lunch! confirms full Working lunch! Theatre line-up for 2014

This year’s lunch! trade show, which returns to the Business Design Centre in London on 23-24 September, will feature a host of big industry names from across the food to go retailing and contract catering industry.  The latest speakers to join the 2014 line-up are Corrado Accardi, founder of Pizza Rossa, Darren Westlake, CEO and co-founder of CrowdCube, Martyn Herriott, chairman & executive director of Beverage Standards Association, and Cyril Lavenant, director of Foodservice UK and France at The NPD Group.

The show’s Working lunch! Theatre (sponsored by Magrini) already includes previously confirmed sessions by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and a founding director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Steve Flanagan, UK marketing and category director at Starbucks, and Sarah Doyle, brand director at EAT.

Crowdfunding – the future of food-to-go?

Thanks to its universal appeal, food and drink has proved to be one of the most popular categories of crowdfunding investment, offering brand new start-ups (and established businesses) an alternative way to get all-important funding.  And Pizza Rossa is a stand out example of how successful an alternative it can be.

Founded by Corrado Accardi, the company made headlines last year when it broke the European record for equity-based crowdfunding for a start-up, raising £440,000 in 17 days from 119 investors through Crowdcube.  Since then Accardi has opened his first gourmet pizza al taglio grab and go outlet in London’s Leadenhall Market and is planning more openings by the end of the year.

“Crowdfunding was the game changer for Pizza Rossa,” explains Accardi.  “The visibility and credibility we were given would never have been obtained in such a short time by any other traditional method of fundraising.”

Although far from a new concept, the crowdfunding campaigns are growing rapidly, and Accardi believes that its “versatility across all sectors and industries” will help it become a mainstay in business financing.

“I see an ever increasing role for crowdfunding, particularly now that it is expanding towards debt-raising besides the more established rewards- and equity-based models,” he says.  “When people can invest as low as £10, risk is limited and opportunities to create wide investment portfolios are huge.  It offers great opportunity to young expanding businesses, including many in the food industry.”

“I’ve attended lunch! several times and have always come back with very useful contacts from suppliers of all kinds.  It’s great that the show is now giving some coverage to this way of funding, as it can help lots of small realities with limited or no access to credit at all.”

Accardi will be joined by Darren Westlake, CEO and co-founder of CrowdCube – the first equity crowdfunding website in the world, in the Working lunch! Theatre at 4.20pm on Tuesday 23 September.

Allergens legislation update

The EU’s new Food Information Regulations (FIR), which come into effect in December, are also the subject of a timely update at lunch!.  Hosted by Wendy Duncan, R&D deploy manager at Unilever Food Solutions, the session is designed to help all foodservice operators (no matter their size) prepare for the changes.  Under the new law, it is a legal requirement for allergen information (the EU’s Top14) to be provided for all foods that are sold onsite (non-packed or pre-packed for direct sale).

Other notable sessions include

• Engage, Grow & Profit with Social Media – Susanne Currid, Marketing Consultant and Social Media Coach, The Loop
• Food-To-Go: London Versus the Rest of the UK - Cyril Lavenant, The NPD Group
• How to Improve Hot Beverages and Profit in Your Business – BSA Panel debate chaired by Martyn Herriott, Beverage Standards Association

“Although coffee culture is booming in the UK, it is important that independent coffee shops are equipped with all the information they need to build a long term successful business.  By providing this panel of experts at lunch!, we hope to do this,” says BSA chairman Martyn Herriott.

The full Working lunch! Theatre line-up is available to view on the show’s website at www.lunchshow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/lunchTheatre.pdf.

The show’s free Keynotes, the popular 30-stand Innovation Zone, the annual British Smoothie Championships (sponsored by Magrini), and the Innovation Challenge Showcase (offering a preview of all the latest new product developments) are all located on the show’s aptly-named Upper Feature Level.

“I always find lunch! a great source of trends and innovation,” comments Martin Hambleton, head of procurement & innovation at En Route International (and a former senior buyer from Elior UK and EAT.), who will also be speaking at the show.  “Lunch times are notoriously short these days, and food-to-go needs to deliver the lunch experience in short, sharp and innovative ways.”

“Trade shows offer a platform in a busy schedule to bring together innovation in one go.  That coupled with the Innovation Challenge Awards and bespoke highlighting of new products, makes lunch! stand out as a must go,” he says.

Returning to the Business Design Centre in London on 23-24 September, the multi-award winning lunch! show will feature 300 exhibiting companies showcasing a wealth of new food and drink products, packaging, equipment and technologies.

To register for a free trade pass, please visit www.lunchshow.co.uk and quote priority code PR (direct link: http://www.eventdata.co.uk/Visitor/Lunch.aspx?TrackingCode=PR).

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Media enquiries & press pass requests to:
Emma-Louise Jones, PR Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645134  e: ejones@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.divcom.co.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=5009585
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DiversifiedUK
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DiversifiedUK

Exhibitor enquiries to:
Chris Brazier, Group Event Manager
t: +44 (0)1273 645123  e: cbrazier@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.lunchshow.co.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3143327
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lunchexhibition
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pages/lunch/106355532742317

Notes:

lunch! won Best Trade Show at the Exhibition News Awards in February 2014. It was shortlisted for ‘Best UK Tradeshow Exhibition over 2,000sq.m’ and ‘‘Best Marketing Campaign of the Year’ by the Association of Event Organisers in its annual AEO Excellence Awards 2014. lunch! won Best Marketing Campaign of the Year in 2012 and was named Best UK Trade Show Exhibition under 2,000sqm for two years running in 2010 and 2011 at the AEO Excellence Awards. 

High res images are available on request.

• Diversified Communications UK (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton, Peterborough, Leamington Spa, and Nailsworth, Glos.  In addition to lunch!, Diversified UK’s portfolio includes Casual Dining; Natural Food Show at Natural & Organic Products Europe; Natural and Organic Awards; Nordic Organic Food Fair in Malmö, Sweden (co-located with Natural Products Scandinavia); camexpo; Natural Products magazine; Natural Beauty Yearbook; office*; Ocean Business (including Offshore Survey Conference & Ocean Careers); OceanBuzz; MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference (in Philadelphia, USA); SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; ServiceDesk360; Euro Bus Expo; Coach and Bus Live; Best of Britain & Ireland; The Route One Operator Excellence Awards; The National Coach Tourism Awards; Route One magazine; and Coach Monthly. For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.

• Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, eMedia, publications and television stations.  Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine, and business management.  Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified employs over 800 staff, with divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom.  For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.