Lockhart Launches Mobile App for Catering Innovation Show

Foodservice equipment distributor Lockhart Catering Equipment has launched a new mobile app that digitizes the visitor experience for its own The Catering Innovation Show.

The app, implemented ahead of the event scheduled for October 5, 2026, at the Business Design Centre in London, focuses particularly on enabling pre-event connections between attendees and suppliers, going beyond the classic exhibition program.

With the app, visitors can:

view the full event schedule,
access frequently asked questions,
plan their travel,
speed up the entry process,
and connect with suppliers.

The most notable feature is the networking aspect.

Plan Meetings Before the Exhibition Starts

According to Lockhart's statement, the app allows operators and suppliers to connect before the event and plan their meetings.

This feature is significant for catering equipment exhibitions.

Because at such events, especially purchasing teams from large restaurants, hotels, care homes, healthcare, or contract catering groups may have to meet with numerous manufacturers in a limited time.

Pre-planned meetings can facilitate the visitor's:

access to the right supplier,
allocation of time for product demos,
preparation of technical questions

easily.

In a previously published event plan by Catering Insight, Lockhart's marketing manager Simon Britten emphasized the networking feature of the app and stated that their goal was to transform the exhibition from merely a one-day event.

The Issue with Physical Exhibitions is Not Lack of Information, But Time

At professional kitchen equipment exhibitions, visitors can encounter hundreds of products and suppliers.

However, the actual purchasing decision is often not made during the exhibition.

The operator later needs to evaluate:

technical specifications,
energy consumption,
capacity,
service network,
spare parts,
warranty,
installation costs

and other details.

Therefore, exhibition technology that only provides a hall map or program creates limited value.

A more meaningful model is to connect the before and after of the meeting.

This is where the importance of Lockhart's app's networking and follow-up function lies.

Second Catering Innovation Show on October 5

The second edition of The Catering Innovation Show will be held on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the London Business Design Centre. The event is free and aimed at professionals in restaurants, hotels, contract catering, healthcare, public catering, stadiums, and leisure businesses.

According to Lockhart's figures, at the first organization in 2025:

over 70 participating companies were present,
more than 3,000 registrations were received,
and over 1,100 people attended the event.

Catering Insight reports that there were 1,173 visitors and 73 participating companies at the first event.

These figures are based on data from the organizer and the industry publication; they are not independently audited event statistics.

Equipment Demos at the Center of the Event

The 2026 program features a significant focus on commercial kitchen equipment.

According to FEJ, live equipment demos are planned at the booths of manufacturers such as Falcon, Lincat, Unox, Waring, and Welbilt. Additionally, the Rational Competition Theatre will host the Compass Junior and Senior Chef of the Year competitions.

The event will also feature live demos from chefs like Gareth Ward, Mark Tuttiett, Ben Murphy, Tom Shepherd, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, and Tommy Banks.

The B2B value here is not just the chef show.

Being able to see the equipment in a real service-like environment can provide the purchasing manager with insights beyond catalog data.

For example, for a combi oven:

capacity,
program transition speed,
cleaning process,
user interface

can be evaluated more easily during live use.

The App Alone Does Not Solve the Purchasing Decision

The mobile event app can enhance the visitor experience, but it does not automate the catering equipment purchasing process itself.

The operator still needs to evaluate:

total cost of ownership,
electricity or gas needs,
compatibility with kitchen infrastructure,
staff training,
maintenance and service conditions

individually.

Therefore, the real success of the app should be measured by more than just the question, "How many people downloaded it?"

More meaningful KPIs could be:

how many supplier-operator meetings were planned,
how many meetings continued after the exhibition,
did the time for the visitor to reach the right product decrease,
did the number of untracked sales leads decrease?

These could be.

CRM Connection Becomes Critical for Exhibition Organizers

The next phase for such apps may be to link the networking feature with CRM systems.

If a supplier meets with 100 people at the exhibition and only collects business cards, a significant amount of data can be lost.

In a digital environment, potential customers can be tracked more systematically regarding:

which equipment they were interested in,
which meeting they attended,
which document they requested

and similar information.

However, this needs to be managed with data protection and explicit user consent.

Collecting more data in event apps does not automatically mean better sales.

Implications for HORECA Exhibitions in Turkey

In Turkey, hotel, restaurant, food, and equipment exhibitions attract a wide professional visitor base.

In contrast, many events still maintain a mobile experience level of:

registration QR code,
hall plan,
participant list

at best.

The more interesting aspect of the Lockhart example is its use of the digital tool for networking and meeting planning.

Especially for hotel and restaurant groups coming to the exhibition to make investment decisions, the visitor time is very valuable.

Being able to set up appointments with:

three oven manufacturers,
two dishwasher providers,
and one cooling system company

before attending the exhibition can enhance the commercial effectiveness of the event.

Stafflink's View

In our opinion, the real value of a mobile app at foodservice exhibitions is not just bringing the program to the phone; it is about making the purchasing conversation more planned and trackable.

HORECA equipment is an expensive, technical, and long-lasting investment.

Therefore, being able to match the visitor with the right manufacturer in advance, rather than wandering randomly through booths, can help both the operator and supplier use their time more effectively.

However, the success indicator of the app should not be the number of downloads.

The real question should be:

How many qualified commercial meetings continued after the exhibition?