Thousands of food-to-go operators, food retailers, café and coffee shop owners and buyers, leisure and travel caterers, will be heading to London for lunch! this week. Doors open on Thursday at ExCeL (10am, 19 September) with 7,000 attendees expected over two days.
Among them will be some of the biggest buyers in the business, with nearly a third of pre-registered visitors citing a corporate spend in excess of £1m (16% report £10m-plus budgets).
The compelling line-up that awaits them includes 62 speakers appearing in 36 Keynote Theatre sessions, plus a record 400 exhibitors – showcasing everything from ingredients to kitchen equipment and counter displays, from food and drink to packaging, payment solutions and business services.
7,000+ attendees
The show’s pre-registered visitor list already includes Tesco, Subway, Sainsbury’s, Greggs, M&S Food, KFC, Boots, Costa Coffee, Waitrose, Pret A Manger, Ocado, Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, WHSmith, Holland & Barrett, John Lewis, Caffè Nero, Coffee#1, Harris + Hoole, Aroma, AMT Coffee, Puccino’s, Wild Bean Café, Welcome Break, Roadchef, itsu, Crussh, Spar, Tree of Life, SSP Group (Upper Crust, Le Grand Comptoir and Caffè Ritazza), Eurostar, Booker, Aramark, Compass Group, WSH Group/BaxterStorey, Sodexo, and Elior. Plus, thousands of other multiple and independent cafés, coffee shops, sandwich shops, tea rooms, bakeries, delis, contract and travel caterers, quick service restaurants, distributors, wholesalers, venues, attractions, and universities from across the UK.
"lunch! is the only show dedicated to our sector. It gets better every year and deserves the support of the whole industry” says Clare Clough, UK MD / chief food and coffee officer at Pret A Manger.
“With food on the move growing all the time, it’s important to see what’s new and on offer. lunch! is a great event to do that and meet industry leaders, start-ups, disruptors and those bringing new and exciting products to the market,” says Jim Wealands, group food development director at CH&CO Group.
“It’s got a lot of stuff all happening under one roof so there’s something for everyone – lunch! is a hubbub of activity and inspiration,” says Paul Hopper, founder and co-MD of HOP Vietnamese.
Keynote highlights
lunch! offers an invaluable opportunity to hear expert insights, business strategies and advice from some of the UK’s most inspirational and influential food-to-go professionals. See the summary below for running order, with more details available at www.lunchshow.co.uk/education.
Thursday 19 September Keynote Theatre 1
Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com – The future of food to go 2030: Future consumer trends and the drivers of change
lunch! X The Supersonic food marketing podcast panel – featuring Fatima Diez, ex Five Guys & Burger King; Helen Harrison, brand director at Crussh; Katie Lister, marketing director at Chilango; and (host) Mark McCulloch, founder of Supersonic Inc
Lucy Chapman, strategic insight director at Kantar WorldPanel – Lunchtime crunchtime
Guy Meakin, UK food & coffee director at Pret A Manger – exclusive interview (with Chris Brazier, lunch!)
Ian Chant, head of food – food to go at Holland & Barrett & Louise Broom, category manager at Holland & Barrett – Holland & Barrett: Our journey into food to go
Coping with the challenges of today’s marketplace – featuring Maurice Abboudi, executive director at K10 Restaurants; Jonathan Jowett, corporate affairs director at Greggs; Peter Mayley, business manager at La Baguetterie; and (chair) Jim Winship, director at The British Sandwich & Food To Go Association
Keynote Theatre 2 – Coffee Shop Keynotes
Will Stratton-Morris, UK CEO of Caffè Nero – exclusive interview (with Mark Stretton, MD of Fleet Street Communications)
Adnan Karim, UK MD of Wayne’s Coffee – Wayne's Coffee: Why the UK needs another coffee brand
Henry Ayers & Edward Parkes, founders of The Gentlemen Baristas – exclusive interview (with Chris Brazier, lunch!)
