Bookings are now open for the first Northern Ireland Food and Drink Conference, which will take place on Tuesday, April 25, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast.
The conference is open to anyone from sectors connected to food and drink, from farming and food manufacturing to cold storage, distribution, packaging and retail.
Organised by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) and supported by the Department for Business and Trade, the Food Standards Agency and Invest Northern Ireland, the conference will include keynote speakers, panellists and case studies.
Sessions will include topics covering exporting; food standards; sustainability; consumer trends; and automation.
Confirmed speakers for the event include:
- Department for Business and Trade director for agriculture, food and drink, Rachel Gwyon;
- Groceries code adjudicator, Mark White;
- Food Standards Agency chief executive, Emily Miles;
- Food and Drinks export council co-chair, Ian Wright CBE;
- Retail market expert, Dr. Clive Black;
- Commercial excellence and client impact director at Kantar, Louise Robinson.
Michael Bell OBE, executive director of NIFDA, said the association was delighted to launch the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Conference at “such a key moment for the entire ‘eating ecosystem’ of sectors linked to food and drink”.
“As firms adapt to new trading arrangements, the need to make sustainability gains and ever-evolving regulatory and consumer market trends, the industry faces multiple complex challenges in the years ahead.
“The Northern Ireland Food and Drink Conference will bring leaders from industry and government together to explore the opportunities these challenges present, with keynote speakers and panel discussions identifying the key market megatrends, the growth potential of sustainability, the benefits of emerging technologies and how we can boost our exports,” he said.
Food and drink
Bell said collaboration between industry and government will be key to taking Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector “to the next level” and growing the local economy in the process.
Rachel Gwyon, director for agriculture, food and drink for the Department for Business and Trade, said Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry contributes over £5.4 billion to the Northern Ireland economy.
“I am delighted to be involved in NIFDA’s first-ever Food and Drink conference, which promises to be hugely valuable to any business operating within Northern Ireland’s eating eco-system,” she said.
“From Punjana tea in Poland to Shortcross Gin in Paraguay, there is a demonstrable appetite for produce from Northern Ireland across the world.
“The Department for Business and Trade is committed to supporting Northern Ireland businesses to grow internationally, and to showcasing Northern Ireland’s reputation of excellence overseas.”
Bell said expert speakers and delegates will attend from across both industry and government which will facilitate cooperation between the two.
“Throughout the day delegates will also of course have the opportunity to enjoy some of the very best of Northern Ireland food and drink,” he said.
“The conference is going to be a key event in the industry calendar, and I would encourage those interested in attending to register as soon as possible.”