pubs and hospitality venues, with sessions covering post-Budget operating conditions, the impact of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs on consumer behaviour, the growth of functional beverages as well as the rise of competitive socialising.
New for 2026, HRC introduces a dedicated Street Food section, stage and Salon Culinaire competition, in collaboration with NCASS, the Nationwide Caterers Association, reflecting the continued growth of flexible, high-output foodservice formats. For equipment professionals, the section provides insight into how manufacturers are adapting products and systems for smaller footprints, mobile kitchens and hybrid service models that increasingly sit alongside traditional restaurant and catering operations.
HRC will see the return of Chef HQ, curated by Chef Publishing. This networking area, stage and demo kitchen will feature well-known names in the culinary world such as Tom Shepherd, Ashley Palmer-Watts, Ollie Bridgewater, John Williams MBE, Adam Byatt, Ruth Hansom, Kim Ratcharoen and UK Bocuse d’Or candidate Oliver McGeorge.
HRC’s relevance to the equipment and catering community is reinforced through its partnerships with industry bodies including ceda, Cedabond, the Foodservice Equipment Association and The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO). These collaborations help shape the show’s content and exhibitor mix, ensuring it reflects the priorities of consultants, designers and operators working across diverse foodservice environments, from education and healthcare through to hospitality and events catering. Catering giant Aramark and Macintosh Foodservice Consultants will both run dedicated events at the show, providing exhibitors with the opportunity to pitch their products and services directly to senior decision-makers.
Alongside the trade show, International Salon Culinaire adds a live, skills-focused dimension that continues to be closely watched by equipment manufacturers and buyers alike. As one of the UK’s most established culinary competition programmes, Salon Culinaire showcases chefs working under pressure, using professional equipment in demanding, real-time conditions.
With support from headline sponsor Compass Group UK & Ireland, and equipment sponsors including Unox and CCE, the competitions provide a useful demonstration of how quality equipment is used in practice.
The wider Food, Drink & Hospitality Week portfolio further broadens the appeal for equipment professionals. IFE and IFE Manufacturing bring insights into product sourcing, ingredients and production methods, while The Pub Show offers sector-specific context around licensed venues and drinks-led operations. Hospitality Tech360, launching in 2026, sits alongside HRC to address digital systems, data and operational technology.
Over three days, visitors to HRC can meet the people behind the products and connect face-to-face with the brand owners and operators who are bringing the latest ideas to the table. It is a place to assess suppliers, compare approaches and understand how equipment choices connect to wider operational pressures, from labour constraints and sustainability targets to evolving service formats.
Find out more about everything happening at HRC 2026, and register for your free trade ticket, at hrc.co.uk.
