BE PART OF THE LACA MAIN EVENT AND SCHOOL FOOD SHOW IN 2025
The LACA Main Event 2025 will take place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 July 2025; incorporating the LACA School Food Show, it is the only national event in the UK dedicated to the school food sector. Held across two-days, it is a must attend for suppliers already targeting or looking to target this sector.
Meet with over 1,000 attendees from across the school meal sector
LACA members represent over 27,000primary, special and secondary schools
More than 1.1bn meals are served in schools each year - don't miss out on meeting the people responsible for making this happen!
94%of attendees told us they were looking todiscover new products & services
92% of exhibitors in 2024 rated the showas excellent or good
It is the onlyUK event dedicated to catering in education
WHO ATTENDS
JOB TITLES
Business Manager /Bursar
Catering Director
Catering Services Manager
Chef
Commercial Manager
Development Chef
Head Teacher
Operations Director / Manager
Regional / Area Manager
Trust Catering Manager
Hear from previous exhibitors
I wanted to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for the fantastic experience we had at the 2023 LACA show. I can confidently say that our decision to exhibit at this event was nothing short of brilliant, thanks in large part to the incredible support we received from Jacki. Our experience with LACA has been so positive that we've decided to become annual partners. This decision was greatly influenced the outstanding efforts and the warm reception we received from the entire LACA team. Laura Finn, Head of Sales, Tiffin Sandwiches
Innovate Foods decided to attend the Laca School Food Show in Birmingham for the first time in 2023. This is not a sector that we know well as a business, but decided on the back of some great feedback from other manufacturers that regularly attend, it was worth a look. We were very impressed with the venue at the Metropole, and were looked after during set up. The quality of the visitors to the stand was excellent, with plenty of interest in our products over the two days. We have already booked our stand for 2024, and look forward to growing our customer base in this sector. Mark Parrish, UK Sales Manager Foodservice
" It was a great feeling to attend the 2021 Main Event in Birmingham and be with customers again after what seemed such a long time and difficult time due to the pandemic. Although the "numbers' were down it allowed more time to speak in depth with key clients and fully understand their needs and aspirations for the coming menu cycles. As usual, the facilities at the Metropole hotel were very good even allowing for the fact that major refurbishment was under way, but this in no way detracted from the great atmosphere and camaraderie amongst fellow manufacturers.
With Main Event being such an important showcase for the education sector we have already booked our stand for 2022 " Martin Hanner, Hilcona UK Foodservice
"We find the LACA Main event one of, if not our biggest and most successful industry events of the year. Having such a diverse delegate base of Local Authority Caterers; Contract Caterers and Multi-Academy Trusts, really gives us a chance to showcase our new Education Solutions and products across the sector and of course to catch up with many existing customers. I always say to other suppliers and potential exhibitors who are thinking about whether they should attend, if you want to play in the Education Sector, this is the ‘must attend’ event - you will never get as many keen and interested school caterers in one place.” Mark Taylor MIH Bloom Foodservice
"I have been exhibiting at the LACA The Main Event organised by Dewberry Redpoint for over 10 years. Their organisational skills both pre-event and on the day are second to none. Audience figures, so important when an organisation has invested time and resource in exhibiting at a show, are always healthy, both in terms of quality and quantity." Marketing Manager, Pasta King
"We find that LACA Main Event is one of the most important dates in the calendar , it’s a great opportunity to engage with all our customers and meet new ones" Alan Souter, National Sales Manager, Harrogate Spring Water
" The LACA Main Event is probably our most successful show. The attendees are genuinely interested in stopping and talking to you, regardless of what you are selling and whether they are interested in your products at that particular moment. It’s also good to see regular faces all under one roof." Steve Kirkby, Sales Director, Tablecraft
LACA provides us with the perfect platform to meet with the decision makers from the education sector under one roof, which would certainly take longer to do if I had individual meetings up and down the country. Looking forward to another great LACA event this year. Matt Garland, PIP Organic