FDBusiness.com

The 4th Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, which was held at the Citywest Convention Centre, Dublin, on Wednesday 13th of September, attracted 1,500 visitors from across Ireland. According to the organiser, Premier Publishing & Events, the event, which also incorporated 150 exhibition stands, was the largest annual gathering of food industry professionals on the island of Ireland, exceeding the scale of the 2016 Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition.

Now firmly established as a must attend event in the Irish business calendar, the Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition provides a forum for key decision makers from Ireland’s leading food and processing companies, the retail and food service sectors to gather to participate in a range of seminars and panel discussions highlighting the key issues facing the industry.

Although the theme of the 4th National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition was ‘Collaborating for an Innovative Food Island’, Brexit was obviously high on the agenda. Indeed, an area within the conference was dedicated to Brexit and its implications for the Irish food and drink industry. This was designed to help food manufacturers, food service operators and retailers to gain a better understanding of the challenges accompanying Brexit, including currency fluctuations, regulations, trade agreements, legislation and supply chain management.

A key feature of the 2017 Food & Drink Business Conference & Exhibition was that it incorporated several dedicated events under one roof. Co-located with the main Conference & Exhibition were Food Retail & Hospitality; Artisan & Fine Foods Fair; Commercial Kitchen; Forecourt Retailing; Free From & Organic; Sustainability in Food; and Craft Beers & Spirits.

Visitors were able to circulate freely throughout the venue and see the full array of themed areas with expert speakers on all aspects of food innovation and hospitality.

Speakers at the main stage of the Food & Drink Business Conference included: Mella Frewen, Director General of Brussels-based Food, Drink Europe; Paul Kelly, Director of Food & Drink Industry Ireland- Ibec; Vincent Carton, Managing Director of Manor Farm, Ireland’s largest chicken processor; Orla Battersby, Divisional Manager, Food Division at Enterprise Ireland; David Thomson, CEO of Food and Drink Federation Scotland; Tim Casey, Country Manager, Innocent Drinks; and Declan Billington, Chairman of NI Food and Drink Association.

The 150 exhibitors showcased a wide variety of products and services including: Ingredients, Process Engineering, Packaging Equipment & Materials, Information Technology, Logistics, Materials Handling, Food Safety, Training & Education, Energy, Water, Waste Management, and Sustainable Technology.