On the first day the FEA Annual General Meeting will be held, followed by an informal dinner and the inaugural Charity Endeavour Awards.
The second day will kick-off with an introduction from FEA chair Paul Anderson, who will welcome attendees. Strategic adviser and futurist Simon Stenning will then present his invaluable foodservice and hospitality trends.
Simon is recognised as an expert in making sense out of all the sector data and insight available, and with his incredible knowledge and understanding of the hospitality and catering industry he is well-placed to ‘inform, introduce, illuminate, and inspire’.
The keynote speaker will be the ‘best referee in Rugby Union’ Nigel Owens MBE, who will discuss his personal story as well as share what traits are needed to make tough decisions and take command.
Nigel quickly gained a reputation for being able to implement the rules in such as a way to be fair and also allow the flow of the game. Retired now, he won the respect of all involved in the game with ‘humour and authority on the pitch’.
With the announcement that some Government Net Zero targets are being relaxed slightly, sustainability will be one of the key topics for discussion, with a session to highlight the challenges operators are facing in implementing sustainability targets and how can equipment manufacturers help.
Ellie Wrighton will speak about M&B’s Project Faraday, the move to electrification and the sustainability of catering equipment within Scope 1, 2 and 3. And Amanda George, director at Inspire Consultancy, will offer insight into the operator demands around sustainable planning and equipment.
Manufacturers, distributors, and operators ‘don’t always speak the same language’ when considering the carbon and energy implications of equipment, so the conference will also feature a session on a new FEA programme that unites these three sectors through a common carbon language.
Later the ‘Servicing the Needs of the Market’ session will explore the professionalism and competence required by foodservice technicians to keep commercial kitchens operating efficiently and effectively.
And the conference finishes up with a look at recruitment, one of the biggest challenges facing the sector at the moment.
There are three key issues - recruiting the right person in the first place, giving them the training they need and then retaining them long-term. The ‘Building a Culture for Success’ session will address the issue of talented people leaving the industry either through redundancy or earlier retirement.
In the evening of the second day the FEA Gala Dinner and Awards will see the announcement of the Apprentice of the Year Award, which seeks to acknowledge and celebrate an apprentices ‘exceptional contribution’ to their workplace over the past 12-months.
This will be but one among many other accolades presented on the night to foodservice equipment industry professionals.
After attending last year’s conference, one member said: “The FEA Conference is always one of the best events of the year. It combines a great panel of speakers with the opportunity to network with industry peers in a way that is often not possible to do at similar events.”