Essential Cuisine custom trade show stand case study at HRC, an intimate cooking experience built around small plates

Essential Cuisine partnered with Motive Exhibitions for Hotel, Restaurant & Catering show (HRC) 2026 at ExCeL London, bringing an intimate small plates cooking experience to a 6m x 4m custom trade show stand at the UK’s biggest hospitality trade event. All three sides open, chefs cooking on the stand throughout the show, and a fully working kitchen built in.

A show they know inside out, a concept they hadn’t tried before

Essential Cuisine are no strangers to HRC. The UK’s leading trade event for hospitality and foodservice attracts more than 25,000 buyers at ExCeL London, and Motive Exhibitions has been there with them for years, managing their annual exhibition stands and roadshow calendar.

Motive Exhibitions know what it takes to stand out in a hall where everyone is cooking. Previous themes for Essential Cuisine have included an international street food theme with food truck and picnic tables. For 2026 the brief was an intimate small plates concept built around open cooking. Chefs at the counter throughout, warm wood, pendant lighting and open shelving. A setting that draws people in.

A stylish food counter with a fully working kitchen built in

Food trade show stands have demands that other exhibition builds don’t. The kitchen equipment list alone ran to air fryers, induction hobs, fridges, a kettle, a griddle, and a fully working sink with hot and cold water plumbed into the counter.

All three sides were kept open, drawing attention from every aisle. A hatch in the bar kept staff moving freely without opening the cooking area to the public. Seating was easy, sightlines were clear, and the finish looked as good as the food.

Delivering stand design, practicality and food safety

“From my perspective, food trade show stands need their design processes thinking about more carefully. It’s about materials – making sure everything is appropriate, meets health and safety requirements, is food-safe, and will hold up to the rigours of a professional kitchen during the show.”

“In my opinion the stand looks really smart and it does everything they need it to. It was the perfect combination of design theme, style and practical details.”
Kathryn Baker, Project Manager at Motive Exhibitions

What we delivered:

• Custom trade show stand design
• Stand manufacture
• Custom kitchen
• Rental kitchen equipment
• Rental furniture
• Installation
• Dismantle
• Storage
• Logistics
• Project management

Ready to create your own showstopper?

Get in touch with us today and let’s bring your vision to life. Whether you want to make a bright statement like Trime UK or create something completely different, we’re experts at finding fun and creative ways to help you stand out at your next event.