The annual general meeting and networking supper attracted delegates linked to the food and drink sector from across the East Midlands.
Sponsored by Pork Farms and The Food and Drink iNet, the event was held at Kelham Hall, near Newark, and included the AGM, presentations by Ian Noakes, of Dovedale Foods, and Dave Harrison, operations director at Everards Brewery, and a networking supper which featured a range of regional food and drink.
Key industry figures from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland attended the event, which also featured displays by Nottingham-based Pork Farms, Nottingham Trent University, Leicestershire-based Integrated Food Projects, The Food and Drink Forum and The Food and Drink iNet.
“Our annual general meeting and networking supper is our flagship event of the year, and we were delighted to welcome so many people from the industry to this year’s event,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson. “It was the perfect opportunity for those connected to the food and drink sector in the East Midlands to network, make contacts and to find out about the latest trends and information for our industry.”
During the AGM, Board chairman Peter Knight thanked Mike Adams, of Frontier Agriculture, Lincoln, who has stood down from The Board after eight years. He welcomed Pankaj Pancholi, managing director of Leicester firm Just Egg, who has now joined The Board.
Andy Napthine, head of marketing at Pork Farms, one of the sponsors of the event, said: “For us, it was the opportunity to work with the broader food industry in the East Midlands and really help to pull the industry together a bit more and share the latest thinking and share the challenges and the opportunities as we work through what is a difficult economic environment at the moment.”
The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, has members across the region, including manufacturers, food service operators, and consultants and businesses providing services to the food and drink sector.
It was founded in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands. Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.
It also aims to stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain, generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service, and promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.
For information about membership please call 0115 9758810 or visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk
The photo shows, left to right, Andy Napthine, head of marketing at Pork Farms, which was one of the sponsors of the AGM and networking supper, Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson, and Richard Worrall, director of the Food and Drink iNet, which also sponsored the event.
Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