The sustainability panel – featuring Martyn Clover, head of food at Tortilla; Ollie Rosevear, head of environment at Costa Coffee; Jim Winship, director at The British Sandwich & Food To Go Association; and (chair) Martin Kersh, director at Foodservice Packaging Association
Simon Moore, food safety & quality manager at Starbucks – Starbucks: How to attract, inspire and keep young people in your business
Growing coffee shops panel – featuring Adnan Karim, UK MD of Wayne’s Coffee; Andy Wells, co-founder of Press Coffee & Co; and (chair) Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com
Keynote Theatre 3
Jim Cathcart, policy director at UKHospitality – Is your business ready? Threats and opportunities from government policy
Gavin Rothwell, head of food to go and retail safaris at IGD – Food-to-go: The global perspective. What global innovators tell us about future UK growth opportunities
Matt Cundrick, head of convenience format & FTG at McColl’s Retail Group – The use of data in food to go to drive future growth
Brands to watch panel – featuring Maurice Abboudi, executive director at K10 Restaurants; Paul Hopper, founder & co-MD of HOP Vietnamese; Benedict MacDonald, CEO UK of Cojean; JP Then, co-founder of Crosstown; and (chair) Mark Stretton, MD of Fleet Street Communications
The operations director panel – featuring Matt Chapman, operations director at Tortilla; Richard Franks, operations director at Chilango; Shereen Ritchie, operations director at LEON; Natasha Wilmans, UK operations director at Ole & Steen; and (chair) Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com
Head of food panel @ lunch! – featuring Ian Chant, head of food – food to go at Holland & Barrett; Martyn Clover, head of food at Tortilla; Geoffrey Hunter, head of food at Pure; James Kidman, head of food at Crussh; and (chair) Jay Morjaria, chef / consultant
Friday 20 September Keynote Theatre 1
Dominic Allport, insights director – foodservice at The NPD Group & Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard – Retail destinations: Times are tough, but opportunities exist
The Innovation Challenge LIVE – The Pitches! (hosted by Chris Brazier, lunch!)
Marta Pogroszewska, MD of GAIL’s Bakery – exclusive interview (with Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com)
Scott Macdonald, MD of Sourced Market – Giving customers what they want...hospitality 1st, retail 2nd
The contract catering panel – featuring Liz Forte, marketing director at Eurest; Gareth Hiron, senior buyer at Elior; Nicola Morris, MD – corporate services at Sodexo; David Stanley, executive chef for BP International at Aramark; Jim Wealands, group food development director at CH&CO Group; and (chair) Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com
The Innovation Challenge LIVE – The Results! (hosted by Chris Brazier, lunch!)
Katherine Prowse, insights manager at MCA Insights – The rise of coffee shops
Josh Brown, commercial director & head of coffee, Harris + Hoole – The coffee shop of the future
Hannah McKay, head of food & beverages UK at Caffè Nero – Caffè Nero: Food as good as our coffee
Barny Clevely, MD of FCB Coffee – exclusive interview (with Anya Marco, UK coffee market expert)
Doing good is good business (panel) – featuring Max Dubiel, founder of Redemption Roasters; Cemal Ezel, CEO of Change Please; Julius Ibrahim, founder of Second Shot Coffee; and (chair) Anya Marco, UK coffee market expert
Anya Marco, consultant & UK coffee market expert – Five top social media tips for coffee shops
Hannah Squirrell, customer director at Greggs – Greggs: Keeping it real. Encouraging the nation to re-appraise the Greggs brand
Fiona Speakman, client director at CGA – The changing face of the food to go market
Edward Bentley, co-founder & co-CEO of Pure – exclusive interview (with Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com)
Nicola Morris, MD – corporate services at Sodexo – Sodexo: food tribes; when it comes to food, we’re all getting tribal
Street food panel @ lunch! – featuring Kristian Katin, director of Feed Wagons; Monem Mansour, director of Cairovan; Simon Mitchell, CEO of KERB; and (chair) Jay Morjaria, chef / consultant
The buying & procurement panel – featuring Frank Boltman, director of TRADE; Gareth Hiron, senior buyer at Elior; and (chair) Simon Stenning, founder of FutureFoodservice.com
For further information about the free seminar line-up, full exhibitor listings, and the Innovation Challenge Awards entries, the Show Guide is now available to view online at www.lunchshow.co.uk/2019-showguide.
For the latest exhibitor news, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk/exhibitor-press-releases.
Free trade registration ends soon
lunch! is free to attend for pre-registered trade visitors and relevant press representatives only. Advance online registration closes at 9.30am on opening day – Thursday 19 September, after which a £20 door charge may apply.
lunch! returns to ExCeL London on 19-20 September. To register free in advance, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk and quote priority code LU22 (https://eventdata.uk/Forms/Default.aspx?FormRef=Lun99Visitor&PageNo=20&TrackingCode=LU22).