2018 POST-SHOW REPORT

FEB 25-27, 2018 | ENERCARE CENTRE, TORONTO

VISIT RCSHOW.COM TO VIEW ALL 2018 PHOTOS & VIDEOS

CANADA’S LARGEST FOODSERVICE TRADE EVENT

3,119 OWNERS, OPERATORS

2,272 PRESIDENTS, VPS,EXECUTIVES, DIRECTORS

2,458 CHEFS, BAR CHEFS,SOUS CHEFS

2,806 MANAGERS,SUPERVISORS

562 PURCHASING AGENTS,BUYERS

650 INDUSTRY CONSULTANTS

WHO ATTENDED THE SHOW

ATTENDENCE WAS UP 15% FROM 2017• 18,634 hospitality professionals,

restaurateurs & buyers

• 1,000+ exhibits representing over 700 brands

• 8 pavilions, 5 competitions & 3 new activations

• 115 presentations, demos & seminars

• 188 media attended delivering over 47 million impressions

• 4 networking events during RC Hospitality Week

82% MAKE OR INFLUENCE THEFINAL BUYING DECISIONS

20% CORPORATE-OWNED CHAINS

64% INDEPENDENT OPERATORS

TYPES OF BUSINESSES IN ATTENDANCE

84% OF TOP 100 FOODSERVICE COMPANIES IN CANADA

70% LICENSED ESTABLISHMENTS

RC Show 2018 showcased cutting-edge products, pioneering people & transformative ideas

23%TABLE SERVICE

20%WHOLESALER,DISTRIBUTOR

15%QUICK SERVICE,BAKERY, CAFE

10%RECREATIONAL

CLUB, HOTEL

14%INSTITUTIONS

10%CATERER, CONTRACT

FOODSERVICE

5%BAR/NIGHTCLUB

3%OTHER

SPEAKER STAGEOur main speaker stage hosted thought-leaders covering hot industry topics, including the Future of Food, Cannabis in Foodservice, How Technology is Changing the Game, Restaurant CEO & President Panel, and our RC Mentor Series. Presented by Interac, Gordon Food Service and Silver Chef.

CULINARY STAGEChefs from across the country showcased their skills on our action-packed culinary stage, featuring demos on making seafood sizzle with High Liner Culinary, cooking with Jamaican flavours and crafting memorable menus with Wholesale Club.

FEATURES & STAGESBEYOND THE PLATEPowered by the Toronto Container Company, this interactive exhibit invited show-goers to meet and eat the flavours of Canada’s top culinary talent and experience the new restaurant model and the future of foodservice.

SPACE TO SPOONAttendees explored Canada’s state-of-the-art satellite technology and how it supports sustainable agriculture in the dynamic Space to Spoon exhibition. Presented by the Canadian Space Agency and Canada Agricultural Food Museum.

START-UP LANEIn partnership with the City of Toronto and Foodstarter, we featured a selection of foodservice start-ups. From fresh fruit smoothies to Japanese-style condiments, RC Show is committed to showcasing the next generation of entrepreneurs.

BELLAVITA EXPO TORONTOA show-within-a-show, Bellavita Expo Toronto was the place to taste and buy the best Italian-made products available. RC Show was the only Canadian appearance of this global tradeshow.

LEARNING LOUNGEMental health in the workplace and gluten-free menus were just some the topics covered in our intimate Learning Lounge series. Presented by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, Federated Insurance and Rogers.

BAR & BEVERAGE STAGEFrom zero-proof cocktails to building a money-making team, RC Show featured educational sessions designed to step up your beverage game.

LOCAL STAGEAttendees experienced a series of chef-led demos, highlighting the benefits of cooking with local ingredients. Presented by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Foodland Ontario, Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance, Feast ON, Dairy Farmers of Ontario and Pristine Gourmet.

BAR & BEVERAGECurated by bartender, cocktail slinger and whisk(e)y ambassador Matt Jones, attendees experienced the latest beverage products and techniques all under one roof. Presented by Labatt, Perrier and Beam Suntory.

CANADATaste and shop regional products from Canada’s diverse network of producers, suppliers and artisans. Presented by Canada Beef with participating provinces - Quebec, P.E.I. and Manitoba.

COFFEE, TEA & SWEETSShowcasing the hottest brewing equipment, cafe products and dessert pairings. Presented by Agropur Foodservice Solutions, Danamark Watercare, Coffee Association of Canada, Tea & Herbal Association of Canada and Elite Sweets.

ECOThe show shared ways and incentives to “green” business’ operations to reduce costs and build customer loyalty. Presented by Energy Star, Save On Energy, Union Gas, Enbridge, NewSpring Energy, LEAF and Russell Hendrix.

ONTARIOAttendees discovered how shopping local gives you access to the freshest ingredients to build a profitable and sustainable menu. Presented by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Foodland Ontario.

SPECIALTYShow-goers explored how to expand menu offerings with in-demand options, such as gluten-free and halal, global flavours, and small-batch, artisanal products in our curated marketplace.

TECHFrom disruptive delivery services to reservation innovations, attendees discovered new ways to enhance their guests’ dining experiences. Presented by Rogers, Silverware POS, OpenTable and ChefHero.

