The show is designed to help exhibitors present their products and services to customers in the premium restaurant, hotel, gastro pub and bar trade and as food and drink is the key to success to any restaurant, show organisers have invested in areas exclusively dedicated to food and drink.

This year’s show includes ten inspirational feature areas, one of which is the KNORR National Chef of the Year competition. This initiative is one of the top culinary competitions in the industry and will see some of the best chefs in the UK competing on each day of the show.

Other attractions include:

• Culinary Skills Theatre – where chefs from some of the world’s 50 best restaurants will be interviewed and share their culinary talents.

• Wine Academy – a theatre dedicated to wine, featuring talks, tastings and demonstrations covering the world’s wine regions.

• The Sommeliers’ Lounge – providing a ‘safe haven’ for sommeliers and wine buyers to relax, network and taste an array of wines from the show.

• Drinks Academy – a theatre dedicated to drinks, sharing tips on how restaurateurs can maximise profits from drinks.

• CLASS Bar – the ultimate bar experience where visitors can relax and network at the same time as hearing from the experts in the drinks industry. This year visitors can also see some of the best bartenders in the world take part in a series of live competitions.

• Food and Drink Match – visitors are invited to sample a range of unusual food and drink combinations to test their palate.

• Westminster Kingsway College Restaurant and Bar – the show’s finest dining experience, all day, every day.

• Compass Chef of the Year Competition –16 junior and 16 senior finalists, selected from divisional heats from across Compass Group, will each have 1.5hrs to prepare and cook a fine dining meal live using set ingredients

• The NZ-UK Culinary Challenge Competition – where budding chefs can win a first prize valued at over £5,000 of a month work experience in New Zealand’s best and most innovative restaurants. The finals will take place at the Restaurant Show with the award ceremony at the penthouse suite, NZ House, London 2nd Oct.

• The World Chocolate Masters, organised by Barry Callebaut – a top-level competition for chocolate craftsmen from 20 countries around the world. The theme for 2006 is ‘National Myths and Legends’, which will be shown with the use of high-quality chocolate and related products. The winner of the national heats, at the Restaurant Show, will represent the UK at the finals in 2008.

For further information about exhibiting or for free tickets to The Restaurant Show 2006, call the visitor hotline on 01923 690 641 or visit www.therestaurantshow.co.uk