The biggest hospitality trade show in Scotland returns this month, when ScotHot 2025 takes over Glasgow’s SEC.
Following ScotHot’s record-breaking show in 2023 – which attracted more than 7500 delegates from across Scotland – this year’s show will see more than 250 exhibitors from across food and drink, technology, catering equipment, tableware and design descend on the SEC on February 26th and 27th.
They will range from some of the biggest names in the industry – AG Barr, Panasonic, Smeg and Brakes Scotland – through to independent food and drink suppliers from across the country.
As in previous years, the show won’t just give attendees the chance to speak with suppliers and sample their wares. There will also be numerous industry panels, competitions and discussions on a wide range of topics.
These include the returning Liquid Academy Live programme, curated by DrinkThink managing director, Scott Gemmell, which will feature separate panel discussions hosted by SLTN and the Scottish Licensed Trade Association as well as a stacked schedule of other drinks-related sessions.
The Spotlight Stage, hosted by ScotHot partner the Scottish Tourism Alliance, will host a line-up of top guests to discuss issues vital to the Scottish tourism sector.
Marc Crothall MBE, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said: “The Scottish Tourism Alliance have become a major supporter of the ScotHot event over the last decade and our members are very much looking forward to its return to Glasgow in February 2025.
“We will be hosting The Spotlight Stage once again on the show floor with some insightful speakers addressing the big issues within the hospitality and tourism industry.’’
For the first time, this year’s show will also feature the Buell Hospitality Advisory Hub, where attendees can tap into advice on everything from architecture to finance and technology.
Other highlights will include two separate food and drinks marketplaces: the Great Taste Market and the Scottish Regional Foods Market.
The Great Taste Market, presented by the Guild of Fine Food – organiser of the Great Taste Awards – will feature a number of those award-winning products and give attendees the chance to meet the producers.
The Scottish Regional Foods Market, meanwhile, will feature a selection of local suppliers from across Scotland.
And, of course, ScotHot will once again see chefs putting their skills to the test with the return of the Scottish Culinary Championships and Chef of the Year competitions.
The contests include a raft of back-to-back cooking challenges hosted on the show’s Live Theatre stage, with chefs of all skill and experience levels included.
Examples this year include The Skills Arena, a programme tailored for newcomers to the industry that will feature skill tests for students, apprentices and other trainees, and Culinary Art Competitions, which will challenge chefs to demonstrate their creativity, with classes covering sugar craft, pastry, restaurant plates and food photography.
Live Theatre competitions will include the Food for Life challenge, tasking public sector chefs to create healthy main courses, a ‘risotto challenge’ sponsored by Riso Gallo UK, and a street food challenge sponsored by Braehead Foods.
“This year marks the 50th year I have been involved in the Scottish Culinary Championships, and I still look forward to this week with the same excitement as I did in 1975,” said Neil Thomson, director of the Scottish Culinary Championships.
“The 2023 competitions were the most successful in recent years, and we’re confident that 2025 will build on that success with the introduction of some new innovative competitions to attract some of Scotland’s finest culinary talent.”
Toby Wand, managing director of 365 Events, the company behind ScotHot, said: “ScotHot is the most anticipated event on the hospitality calendar, and there’s no other industry gathering in Scotland that brings together such a diverse range of companies, products and buyers under one roof.
“We are back, bigger and better than ever, and we are lining up another excellent, jam-packed schedule for ScotHot25.”
