Four of Cumbria’s key annual events have received a cash boost, thanks to the success of the county’s longest-running trade show.

The two-day, not-for-profit Lakes Hospitality Trade Show returns to the J36 Rural Auction Centre near Kendal for its 47^th year next month. Following a formal application process, it’s now been revealed that four event organisers will each receive marketing grants of £2,000 directly from the show’s proceeds to help publicise their upcoming events.

They are: Amblefest, Keswick Film Festival, Muncaster Castle Sausage Festival and the Westmorland Dales Festival.

This year marks the return of the popular scheme for the first time since before the pandemic, as part of the Lakes Hospitality Trade Show’s commitment to re-directing financial proceeds back into the local economy.

To qualify for the funding, applicants planning an event between March 2024 and February 2025 were asked to demonstrate how their events will benefit the Cumbrian economy and achieve

significant visitor impact for the county.  Each successful applicant will now benefit from a package of PR and marketing activity delivered by Cumbria Tourism’s industry experts to promote their event.

James Tasker, a Director of the Lakes Hospitality Association, says, “One of the underlying principles of the Lakes Hospitality Show is about ploughing money back into the industry, so we can help give businesses and supply chain companies the practical support they need to thrive in challenging economic times. 

“Amblefest and Muncaster’s Sausage Festival are fantastic new events, both in their second year, and we hope this contribution will help them to grow and prosper for the benefit not only of our economy, but our local communities too.

“Meanwhile, the Westmorland Dales Festival and Keswick Film Festival have proved to be a massive success in recent years, and continue to grow. We want to do our bit to help them reach new audiences and get to the next level.”

The news comes as final preparations for the 47th Lakes Hospitality Trade Show on 28 and 29 February 2024 are well underway.

With more than 150 exhibitors alongside live cooking demonstrations, expert advice and industry networking, the county’s longest running trade show will have a firm focus on embracing sustainability in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The show will bring together not just hospitality businesses and suppliers from Cumbria and the North of England, but companies of all shapes and sizes from an increasingly wide range of industry sectors.

Exhibitor stands will range from catering equipment, and food and drink suppliers, to IT technology, transport, furnishings, visitor attractions and professional services such as insurance, legal and financial support.

Visitor registration for the Lakes Hospitality Trade Show is now open, with free entry and free parking for all attendees: www.lakeshospitalitytradeshow.co.uk

Be inspired at the 47th Lakes Hospitality Trade Show with NEW Kitchen Demonstration Zone!
Leading experts will showcase products, produce, techniques and offer advice through live demonstrations in the new space situated in the extended marquee. Set to enhance what the suppliers have to offer as well as educate, solve problems, inspire with trends and techniques and help to create a seamless customer journey, the new Kitchen Demo Zone is something not to be missed.

Amy Thompson, show co-ordinator said, “A demonstration kitchen has been something we have wanted to bring back for some time, and we are thrilled that the time is now! It’s a privilege to have our renowned exhibitors demonstrating their produce and products as well as highlighting best practice, techniques to wow the customer, systems to get the most from their wares, and of course, discussing solutions to important environmental matters such as sustainability, currently in the forefront of many business owners’ minds.”

IG Group will be one of the professionals on the stage. As one of the UK’s largest independent distributors of non-food consumables to the hospitality, catering, care homes, contract cleaners and leisure sectors, they work with a variety of partners in order to offer you everything you need. Come and see them flaunt their ranges as one of the exclusive distributers in the UK of Flavour Blasters.

“We are thrilled to be joined by Nina Matsunaga, who runs The Black Bull in Sedbergh with her partner James Ratcliffe.  She turns heads with her food, cooking local ingredients creating dishes that are full of international influences. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for us!”

Brian Williams, from Farrer’s Coffee will be unlocking the secrets behind the perfect blend for your business, event and establishments as well as covering the importance of correct extraction and drink production.

Life is changing for many and we are seeing an increasing number of non-drinkers in society. With the market shifting quite considerably Andy from The Alcohol Free Drinks Company is on hand to answer questions and showcase a variety of offerings from spirits to beers and wines.

The demonstrations are free to attend.

The 47^th Lakes Hospitality Trade Show is currently 88% SOLD OUT but there are still opportunities to exhibit or to be part of the kitchen demonstrations. Promote your brand to over 150 Exhibitors and 1700 Delegates.

