Following the tendering process, Kudos will provide catering and hospitality for HIC’s eight halls and the 2,000-capacity conference centre. The Crown Group has been the on-site preferred caterer since 1999.
Caterers were invited to propose a range of ideas to manage the delivery of food and beverages at HIC. Kudos produced a research-led pitch which showed an awareness of trends such as proud to be British, markets and street food, austerity, localism, seasonality, health and nutrition, connectivity and digitalisation.
Kudos has proposed a new brand to support three distinct concepts of food stores, coffee kiosks and cafes. New product ranges using six regional suppliers, four of which are within one mile of the venue, were also proposed.
The company also created a unique product key for food labelling to assist the international audience that attends the venue.
Kudos will make a substantial investment in the refurbishment of food service areas including building a supermarket-style food store between Halls B and C, along with a café in the lobby area of Hall H.
Several mobile coffee kiosks, including Piaggio Ape coffee trucks, are also being introduced.
Simon Kent, director at HIC, said it was looking for a radical change in the way catering was delivered at the venue. "The dynamic ideas and innovation that were demonstrated by Kudos have led us to believe that the team can not only evolve, but lead us over the next five years."
Jon Pryce, managing director of Kudos, added: "The tender gave us the opportunity to demonstrate how creative the team can be whilst still delivering great food and service on a day-to-day level."
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