Toby Wand, group exhibition director at show organiser Fresh Montgomery, said preliminary figures showed footfall on the Monday and Tuesday (February 27-28) was "significantly higher" than in previous years. These two days included appearances from a number of 'star' names. Raymond Blanc - there to receive the honour of being inducted into Hotelympia's Hall of Fame – gave a passionate address to a packed audience, and visitors also got a chance to see renowned chefs Georgio Locatelli and Jason Atherton, front of house expert Fred Sirieix, co-founders of Hotel du Vin Robin and Judy Hutson, plus the new Institute of Hospitality President Sir David Michels. Said Wand: "Our remit with Hotelympia 2012 was to put on a show befitting of the foodservice and hospitality industry's determination and strength of character to innovate through potentially tough times - a celebration of all that is best about our business. I am proud to say that the industry has responded in kind. "I am also particularly heartened that we have been able to grow our visitor numbers, which I think is testament to both the quality of our offering, and the level of engagement from both our exhibitors and visitors in the multitude of new initiatives we launched for 2012."