WORLDCelebrating Canada’s multicultural cuisine and showcasing global products and brands. Attendees soaked in the flavours of Jamaica, Mexico and Italy, including the Bellavita Expo Toronto which featured top Italian producers.

CURATED PAVILIONS95% attendees rated their RC Show 2018 experience excellent to good

86% of exhibitors found the quality of attendees excellent to good

BEYOND THE RAILCanada’s finest bartenders showcased their skills crafting cocktails that challenged innovation, sustainability and creativity. Nick Incretolli of Bar Sazerac came out on top as the RC Show Most Innovative Bartender of the Year!

SPEED RACKTop female bartenders from across Canada went head-to-head in a fierce battle of the cocktails, raising over $5,000 for Rethink Breast Cancer! Our top finisher Ana Wolkoski of Bar Raval will be moving on to the national finals along with our five other finalists.

GARLAND CANADACULINARY COMPETITIONNotable Canadian chefs faced-off on the culinary stage, crafting their most innovative dishes that would positively influence a menu’s bottom line. Congratulations to our grand prize winner, Hayden Johnston of Richmond Station! Thank you to our partners Garland Canada, High Liner Culinary, Wholesale Club, Victorinox, King Cole Ducks, Canada Beef, San Pellegrino, Chef Works and Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

BEST EXHIBITOR BOOTHSRC Show prides itself on bringing the best of the industry together under one roof. Congrats to our 2018 exhibitors who raised the bar to offer attendees world-class booth experiences.

Large Booth - Diversey

Small Booth - Moodwater

Experience - Heinz-Kraft Foodservice

First-Year Exhibitor - Bellavita Expo Toronto

COMPETITIONS & AWARDSNATIONAL LATTE ART& COFFEE IN GOOD SPIRITS COMPETITIONPresented by the Canadian chapter of the Specialty Coffee Association, leading baristas from across the nation took centre stage, showcasing their finest cuppas and signature coffee cocktails. Judged on precision, craftsmanship and consistency, top honours went went to David Kim of Phil & Sebastian and Graham Hayes of De Mello Palheta. Thank you to our partners Natrel, Dalla Corte, Urnex, Mahlkönig and Kavi Reserve.

INDUSTRY LEADERSRestaurants Canada celebrates leadership in our industry through the annual RC Awards of Excellence program. We also presented leaders in sustainability with the LEAF awards.

Leadership - Mark Brand

Culinary Excellence - Joshna Maharaj

Innovation - Planet Shrimp

Legacy Award - John Bil

LEAF Awards - Diversity Foodservices, Chic Alors!, Community Cafe & Creelman Market

OPENING NIGHT RECEPTIONThe largest foodservice and hospitality networking event of the year. Featuring live entertainment, chef-curated food stations, crafted drinks and the RC Awards of Excellence. Presented by RC Protects - Canadian Broker Network, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, SOCAN, Labatt, Saputo, Canada Beef, Chicken Farmers of Canada, King Cole Ducks, Cargill, Brandt Meats, Elite Sweets and Zirkova Vodka.

RC LEADERSHIP CONFERENCEThis annual half-day conference brought together industry experts to share their secrets on keeping up in a highly competitive marketplace. Feature keynote speakers included Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer, marketing visionary Tom Feltenstein, and global restaurant consultant Aaron Allen. Presented by PepsiCo, Rogers, Diversey and Gordon Food Service.

TOP-TO-TOP RECEPTIONAn exclusive networking event where industry leaders gathered to enjoy a culinary experience. Guests were taken on an adventure through The Great Hall with live entertainment, inventive sips and bites. Presented by Chase, Rogers, Silver Chef, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Gordon Food Service, Canada Beef, Chicken Farmers of Canada, King Cole Ducks, SOCAN and Labatt.

RC SHOW AFTER-PARTYThe official after-party for the RC Show where the industry came together for the ultimate bar and networking experience. Hospitality professionals enjoyed a night of mingling, drinking, eating and dancing to live entertainment. Presented by SOCAN and Labatt.

BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONSRestaurants Canada hosted a game-changing breakfast where attendees learned about the key trends that are transforming the world of hospitality from top industry leaders, including Doug Hall, Aaron Allen and our all-female leadership panel. Presented by PepsiCo, High Liner Culinary, Diversey, Canada Bread, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Saputo, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Burnbrae Farms and Tim Hortons.

RC HOSPITALITY WEEK EVENTS

MEDIA & MARKETINGPre-Show Media Event

47+ MILLION MEDIA IMPRESSIONS• 297 stories across Canada

• 188 media attended

• 950K+ social media impressions

• 222K+ campaign emails sent

• 10M+ campaign impressions

• #1 Twitter trend in Toronto

• Hosted 24 top media influencers at our pre-show media event

• Coverage in leading national news publications, including National Post, Breakfast Television, BNN, Globe & Mail & Financial Post

Samples of digital& print campaign

materials

THANK YOU TO OUR 2018 PARTNERS

SAVE THE DATE: FEB 24-26RC SHOW 2019

Contact us to reserve your space& plan your activation for 2019!

1-800 387 5649 ext 7469theshow@restaurantscanada.orgrcshow.com@RestaurantsCanada

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