Innovative. Digital. Smart.

Hotel & Marine Expert Summit.

Insights into trends, new developments and their benefits.

The first RATIONAL Expert Summit is over. A lot of participants from all over the world took the time to talk to other participants about sustainability, kitchen trends and the future of F&B. Industry-leading speakers gave insights into their work and were available for questions in the chat.

Find here all videos, the round table discussion and many other whitepapers and best practice cases for download.

What’s in it for you?
  • Exclusive content
  • Insights at first hand
  • Background information
  • Best practice cases

The Content.

Global Social Developments.

Topic Neo-Ecology – The Impact of Environmental Awareness on the Food Service Industry
Oliver Feiler, Head of Market Intelligence RATIONAL AG

The neo-ecology megatrend will affect both personal decisions and corporate strategies. Oliver Feiler will discuss how sustainability, environmental protection and climate change will shape food & beverage trends and hospitality.
Download > Speaker video
> KTCHNrebel Article "Plant-based Food on the Rise"
> KTCHNrebel Article "At Hilton, vegetables are the new meat"
> KTCHNrebel Article "CBD: Game-changing hit or passing fad?"
> Infographic Food waste
> KTCHNrebel Article "Allergens in foodservice"
Topic Decision Making in Complex and Volatile Times
Christian Leder, Head of International Business Aon Schweiz AG

Every decision is associated with risks. Christian Leder will discuss risk management strategies and practices for companies engaged in the business of hospitality.
Download > Speaker video
> KTCHNrebel Article "New hygiene standards for hotels"

Food & Kitchen Trends.

Topic Automated Cooking Sequences with the New RATIONAL Cooking System
Mohit Malhotra, International Key Account Culinary Excellence, RATIONAL International AG

Breakfast can be a primary driver of hotel selection. Mohit Malhotra will demonstrate how to turn breakfast into a competitive advantage via consistent, easy, and varied food item execution.
Download > Reference story IHG
> Reference story Premier Inn
Topic The Key Trends affecting Food Manufacturers Globally
Tim Whitehead, General Manager Cuisine Solutions MEA

Particularly focusing on post-COVID strategies for bounce back and growth Tim Whitehead traces the questions - next to others - how the customer has changed post COVID, how to adapt and grow food safety and reassuring the customer.
Download > Speaker video
> KTCHNrebel article "Latest food production trends"
> Reference story gategroup
Topic The Digital Way to Ensure Hygiene Safety
Benjamin Nothaft, Food-to-go & Retail Specialist RATIONAL AG

Increased hygiene requirements, documentation obligations and customer sensitivity make the case for new online solutions. Benjamin Nothaft shows how digital platforms and connectivity transform and enhance HACCP data, analysis and reporting.
Download > Speaker video
> Reference video Nando’s
> Infographic Food Safety
> Whitepaper Food safety in the hospitality industry

Developing the Restaurant of the Future.

Topic Restaurant Concepts for Unique Guest Experience
Paul Webster, VP Business Development Livit

Operational efficiency and resource optimization increase the profitability of restaurants, but that’s only part of the equation for success. Paul Webster will discuss how to design an outstanding guest experience by uncovering insights and developing a sound strategy.
Download > Speaker video
> KTCHNrebel Article "Gastronomy pro - Tips for the F&B future"
> KTCHNrebel Article "The Heart of the Hotel"
> KTCHNrebel Article "How to become an outstanding brand"
Topic Step-by-Step: Authentic Cooking and Methods
Christian Pratsch, Corp. Director, Culinary Development & Operations Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

How does a good culinary idea get on the plate of a guest? Christian Pratsch traces the process from brainstorming to approval, to training and implementation across every kitchen.
Download > Speaker video
> Reference story Crystal River
Topic Simple Steps to Advance your F&B Business
Christopher Barber, Director CB Food Solutions

Few businesses can hire consultants to identify and analyse areas ripe for improvement. So, how can you audit and improve your operations? Christopher Barber shares insider knowledge on how to understand and improve margins without compromising your business.
Download > Speaker video

Round Table.

Topic F&B Developments & Challenges of Today and the Future

Michael Butler, Freelance Consultant F & B
Martin B. Jones, F&B Consultant
Benjamin Nothaft, Food-to-go & Retail Specialist RATIONAL AG

Moderator:
Nicolas Makowski, Senior Vice President RATIONAL International AG
Downloads > Speaker video
> KTCHNrebel Article "EPOS"
> KTCHNrebel Article "Stay in or take away"
> KTCHNrebel Article "Welcome to the future"
> KTCHNrebel Article "Checking into tomorrow - the hotels of the future"

The Speakers.

