Words and Photography by Nadine Wilmanns
Hospitality Week Excel London
“Hospitality should have no other nature than love.”
(author and evangelist Henrietta Mears)
Today, I took my camera out for a browse at the Hospitality Week at the Excel Exhibition Center in East London and I met some great exhibitors there, watched chefs compete in cooking competitions and have seen some beautiful trends in the hospitality industry.
Mackwoods Fine Tea for example is a heritage brand established in 1841 supplying tea from Sri Lanka to King Charles III and the royal family. They also stand up to their social responsibility as such a successful business to help young people with handicaps thrive in Sri Lanka which I obviously loved most about them.
Design in the Hospitality Industry
The Japanese design was once again outstanding – all Japanese products I have seen looked extraordinary beautifully designed. And JustEco Packaging design is even sustainable – what`s not to love!
Beautiful design I also saw at MGH 4U who supply stunningly beautiful porcelain dishware from Egypt. Also exceptional: The pretty wireless design lights for restaurants and bars from Humble. The atmosphere they create is so lovely and warm.
I loved the stall of Rave Coffee with their pretty branding. It stood out and so I stopped there. Just shows how important branding is when it comes to attracting clients beyond your social networking bubble. A very different kind of branding – and a very different kind of target audience – but also very sophisticated: the delicate fine art chocolate of Lauden Chocolate. Certainly, a good gift idea to make a chocolate lover smile.
Elevate the everyday
Even though I rarely buy coffee to go I do like the thought of it and I am tempted significantly more in buying if the cup looks pretty. How things look is definitely a huge factor in whether I spend money on something or not, so I did like the stall of the Printed Cup Company. They turn blank cups – not just for coffee – into branded masterpieces.
And of course, I stopped at the sight of the beautiful plant structures in the glasses of Flora Tea – both unique and flavourful. Looks like they have presented on BBC Dragons Den and they are the winners of over 160 awards.
As a photographer, afternoons like this are genuinely nourishing. Products can be more than a bare means to an end — they can elevate the everyday when people take their craft seriously. And at the Excel Exhibition Centre in London today, it was very much on show.
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