Taking place at Excel London from 30 March to 01 April 2026 as part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, Hospitality Tech360 will bring together hospitality operators, strategists and industry experts to explore the practical realities of digital transformation across restaurants, pubs and hotels. 

With restaurants and QSR brands facing continued pressure to improve efficiency, sharpen decision-making and enhance guest experience, the programme places a strong emphasis on operator voices and real-world case studies from hospitality businesses implementing technology across their operations. 

Restaurant operators share real-world insights on growth, culture and technology 

Among the headline sessions is ‘Getting it done: Rebuilding Wahaca for profitable, sustainable growth’, featuring Gemma Glasson of Wahaca and moderated by Ceri Gott. The session will examine how restaurant businesses can rebuild performance and resilience in a challenging market, while maintaining brand identity and culture. 

Burger King UK will also play a prominent role in the programme. Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK, will appear in ‘Leading at scale: Lessons from the front line of global QSR’, a discussion exploring the operational, cultural and strategic challenges of managing a large-scale restaurant brand in an evolving market. 

Meanwhile, Burger King UK CFO Tim Doubleday will join ‘The Hospitality Innovation Lab: Fixing productivity, closing the knowledge gap and powering sector-wide innovation’, examining how new ideas, better collaboration and smarter systems can help hospitality businesses address productivity challenges and unlock growth. 

Doubleday comments: “There are great opportunities for all businesses in engaging in the sustainability agenda and using technological developments to save money and improve efficiency.” 

Restaurant operators will also share practical insight into how technology can support smarter decision-making at site level. In ‘How Tortilla and Pho drive site-level insight using their existing tech stack’, Andrew Brook of Tortilla joins Wayne Dejager of Pho to discuss how multi-site restaurant brands can extract greater value from the systems they already use, helping managers access clearer performance data and make better operational decisions. 

Technology’s impact on leadership and business culture will be another key theme across the programme. ‘Culture eats software for breakfast: Why leadership still determines tech success’ will bring together speakers including Gavin Smith of Pizza Pilgrims, Maria McCann of Blacklock and Shereen Ritchie of Kuvi to explore how leadership culture often determines whether new technology delivers meaningful results. 

The realities of scaling restaurant businesses will also be explored in ‘Scaling from 5 Sites to 300: A blueprint for leadership, culture and sustainable growth’. The session will feature speakers including Gina Knight of Flat Iron, Laura Mannick of Popeyes Louisiana Chicken UK, Paul Jones-Nolan of San Carlo and Rebekah Galligan, discussing how hospitality brands can grow rapidly while maintaining culture, operational consistency and customer experience. 

Knight comments: “We’re all in this together. Most hospitality businesses are facing the same challenges right now. This session is a chance to hear insight from someone in the same boat, and leave with practical takeaways on how tech can help protect culture, improve consistency, and make life easier for your teams, without creating more admin or disconnect.” 

'Hairdressers, hospitality and the human touch: The new ROI of word-of-mouth marketing’ will feature voices from brands including Blacklock and The PIG, examining how personal recommendation and guest advocacy continue to drive growth even in an increasingly digital environment. 

Operational insight and people strategy will also feature prominently. ‘Turning data into culture: Insights that drive people decisions’ will bring together Gemma Eley of Hawksmoor, Rachel Masing of Poolhouse and Tom Vivace of Viva People to explore how hospitality businesses can use data not only to analyse performance but to shape better leadership and team development. 

Another discussion, ‘Stop dictating, start listening: Building a people first digital workplace’, will see Chris Morgan of Parogon Group share lessons on how operators can introduce new systems while maintaining strong engagement and trust with teams on the ground. 

The programme will also examine how hospitality businesses can strike the right balance between automation and personal service. In ‘Tech or touch? Finding the right balance between digital efficiency and human service’, speakers including Andrew Evers of Rocco Forte Hotels, Debbie Thomas of Ottolenghi Group and Leon Smallbone of Firmdale Hotels will discuss how brands can introduce technology without losing the human experience that defines hospitality. 

Across the programme, Hospitality Tech360 will showcase how restaurant and hospitality leaders are navigating the complex relationship between technology, people and performance. By foregrounding operator experiences and practical lessons from across the sector, the event aims to help businesses make more confident decisions about where and how technology can deliver real value. 

Hospitality Tech360 takes place alongside IFE, IFE Manufacturing, HRC, The Pub Show and International Salon Culinaire, giving visitors access to a wide-ranging programme of content spanning food, drink, hospitality and technology. 

To view the full programme and secure your free trade ticket, visit hospitalitytech360.co.uk.