The organisers of much-loved visitor events across Cumbria have the chance to receive a cash boost, thanks to the ongoing success of the county’s longest-running trade show.
The Lakes Hospitality Trade Show 2024 will be awarding marketing grants of up to £2,500 to a series of local event organisers, as part of its commitment to re-directing the proceeds of the annual show back into the local economy.
This year marks the return of the popular scheme for the first time since before the pandemic, with the non-profit Windermere Food Farm being the first to benefit from a small grant of £1000 earlier this summer.
Previous event recipients in 2018 and 2019 included: Kendal Torchlight Carnival, Hawkshead Christmas Market, Barrow Soapbox Derby, Bowness Blues Festival and Windermere Christmas Celebration.
To qualify for the 2024 funding, applicants must be planning an event between March 2024 and February 2025 somewhere in Cumbria. As part of the application process, they will be asked to complete a short form demonstrating how the event will achieve significant visitor impact for the area and benefit the wider Cumbrian economy.
The successful applicants will be announced early in the New Year. Each will benefit from a cash gift from the Lakes Hospitality Trade Show to promote their event through the marketing channels of Cumbria Tourism, the county’s official Destination Management Organisation for the county.
The bespoke marketing packages will include a press release alongside selected marketing activity delivered by the Cumbria Tourism team, such as: videography and content creation, branded e-newsletters, ad spots or social media promotion.
The application form for grants is now live, with a deadline of Friday 24 November 2023.
The news comes as plans for the 47th Lakes Hospitality Trade Show on 28 and 29 February 2024 are well underway, with around 150 exhibitors and 1,700 delegates expected to attend. 70% of trade stands have already sold out, with early bird bookings still open until 30 September.

The Lakes Hospitality Trade Show 2024

Book Your Stand Today – Early Bird Rate Ends Soon

The preparations for the 47th Lakes Hospitality Trade Show are well underway with 70% of STANDS SOLD OUT. These exhibitors have taken advantage of the Early Bird Rate and you could as well! With 14 days left, booking a stand is easy!
Why you should book:

• Straight forward booking – simply click the link below and we will find your business the perfect space for you to be seen by your peers and customers
• Generate leads and increase your reach and customer awareness
• Discount on stand price booked prior to 30th September!!
• Promote your brand to over 150 Exhibitors and 1700 Delegates
• Network with your peers – make new connections and clients
• Spaces for new and small businesses as well as more established ones
• All businesses are included in the Show Guide and Website
• After its success in 2023 the Exhibitor Networking Event will be back.
• Connect with us and our social media followers with dedicated posts designed for your business news

Exhibitor List is more varied than ever – something for every business in every industry.
Come, see and sample what is new to help your business to grow.
Book Here!

Find out more by visiting our website – www.lakeshospitalitytradeshow.co.uk

If you want to chat about anything, then please email us, we are more than happy to help!

We are thrilled to announce our NEW 360 degree view of the 2023 show through a Virtual Tour.
This gives you a fully interactive and virtual view of the space, making it easy to get a real feel for the Exhibition. Take a walk down the aisles and remind yourself of the businesses who were there.

Being able to get a feel for the show was something we have been working on for a while and now with the 360 view navigating the full floor plan it makes it easy, not just for visitors to be able to remember our exhibitors but also for new businesses to see how we do things. Having such a large show with spaces for smaller and larger businesses it is important for them to stand out in their own right and present themselves in the format that they want. We are a vibrant and community lead trade show which is important to us, so making sure upstairs, downstairs and the marquee have the right ‘feel’ for the ‘right’ businesses helps hugely. The 360 degree tour means that the exhibitors can see where they would best be suited.

For those already showcasing their wares on the tour it means that customers can now click on the data points and be transported to our exhibitors’ websites, social media pages as well as gaining information about the upcoming show in 2024.

Organisers of the Lakes Hospitality Trade Show say this year’s event attracted the biggest crowds it has seen in its 46-year history.

And they pledge to make the 47^th event next year even more successful still.

The dates for next year’s show have been unveiled as Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th of February 2024 with bookings now being taken from exhibitors.

This year’s show took place over two days at the Junction 36 Rural Auction Centre and attracted a record breaking 1650 visitors. With over 150 businesses exhibiting at the show the total footfall at the event was close to 2,000 people.

“The support of both exhibitors and visitors is invaluable,” says Director of the Lakes Hospitality Association, James Tasker. “We cannot thank them enough.

“The event allows businesses across Cumbria to strengthen their connections with both new and existing customers and that benefits the economy of the whole county.”

Any profits from the event are also directed back into the wider hospitality industry and help support local visitor events throughout the year.

“There were lots of new faces at the show from further afield than usual,” says James. “So, it is clear we are now reaching a bigger audience than just Cumbria and the South Lakes.

“We showcased new products and innovative ideas and that is the key area we will be building on for next year. We will also have a slightly different format with attention-grabbing demonstrations that will add to the overall buzz and vibe.”

Many exhibitors are already booking for 2024 which is a clear indication of the success of this year’s show. And organisers say they also have a number of new exhibitors already booking their space at next year’s show.

This year’s event had a new networking session at the end of the first day open to all exhibitors.

“It seems to have proved a very popular innovation,” says James Tasker. “In previous years exhibitors have been so busy through the day they didn’t get a chance to meet up with fellow exhibitors. The informal gathering at the end of the first day allowed all exhibitors the chance to get together to make new connections and discuss potential opportunities.”

Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says: “There was such a wonderful atmosphere at this year’s Lakes Hospitality Trade Show and it was great to be part of it.

“The exhibitors show how creativity across our industry is immense and the event has a real practical value in terms of building relationships, sharing knowledge and bringing new business opportunities to those that attend. We are already looking forward to next year’s show!”

There are discounts for exhibitors booking early for the 2024 Lakes Hospitality Trade Show. More details can be found at www.lakeshospitalitytradeshow.co.uk/exhibit/