The 100 specially-invited attendees will be valued leaders in the public sector catering industry who are crucial to the Alliance’s collective mission: ‘Working Together to Feed a Healthy Nation’. The event is happening on Tuesday, November 19th at the Leonardo Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire.
The Forum will widen the debate by offering a packed day-long chance to learn from inspiring presentations, engage with interactive debates and mix with a full range of stakeholders.
Attendees will include the heads of national catering organisations, senior leaders of the major contract catering companies, major sustainability groups, and charities. Other significant influencers, as well as high-profile food and equipment suppliers, will also be part of the event.
The aim is to bring together the industry at a single venue, to discuss face-to-face issues of common concern, such as food-price inflation, recruitment and retention, training, sustainability, food and plastic waste and the health impacts of growing obesity in the UK.
Matthew White, chair of the Public Sector Catering Alliance, said: “We have now recognised the need for a platform where senior industry personnel can convene and exchange knowledge, and so we are launching the PSC Alliance Forum. This new event aims to provide a broader space for the top 100 influencers in our field to connect, discuss and shape the future of public sector catering.”
The inaugural event will feature a State of the Nation Panel Debate with the industry association chairs and input welcomed from everyone attending. Professor Kevin Morgan from Cardiff University, author of the book Public Sector Catering Procurement in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons, will be offering his thoughts.
Other speakers include Pierre-Yves Paslier, co-founder of Earthshot-winning organisation Notpla, and Peter Russell from the Russell Partnership who will speak about AI and the intelligent revolution. There will also be an exhibition of 42 suppliers showcasing a variety of food, drink and equipment for public sector caterers.
Over the last 15 years the Alliance has grown significantly, evolving from the PSC100 Group into a vibrant community dedicated to addressing common challenges, sharing best practices, and collaborating to enhance service provision.
The Alliance’s signature events, the PSC ‘Most Influential’ annual debate at the House of Commons and the bi-annual PSC Expo, have been instrumental in fostering industry-wide dialogue and innovation and have served as a focus for joint action, including liaison with Government on topics such as procurement, food standards and sustainability.
The principal associations driving the Alliance are: LACA, the school food people; the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA); the National Association of Care Catering (NACC); The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO); ASSIST FM (local authority providers in Scotland) and the Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE).