Q&A Sleep + Eat Director Mark Gordon

Sleep + Eat is Europe’s leading hospitality design event, connecting hospitality industry leaders with the designers, architects and consultants behind some of the world’s finest and most successful hotels, restaurants and bars.

Showcasing the most innovative new concepts, stunning product debuts from both emerging and iconic brands, large-scale installations and influential speakers, the show unites the industry’s finest for two days of inspiration, discovery and unrivalled opportunity.

The Sleep + Eat Director Mark Gordon sat down with us and answered some of our burning questions.

Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am the Director of Sleep + Eat, as well as other architecture and design shows designjunction and KBB Birmingham. I have been involved in running shows for this industry for over six years now.

What should visitors look forward to at Sleep + Eat 2019?

This year our theme is Social Flexabilty – the need for customers to be offered the social experience of their choosing, be it at a hotel, restaurant or bar. As a result, all our show content centres around the industry exploring this trend. From Sleep + Eat sets designers such as Twenty2Degrees and Miaja Design creating guestroom, restaurant and bar room sets to speakers such as directors of Standard International debating in our Sleep + Eat theatre, our visitors will be able to really get under the skin of this increasingly important subject.

In addition, we have designers such as Michaelis Boyd, Wilson Associates and Megre Design adopting this theme when designing and building our Sleeper Bar, The Hub and VIP lounge respectively. Nowhere in the hospitality design will you see the industry coming together as much as at Sleep + Eat to explore the future of our industry. It is certainly not to be missed.

What will exhibitors enjoy at this year’s event?

They will enjoy meeting the thousands of hospitality design decision makers that attend the show. Let’s not forget that Sleep + Eat is the largest high-end showcase for the hospitality industry in Europe and with the initiatives listed above, we are confident we will create an even better opportunity for our exhibitors to meet clients and do business.

What have you learnt from last year’s move to Olympia and how will 2019’s event evolve from this?

We had a very positive reaction from the industry to last year’s show, however, there were a few tweaks that needed to be made to improve the experience. We have implemented simple things such as an increase in the number of seating areas (including a dedicated new co-working space called “The Hub”), as well as bigger initiatives such as dedicated hours for our visitors to network with each other.

We have also slightly repositioned our marketing so to help reinforce the message to our visitors that the entire show represents the entire hospitality design industry (hotel, restaurant and bar).

How will Sleep + Eat 2019 address the current turbulence in the UK economy and hospitality sector?

Admittedly these are uncertain times, politically, but the role of Sleep + Eat is to celebrate the very best our industry can offer and look towards a positive future for us all. We will do this by giving everyone who attends and exhibits at the show the best possible environment to meet new contacts, create new business opportunities and drive the industry forward despite what obstacles we may or may not face.

What steps have you put in place to address the environmental impact of your event?

Sleep + Eat is run by Informa Markets and being a sustainable business is central to how we run our events, how we make decisions and how we do business every day. We have ambitious targets that cover a wide range of areas such as carbon mitigation, material use and waste management, and procurement.

As a result, we are implementing such measures as switching to LED lights and reducing our energy use; using recycled paper; ensuring our signage and carpet is recycled; and carefully designing our feature areas so that they create minimal waste to name but a few.

Book your ticket here.