The 2015 HX: The Hotel Experience – Rooms to Restaurants has just completed at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center. And, sometimes, it helps to let the dust settle a little before trying to do any type of assessment, but we also know that many of our readers are awaiting our opinion on the overall show, the re-brand, and what the future of this show might be.
To be sure, the vibe in aisles felt much better than any we can remember in recent years. New branding graphics really gave the show a fresh new look and – possibly it was our imagination – but the lighting for some reason just seemed better. Could be lighter colored graphics ….. could actually be better lighting. But, overall things on the show floor seemed much “fresher” with more energy than in past years.
Another thing that helped the on-floor energy level were the various “studios” with interactive events taking place right beside the exhibitors’ booths. High tech stuff, beverage presentations…seminars and presentations on restaurants and much more…all happening right on the show floor. To us, it felt like that really added to the positive overall energy of the show… and while we liked that…..so did attendees and exhibtors. Our tabletop panel discussion with industry experts: London designer Martin Hunt, manufacturer Steelite’s John Miles, Tomson Hospitality’s Tommaso Cardana, and Restaurant Associates’ Ed Brown Some attendees seemed surprised a bit by the rebranding and that is likely because of decision to rebrand only was finalized in July of this year. The brand-building for the 2016 show must begin now and that committment to invest in a long-term approach to building a world class, international hospitality show must be kept. Show ownership has taken a great first step….. now, those steps must continue. And while many attendees were regional….there were also many more national – and international attendees, as well. As Service Ideas CEO Tina Brandt told TabletopJournal, “I love this show..and love being in NY in November. It is a great show in a great venue with a different kind of audience than a lot of other shows. This is an important show and we’ve seen a lot of great quality leads. This show is still international and we see people here from all around the globe.”
Another observation that we would also make is that the tabletop community needs to be more supportive of this show’s efforts. We spoke with one major tabletop company that walked the show and stated that they definitely would be returning in a big way for HX2016. Hopefully, there will be more joining them, creating a even larger – and more exciting – tabletop presence in 2016. With the show investing in their re-brand and each year doing more and more to support the tabletop category, the tabletop category now needs to return the love. No other tradeshow shows more support for the hospitality tabletop category. And, trust us the “bones” of a great show are now in place. A key missing ingredient is more tabletop exhibitors. With many key buyers returning to a fresher, more interesting, and more relevant show… having a broader selection of creative and interesting tabletop companies can only bode well for those exhibiting companies.
So, as more and more people realize that #TabletopMatters …….and, for those creative hospitality tabletop companies looking to stay on top of trends and reach such an important audience……the new HX: The Hotel Experience – Rooms to Restaurants needs to be a strong consideration for 2016 show plans for both attendees and tabletop exhibitors.
