The agenda has been set for the third edition of The Big Food & Beverage Forum, to take place on Monday 30 October at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.
Last year’s forum received unprecedented interest, with more than 250 F&B professionals from across the region in attendance, and the 2017 event looks set to achieve even greater success.
To view the agenda, click on this link.
Sponsoring The Big F&B Forum are some of the most prominent suppliers on the market, including Unilever, TSSC, Boecker, Pulsar Foodstuff Trading, Lavazza Eurocoffee, Debic and Al Rawdah.
The major trends, topics and challenges concerning the region’s vibrant and competitive food and beverage industry will be up for discussion, with a morning of panel debates, presentations and networking.
With registration starting at 8am, the forum will officially kick off at 8.30am with an address from Catering News Middle East, followed by expert sessions on how regional governments are supporting the F&B industry in the run up to 2020, and how best to capitalise on the growth of the flourishing food delivery market.
The first panel session of the day, ‘Necessity is the mother of innovation’, will explore the barriers to local F&B innovation, and how the government, landlords and educational institutions can better support entrepreneurs to elevate the standards of the Middle East’s F&B concepts.
‘Chewing the VAT’, an expert session on how the impending introduction of value added tax will impact the F&B industry will follow, before we move on to tackle the talent crisis in the region’s hospitality sector, with a panel entitled, ‘The Middle East has got talent – or does it?’
Taking a fresh approach to a long-debated issue, the panel will explore how the UAE compares to other regional countries when it comes to service; if the introduction of the Michelin Guide could attract better talent to the region; and whether we’re bringing up a work-shy generation of millennials.
The final panel of the day, ‘Producing the goods’, will discuss how good our local produce is, how suppliers can work better with businesses to offer quality, value and traceability and why we must act now to increase our sustainable credentials with regards to produce, packaging and materials.
Last year’s Big F&B Forum culminated in a VIP interview with British chef, restaurateur and author Gary Rhodes OBE, and this year Catering News looks forward to shining the spotlight on another well-known industry VIP, with more details to follow shortly.
A networking lunch with interactive workshops will take place from 12.50pm, allowing attendees the opportunity to meet with peers and learn more about the latest products on the market.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Fred Dubery: Fred@bncpublishing.net.
For speaking opportunities, contact Crystal Chesters: Crystal@bncpublishing.net and to register your interest in attending the event, email Mark Anthony Monzon: mark@bncpublishing.net
