Trade Show: Northern Restaurant & Bar 2013

HOSPITALITY SHOW IS NORTH'S BIGGEST EVER

The North’s leading hospitality trade show, Northern Restaurant & Bar, will return to Manchester Central from 5 to 6 March 2013 and will be 20% larger than last year, with almost 6,000 visitors expected over two days.

With top chefs including Simon Rogan and Aldo Zilli headlining the Chef Live theatre, and tie-ups with leading Manchester operators, Almost Famous Burgers and The Port St Beer House, this year’s Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) will host an additional 50 exhibitor stands bringing the total number of food, drink and catering suppliers at this, the twelfth NRB, to 200.

The hospitality showcase will welcome exhibitors and trade-only visitors including restaurateurs, hoteliers, publicans, chefs, deli owners and bartenders from across the north of England, and acts as a hub for a number of satellite events including hosting major launches for Hotel Future, the national training academy, and industry charities Hospitality Action and Action Against Hunger.

As well as being a hotspot for hospitality networking and inspiration, NRB will also stage cookery demonstrations from well-known industry stars plus tutored beer and wine tastings, cocktail demonstrations and fine food displays. Welcoming emerging artisan producers alongside premium brands, the show will give visitors an opportunity to explore everything from the latest microbrewery craft ales, award winning meats, cheeses and wines through to epos systems and the finest tableware.

The NRB Top 50

Organisers of this year’s event will also be announcing the second annual NRB Top 50 line-up. The list, which will be chosen by a panel of judges from Holden Media and the Russell Partnership, will honour 50 individuals from influential operators in the north of England. New for 2013 will be three special achievement winners which will be announced live on the first day of the show. Those selected will be chosen based on their successes, achievements and their impact on the northern hospitality industry.

Show highlights

The popular Chef Live cookery theatre will return to NRB this year hosting big name chefs including Simon Rogan of l’Enclume and Roganic; Aldo Zilli of San Carlo Cicchetti; Aiden Byrne of Manchester House; Steven Doherty of Lakeland Cafe and Dave Mooney of the Lord Binning and the Old Sessions House.

The show’s Fine Food Village will be dedicated to local and regional producers of the highest quality and, in partnership with Game to Eat, will feature a special section promoting wild British game meat. Game to Eat will be giving butchery technique demonstrations and there will be an appearance by a UK BBQ champion.

For bartenders looking to learn new skills and discover new drinks, the Liquor Theatre will be a must-see. Curated by Dave Marsland, the Drinks Enthusiast, visitors will have the chance to watch demonstrations and competitions, and sample the latest spirit brands in the adjacent Spirit Room. Manchester’s Socio Rehab will be adding a touch of magic with a little help from their friends, Almost Famous Burgers.

From Belgian beers to Japanese wine, the Grape & Grain theatre will host tutored tastings of wines and beers from around the world. This will also house ‘Port Street Beer House presents Meet The Brewer' sessions, in which the brains behind the award-winning bar will showcase some of their favourite craft beers.

Northern Restaurant & Bar’s managing director, Thom Hetherington, said: “Last year’s NRB was a tremendous success and it has enabled us to grow the 2013 show by 20 per cent. Our stellar line-up of chefs and drinks experts will provide visitors with an inspiring programme of events which will marry perfectly with our brilliant suppliers and producers, creating what we hope will be our best show yet.

“The North has impressive industry credentials to support such a show with 42 per cent¹ of all hospitality establishments based here and a £14 billion² turnover meaning NRB is, for thousands in the business, a must-see event for networking, sourcing and inspiration.”

For further information about exhibiting at or visiting NRB 2013, go to www.northernrestaurantandbar.co.uk or follow on  Facebook www.facebook.com/nrbmanchester and Twitter @nrbmanchester