Agenda

From 9.30am – Arrivals & registration

10.00am – Welcome address

Georgi Gyton, deputy editor, MCA

10.05am – What makes a successful food to go concept?

Branding expert Ian Dunstall will explore the core characteristics for a successful food to go concept and give his view on the strongest propositions in the market, as well as charting how some have lost their way.

10.25am – Food to go offerings in forecourts

John Diviney, CEO, Welcome Break, will discuss Applegreen’s food-to-go offering, both across the existing forecourt business, and its evolution following the acquisition of motorway services operator Welcome Break. He will address the growth it is seeing from the segment, the brands that operate within the estate, and how the relationship works.

10.45am – Addressing sustainability concerns

Andrew Stephen, CEO, Sustainable Restaurant Association, will be speaking about how food-to-go operators can respond to consumer demand for more sustainable practices, including a reduction in single-use plastics and meat.

11.05am – Break

11.30am – Learnings from Leon’s expansion in the US

Glenn Edwards, managing director (USA), LEON, will share the story of LEON’s expansion into the US, incorporating the differing trends in the US food to go market compared to the UK, what lessons Leon has learnt so far, and future plans for growth.

12.15pm – Insights from allergen labelling trials at Pret A Manger

Tim Smith, senior advisor at Pret A Manger, as well as former CEO of the Food Standards Agency and group quality director at Tesco, will be speaking about the ingredient labelling trials and food safety review he recently initiated at Pret A Manger. He will discuss the insights gained from the pilot programme, and what the wider industry and government can learn from the findings.

12.35pm – The challenges of allergen labelling

Jamie Cartwright, Charles Russell Speechlys, will discuss the challenges presented by allergen labelling requirements and where the public debate around the issue is likely to go next.

12.55pm – Lunch

1.55pm – How food to go consumers make purchasing decisions

Jill Livesey, managing director, HIM and MCA Insights, will reveal the science of how prospective consumers’ eyes are drawn to certain products and how food to go brands can maximise the very brief window in which they make a decision on where and what to purchase. She will also share exclusive insight from the MCA & HIM Food To Go Market Report 2019, which is available to order.

2.10pm – YO! Sushi’s global ascendancy

Richard Hodgson, CEO, YO! Sushi, will address the evolution of the company into a global multi-brand operator.

3.00pm – Break

3.20pm – Food to go stateside

Eric Dzwonczyk, managing director New York, AlixPartners US office, will explore the emerging trends and operators in food to go Stateside and what parallels can be drawn for the UK market.

3.40pm – EAT.’s journey for success

Andrew Walker, CEO, EAT., will talk about the turnaround of EAT under his stewardship, incorporating the challenges, opportunities and changes he has implemented to drive future success.

4.00pm – Close & networking drinks