Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-19) pandemic restrictions make it necessary for the British Frozen Food Federation’s (BFFF) annual Frozen Food Business Conference to take place digitally this year, from April 19-23. While safety precautions prevent live face-to-face mingling and networking, there will be plenty of opportunity for registered delegates to benefit from the insights of thought-provoking speakers as they review the last 12 months and discuss industry trends.
The online Business Conference schedule has been broken down into sessions running from two to three hours in duration, each covering a different theme. At the end of each presentation, BFFF Chief Executive Richard Harrow will announce category winners of the 2020 British Frozen Food Awards.
Conference themes and speakers are as follows:
Monday, April 19 – Retail, sponsored by Company Shop
Chris Hayward, IGD
Duncan Cross, Asda
Carol Redman, Kantar
Myles Hopper, Mindful Chef
Tuesday, April 20 – Economy, Trends and Export, sponsored by XPO Logistics
Roger Martin-Fagg
Charles Banks, The Food People
Nicola Thomas, FDEA and Andrew Williams, Santander
Wednesday, April 21 – Foodservice
Simon Stenning
Hugh Mahoney, Brakes
Gavin Kelly, Lumina Intelligence
Andrew Selley, Bidfood
Thursday, April 22 – Sustainability
Richard Pike and Andy Stephens, Cook
Dick Searle, Packaging Federation
Sally Wake, Company Shop
Carbon Intelligence and Annelie Selander, Nomad Foods
Friday 23, April 23, – British Frozen Food Federation, sponsored by Apetito
Richard Harrow, chief executive
Harry Hincks, digital membership and marketing manager
Simon Brentnall, head of health and safety
Denise Rion, head of technical
“Despite the challenges of 2020, and in some cases because of them, the UK’s frozen food industry continues to be a real success story. Last year shoppers spent an extra £872 million on everything from frozen avocado to ice cream, making frozen the fastest growing food category – second only to alcohol. The value of frozen food sold in the UK stores is now worth £7.21 billion with a year-on-year growth of 13.8%, compared to total grocery, which grew at 11.3%, and fresh and chilled at 9.3%,” said Harrow.
He added: “The conference provides the perfect opportunity for delegates to learn about the trends and receive insights that will help keep this momentum going. It seems fitting that the timing of the event coincides with the lifting of some lockdown restrictions. For us it’s another promising sign of a return to normality.”
Tickets are available now and may be purchased for individual days or the full week at a discounted rate of five days for the price of four. Full-week tickets come with a complimentary goodie box containing five frozen pastries to enjoy on each morning of the conference. Member discount will be applied to BFFF Full Member logins. For more details, go to: https://bfff.co.uk/event/the-frozen-food-business-conference/
