Whether considered as a challenge or opportunity, there has never been a better time for hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs and caterers to visit the largest hospitality event on the south coast, the Hotel and Catering Show, which will take place on Tuesday 10th (10am to 6pm) and Wednesday 11th March (10am to 4pm). With only days to go until the annual two-day exhibition, thousands of visitors are already expected to descend upon the Bournemouth International Centre, in search of advice and ideas to help rise to the challenge of trading through the recession and maximise any opportunities available of a potential boost in tourism.

Anna Wallis, show director of the Hotel and Catering Show, says: “Due to the weakening pound against the euro, the hospitality market in the south should become stronger as more people decide to holiday in the UK. In order to combat the economic ‘crunch’ and to welcome a potential boost in tourism, businesses will need to become inventive to set themselves apart from their competitors and offer something more to meet customers’ changing demands. With advice being provided from key industry figures, as well as an exhibition of the latest technology, equipment and services, anyone with an interest in the hospitality industry, should mark the Show on the calendar, as a not to be missed event.”

Featuring hundreds of top quality producers and suppliers, the exhibition is the essential showcase for the latest products, services and trends in the hospitality industry. Many leading brands including Essential Cuisine, Unilever Food Solutions, UK Coffee, Hildon, Cookware UK, Girbau UK and Speciality Breads will be exhibiting at the Show, as well as local brands including New Forest Fine Foods, Dorset Piddle Brewery, Chococo, Puddings and Pies and New Forest Ice Cream.

Visitors interested in picking up business tips will be able to attend free ‘sound bite sessions’ at the Show, hosted by Business Link Wessex. These sessions will provide guidance on a host of topics such as how to get the most from your website with a special web marketing talk, how to maximise the chances of finalising a sale, how to build quality business relationships and motivate others to do business with you and how to make a profit in competitive times.

A popular feature of the Show will be the Cookery Theatre, sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions, the team at KNORR and Bournemouth and Poole College. This Theatre will be the setting for inspirational live demonstrations from leading chefs including Cyrus Todiwala MBE, Ed Baines, Giles Thompson and Simon Boyle, combining some of the UK’s best chefs with some of the finest local talent in a feast of fantastic cooking. Visitors will be able to pick up useful tips on sourcing, preparing and cooking with produce available at the Show.

The UK’s largest live culinary competition in 2009, the Wessex Salon Culinaire, will also form a key part of the Hotel and Catering Show. In association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, the Wessex Salon Culinaire sponsored by Nestlé Professional® CHEF®, Coastline Produce and Bournemouth and Poole College, more than 550 aspiring chefs will be competing to win awards which could help launch their promising careers. This year, for the first time in the competition’s history, the Craft Guild of Chefs will award trophies to the Best Catering College in Show, the Best Dorset and Hampshire Cost Sector Caterer and the Best Dorset and Hampshire Profit Sector Caterer competing in the live culinary contest.

There will also be an ‘after show’ Dinner Party at award-winning restaurant The Print Room in Bournemouth on Tuesday 10th March, in aid of Hospitality Action. Guests will dine with a host of top chefs, including Ed Baines, Giles Thompson and Chris Corbin, while being treated to a four-course dining experience. To book tickets for the Dinner Party please telephone 01425 485040.

The Show organisers, the CEM Group, have recently introduced an interactive online hospitality forum to www.hotel-expo.co.uk. Once registered for free, users can access the Hospitality Forum 24 hours a day and gain immediate access to industry professionals, network with other forum members for exchange of information, advice and experience as well as keep in touch with fellow professionals.

For further information on visiting the Hotel and Catering Show, please contact Anna Wallis on 01425 485040 or visit www.hotel-expo.co.uk to pre-register. Free entry.