Industry & Business

The National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 2019 – Ireland’s premier trade event for the food and drink processing, retail, food service and hospitality sectors – is being held at the Citywest Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday, September 5th, 2019. The event will highlight the key trends and challenges facing the industry, while also offering practical solutions, as well as showcasing the latest innovations, developments in best practice and new technological solutions available.

Now in its seventh year, this annual event for food and beverage professionals is expected to attract over 3,000 visitors from across Ireland to participate in a range of conferences, seminars and panel discussions.

With a turnover of about €28 billion, food and drink manufacturing is Ireland’s most important indigenous industry. Despite a year of unprecedented global volatility, involving political uncertainty, extreme weather events and continuing currency fluctuations impacting competitiveness, the value of Irish food, drink and horticulture exports reached €12.1 billion in 2018, down just 4% from a record high in 2017, according to Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects 2018/2019 report.

The foodservice market is also proving resilient, having grown by 6.1% to reach a value of €8.2 billion in 2018, while the tourism and hospitality sector generated earnings of over €6 billion for the Irish economy.

However, although the economic fundamentals in the long-term remain bright, a cloud of uncertainty resulting from the ‘Brexit’ Referendum in the UK poses major challenges for the entire Irish food and drink industry in the short-term, especially given its export-orientated nature.

The National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition 2019 encompasses all major sectors of the Irish food and drink industry – dairy, meat, seafood, poultry, bakery, confectionery, convenience foods, fresh produce, snacks, brewing, distilling, soft drinks and bottled water, grocery retailing, food service, craft brewing and distilling, convenience and forecourt retail, pubs and off-licences.

Conference and Exhibition

An impressive list of keynote speakers has been assembled to cover topics of interest, to assess the challenges facing the industry and to suggest practical solutions. The Conference speakers have been carefully selected from well-respected figures within the food and drink industry and its associated supply chain, and from academia and State organisations, who all have proven expertise in their respective fields.

Speakers at the event include:

* Philip Boucher-Hayes, RTÉ broadcaster;

* Louise Sullivan, Director of Public Affairs & Communications – Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland;

* Chris Donnelly, IT Director – BWG Foods UC;

* Robert Hernan, Senior Lean Specialist – Enterprise Ireland;

* Ian Mullin, Head of Innovation – Freshways Food Co;

* Simon McKeever, CEO – Irish Exporters Association;

* Conor Farrell, Global Spirits Manager – Alltech Beverage Division Ireland;

* Kenneth Carroll, Managing Director – Carroll Food Services Ltd;

* Doireann Barrett, Founder and Owner – The Gluten Free Kitchen Company;

* Professor Ronan Gormley, Food technologist – UCD Institute of Food & Health, School of Agriculture & Food Science;

* Carol Griffin,Research Officer (Sensory & New Product Development) – Teagasc;

* Professor Markus Helfert, Professor Digital Service Innovation – Maynooth University Ireland;

* Sarah McAvinchey, Director of Business Development – Galway Gin Company;

* David Walsh-Kemmis, Founder and Managing Director – Ballykilcavan Brewing Company;

* Justin Carton, Director of Projects – Manor Farm.

A number of Panel Discussions are also planned on subjects of major interest including: ‘The Meat & Dairy Sustainability Challenge’, ‘Brexit – 56 Days to B Day’, ‘Consumer Behaviours & Trends’, ‘How to Scale a Food Business’. Amongst the various workshops being held is one on personalised nutrition by Gaye Godkin, one of Ireland’s leading public health nutritionists.

The comprehensive Conference programme will be accompanied by an extensive exhibition of the latest equipment and technology available along with new to market food and beverage products.

Co-Located and Complementary Events

A distinctive feature of the National Food & Drink Business Conference & Exhibition is that it incorporates several complementary events – all under one roof – in order to cover all food and drink sectors in Ireland. The co-located events include:

* The Future Food Factory Expo;

* The Food Retail & Hospitality Expo;

* The Pub & Off Licences Expo;

* The Forecourt and Convenience Retail Expo;

* The Craft Beer & Spirits Summit;

*The Artisan & Fine Foods Show;

* The Import/Export and FDI Conference;

* The Food Quality & Safety Expo;

* The Brexit Summit.

Visitors are free to move between the different events.

For example, the Future Food Factory Expo 2019 will explore the latest developments and new technological solutions in areas such as Industry 4.0, M2M, MES, ICS and IIoT, which are driving change within the Irish and global food manufacturing sectors.

The Food Retail & Hospitality Expo will highlight the key trends and challenges facing food retailers, food service operators and hospitality providers while also showcasing the latest innovations available. It will address key issues such as attracting new customers; staffing retention and recruitment; modernising premises and facilities; and anticipating changing consumer preferences.

Similarly, the Pub & Off Licences Expo will explore the emerging consumer trends within this rapidly changing sector and provide advice on how publicans and off-licences can adjust their offerings to capitalise on new trading opportunities.

The Craft Beer & Spirits Summit will cover the key aspects of the €44 million turnover Irish craft beer industry and the blossoming craft spirits sector. There are currently about 75 microbreweries operating in the Republic of Ireland – up from 15 in 2012 – producing over 157,000 hectolitres of beer annually.

In addition to examining the impact of Brexit and Sterling linked currency fluctuations on the export and import trade, the Brexit Summit will provide visitors with practical advice on how to assess their supply chain risks and introduce mitigating strategies. It will also consider the potential for import substitution and the growing opportunities for Irish food and drink products in existing and developing international markets.

The National Food & Drink Business Conference & Exhibition 2019 with its co-located events provides a unique forum where food and beverage processors, ingredients manufacturers, food retailers, food service operators and hospitality providers can interact with relevant State and regulatory bodies, academia, and key suppliers within the full supply chain from farm to fork.