Markus Paschmann

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer RATIONAL AG

Markus Paschmann is a member of the RATIONAL AG Executive Board, and has global responsibility for Marketing and Sales. Prior to joining RATIONAL in 2013, he held executive leadership positions at various international technology firms.

Christian Leder

Head of International Business Aon Schweiz AG

Christian Leder is a passionate, dynamic and versatile business-oriented risk and insurance expert. Based in Zurich, he has over 30 years of management experience helping clients with strategic and operational risk and insurance systems.

Oliver Feiler

Head of Market Intelligence RATIONAL AG

The sociologist and philosopher leads a team responsible for systematically gathering and analyzing customer requirements, product requirements and trends within the food service equipment industry. He delivers insights to support a thorough, timely, data based and cost effective decision-making process.

Mohit Malhotra

International Key Accounts Culinary Excellence RATIONAL International AG

Passionate about catering and commercial kitchen operational excellence, this recognized subject matter expert advances the culinary operations of international contract foodservice companies. His speciality is design, education and technology with a focus on Marine, catering and hotels.

Tim Whitehead

General Manager Cuisine Solutions MEA

Tim Whitehead posseses varied experience across the food & beverage industry with special expertise in catering, meat, management, business development and culinary pursuits. In his leadership role at Cuisine Solutions, the leading worldwide authority on sous-vide, he advances the adoption of sous-vide food products around the world.

Benjamin Nothaft

Food-to-go & Retail Specialist RATIONAL AG

Benjamin Nothaft works with retailers and specialists across the globe on implementing modern hot food solutions. Benjamin identifies new business concepts, uncovers digital trends and translates these possibilities into future-ready digital kitchen management systems.

Paul Webster

VP Business Development Livit

Paul Webster is part of the world's leading brand strategic consultancy & advisory firm for the F&B industry. The company is active in over 40 countries and every 8 hours a Livit™ designed experience opens somewhere in the world. He is an expert in guest experience and his strategic focus is on both new brand creation and the refresh, re-positioning or elevation of existing brands in need of relaunch.

Christian Pratsch

Corp. Director, Culinary Development & Operations
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

European trained, Certified Master Chef with 20+ years of experience and diverse experiences that includes executive committee membership, opening a luxury resort, leading workers under a collective bargaining agreement, working on privately owned yacht and cruise ships with international itineraries, and accomplishing it all with the highest standards.

Christopher Barber

Director CB Food Solutions

Chris Barber is a food and beverage expert and award winning chef, restaurateur and hotelier. He has been a journalist, a tutor for top global business schools and now a consultant for the past 15 years. He specialized in concept creation, problem resolution and ways to make a good business even better.

Michael Butler

Freelance Consultant F & B

Michael Butler is a hospitality industry leader and influencer with corporate strategic oversight and accountability for Hyatt International within the Europe and the India regions. Butler’s core focus is to develop and improve business results within the life style, luxury, upper scale and select service food and beverage operations.

Martin B. Jones

F&B Consultant

After five years with Accor and 18 years at Starwood in VP of F&B roles, this industry leader with global experience now focuses on predicting what luxury consumers really want and then transforming insights into award-winning concepts that are also consistent commercial successes.

Nicolas Makowski

Senior Vice President RATIONAL International AG

With over 15 years of professional experience at RATIONAL, the global leader in multifunctional kitchen equipment, Nicolas Makowski has seen almost every size of kitchen, supported the most varied concepts with cooking systems and learned that nothing is as transient as a food trend.

About us.

RATIONAL AG

The RATIONAL Group is the world market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens. Founded in 1973, the company employs more than 1,300 people in Germany and a total of around 2,300 worldwide.

The primary objective of the company is to always offer its customers maximum benefits. Internally RATIONAL is committed to the principle of sustainability, expressed in its policies on environmental protection, leadership and social responsibility. Year after year, numerous international awards testify to the exceptional quality of RATIONAL’s work.

Our Mediapartner.

KTCHNrebel

KTCHNrebel is an international online magazine for professional chefs that want to make a difference.

It’s all about ideas, innovations, and trends happening in our loud, messy, fabulous kitchen lives. We profile role models, discuss current issues, and look to the future. KTCHNrebel is aimed at everyone who pours their heart and soul into their kitchen, serves up pop culture and is greedy for something new. Publishers KTCHNrebel and RATIONAL AG love anyone who reads, likes and shares. And: Let us know your opinion. Only then can we strike a chord with you.

Proud winner of the Digital Communication Awards 2019 and Deutsche Preis für Onlinekommunikation 2019 (silver).