Sleep & Eat, Europe's leading design and innovation event for the hospitality sector, returns on November 19-20. Under the theme of 'Social FlexAbility,' the show will be exploring one of the most challenging issues of our technology-enabled age through Sleep & Eat Sets - concept guest-rooms, restaurant and bar - and the Sleep & Eat Conference.
As in previous years, the event will also feature an international exhibition, bringing back world-renowned manufacturers and introducing newcomers to launch their latest collections and showcase their most design-led products. Visitors can also expect a range of experiential spaces tapping into art, innovation and young design talent.
"With the rise of electronic and social media, people are starting to disconnect from each other both by accident and choice," commented Mark Gordon, Brand Director, Sleep & Eat. "In the future, designers will be in the vanguard of combatting this social interactional shift by providing hospitality guests the opportunity to reconnect with others in-person and, indeed, to re-connect with themselves. The challenge for hospitality designers will be to provide flexible spaces where users can activate the social experience of their choice. This year, we will be asking our design collaborators to share their vision on how this might become reality in a hospitality setting."
This year, in recognition of the continuing convergence between hotels, restaurants and bars, the event's previously separate conference streams are being merged into one Sleep & Eat Conference, curated by Heleri Rande.
"Bringing the Sleep and Eat theatres together will capitalise on the synergies between them," explained Rande. "They should be complementary and together assist in generating greater revenue. The entire hospitality scene is on the move and we have an exciting opportunity to bring this to life on stage through our keynotes and panel discussions."
Last year saw the introduction of 'Eat' to the acclaimed Sleep event, adding a further raft of hospitality industry influencers, entrepreneurs and global brands. The show welcomed a record number of designers and buyers from across the hospitality sector, including an increase of 24% in international visitors.