The organisers of Sleep & Eat have lifted the curtain on this year’s show, which returns to Olympia London on November 17 and 18…
With an aptly tweaked concept to specifically support hospitality businesses across the spectrum with the aim to lift the trammelled spirits of the hospitality community, Sleep & Eat has announced a number of new elements to this year’s show.
New for this year, there will be an array of meeting and networking platforms designed to generate conversations and connections between all members of the hospitality community, which will include series of one-to-one meetings organised in advance through the show’s new portal. Initiatives such as these will be combined with a unique collection of experiential Sets, a Conference bringing industry leaders together, this year to debate the shape of hospitality after COVID-19, and an international Exhibition. The organisers have also revealed that, for the first time, the event will be delivered in collaboration with major international Hotel Brand Partners, Accor, IHG and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
“As we emerge from the crisis, there will be a vital need for new collaborations, new engagements and different ways of doing things.” – Mark Gordon, Director of Sleep & Eat.
“Sleep & Eat 2020 celebrates 15 years of leading thought and exciting innovation, and we have taken this opportunity to consult the industry on how it would like us to do even more of what we do so well – bringing the community together and looking forward – when coronavirus has slammed the brakes on their world,” says Mark Gordon, Director of Sleep & Eat.“ As we emerge from the crisis, there will be a vital need for new collaborations, new engagements and different ways of doing things. Sleep & Eat’s 2020 programme of lively, inspiring and thought-provoking features integrated with constructive and grounded opportunities to do business on an individual and company scale, will be just the tonic the industry craves. Watch this space for more announcements of receptions, business networking and roundtables!”
New to the event will be two immersive wining and dining spaces. Boxx Creative, the award-winning consultancy behind a number of global hospitality ventures, will be designing the eat experience with Michelin star chef, Oli Marlow, in residence. Superfutures Design, whose founder, Andy Martin, was the creator of the award-winning hotel design for PURO Hotel Group, and worked with Oliver Peyton and the Hart Brothers on some of London’s best-known bars and restaurants, will be serving up the Sleep & Eat bar experience.
Image caption: Una Barac, Founder of Atellior
Also new this year, a Lounge Bar, to be designed by luxury residential and hospitality firm, Atellior, will take centre stage on the main exhibition floor. Significantly larger than previous Sleep & Eat bars, it will provide a spacious gravitational hub for visitors eager to catch up with colleagues and enjoy a rekindling of social life.
“We are really excited and honoured to participate in Sleep & Eat as this is the leading event in the hospitality design industry and a great opportunity to showcase our work, meet and catch up with number of developers, operators and peers in the industry,” explained Una Barac, Founder of Atellior. “We love the way the show has grown in the recent years to include restaurants and bars. Now more than ever, it is important to see how hospitality industry will evolve and being a part of this, at Sleep & Eat, is truly momentous!”
The architectural and design practices who will be delivering one of Sleep & Eat’s perennial favourites, the guestroom Sets, have also been announced. They will be: ReardonSmith Architects, Perkins and Will, AD Associates and Chalk Architecture.
Image caption: Heleri Rande.
The Conference, entitled Redefining Freedom, is being created as a jump-start to the heart of hospitality. Once again, Heleri Rande will be at the helm after her highly successful curation of last year’s conference which played to packed audiences. “No one knows what the world will look like come November, but one thing is certain – our behaviour will have changed,” she says. “The rules of social distancing that are keeping billions at home right now will alter how we act, interact and re-act. What this means for hospitality remains to be seen. How will the travel preferences of different generations be altered? What will be the new normal for hotels, restaurants and bars? What sort of freedom will we be allowed to practice? These are just some of the issues we will be exploring.”
The exhibition will showcase the latest products and services from exceptional companies, some familiar, others waiting to be discovered. Amongst the returnees, will be Germany’s Baulmann, a leading manufacturer of decorative lighting which develops and manufactures lighting concepts for hotels, restaurants, bars and cruise liners, and luxury British fabrics company, Arley House. Sleep & Eat newcomers will include Vaughan, the eminent designer & manufacturer of lighting, furniture and accessories whose UK projects include The Ned, Gleneagles and Firmdale Hotels, and Ahmet Kasapoglu Mobilya, which offers project-specific manufacturing of the highest quality.
Main image credit: Sleep & Eat 2020
