Events

To The Table Europe 6-8 September 2021

DUBROVNIK

The decision-makers forum returns with a strong line-up of buyers, suppliers and speakers.

Words: Heleri Rande Photography: © Richard Pereira After a year long pause as a result of the ongoing uncertainty, To The Table Europe was finally held on 6-8 September at the Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel in Croatia. 100 delegates from the region’s F&B sector conducted business over three days at the picturesque seaside resort boasting impressive views onto the Adriatic. The energy over the three days was a refreshing reminder why we all love this industry and cannot wait to meet each other in person again. Organised by Debbie Wilson and Justin Wall, the event was a long-awaited opportunity to ditch the Zoom calls and have in-person conversations with friends old and new.

The line-up of attendees was as impressive as the scenic views from the venue. Of the 35 buyers attending, 26 were either new companies or a new representative from the company. In addition to long-standing supporters of the event such as AccorHotels, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International and Meliá Hotels International, some of the newcomers to highlight include Crystal River Cruises, Scenic Cruises, Mystic Cruises and Silversea Cruises, representing a growing segment of the market. Of the 32 supplier companies, five were new to the event. Loyal attendees who returned to the forum included Pernod Ricard, Fredman Group, SEB Professional, Sico Europe, Bartech EMEA, La Tavola and Julius Meinl, whilst Edikio Guest, Kopa Grilling Solutions, De Kuper Royal Distillers and Meveca attended for the first time. The four one-hour seminar sessions in between pre-set buyer and supplier meetings were chaired and moderated by Supper’s Consulting Editor Heleri Rande. Covering topics from culinary developments to luxury restaurant design, sustainability and branding, all sessions stimulated lively debate and plenty of engagement from the audience. Guy Heksch, Chief Operating Officer at Omnam Group and Christian Knerr, Director of Culinary EMEA at Marriott International, highlighted the key challenges in the hotel F&B industry, such as

staffing, recruitment and changing business models including delivery and dark kitchen innovations. “Hotel kitchens need to have a smaller footprint and smaller menus and they must become more efficient in their labour model,” noted Heksch.

The first afternoon discussion saw the return of colourful design characters to the stage debating the future of luxury restaurant design. Erik Nissen Johansen, Creative Director and founder at Stylt Trampoli, Robbie Bargh, founder and Director of Gorgeous Group and Tina Norden, Director and Partner at Conran & Partners were not short of ideas around this topic. Basing many of his observations on the newly opened island resort in Sweden, Johansen has direct experience himself with the new type of adventure-seeking customer who is willing to pay for a unique experience. “The future of luxury is eating together and guests going fishing and experiencing the island as friends,” he noted, a sentiment echoed by Bargh who said: “We need to be designing with emotion per square-foot in mind.”

The session on sustainability had the morning audience on the edge of their seats as the three panellists tackled a mammoth topic. Robert Juntke, Vice President Food & Beverage Design & Development EMEA at Marriott International, Julie Allison, Vice President Sustainability & Transformation at AccorHotels and David Chenery, Director at Object Space Place complemented one other’s viewpoints on the issue. Two major hotel groups overseeing thousands of restaurants versus a boutique sustainable restaurant design firm painted a very clear picture of the complexity of the conversation around sustainability. “If a hospitality business wants to have the biggest impact possible on how sustainable it is, they should start by looking at the ongoing resources they consume. For an F&B concept, 50-75% of their carbon footprint comes from the food they serve,” explained Chenery whose practice developed the Restorative Design Framework, a comprehensive guide to restaurant designers, owners and operators of the future.

The closing panel brought the previous three discussions together, exploring how to reinvent and adapt to the changing guest demands, which covered how to disrupt the status quo and create stronger restaurant brands with authenticity, ethics and resilience. Bruno Marti, Chief Brand Officer at 25hours Hotel Company had a very passionate approach to the topic, identifying all the touchpoints that we have got wrong during the pandemic, completely alienating the customer and taking the hospitality element out of our business. “This is the first thing we need to fix – interact with our guests again and make them feel welcome,” concluded Marti.

To The Table MEA will run 7-9 March 2022 at Fairmont Ajman and To The Table Asia will run 4-6 October 2022 in Bangkok. www.tothetableeurope.com