Ian Roberts, MD - Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Informa Markets: "In the long term, we believe that these virtual events will be the perfect complement to our live events." Credit: Informa Markets
SINGAPORE, HONG KONG - Informa Markets has launched FOOD & HOTEL DIGITAL WEEK, a new series of bi-monthly online events. The initiative is a collaboration between its Hospitality, Food & Beverage portfolio in Asia, and Saladplate, Informa Markets' online marketplace business serving the food and hospitality trade.
The first FOOD & HOTEL DIGITAL WEEK will kick off from 25 May 2020 to 29 May 2020. The second event will be held from 13 to 19 July.
The Food & Hotel Digital Week series will offer a platform for players operating in Asia's food and hospitality professionals to trade, find new partners and stay connected with the community through online content, matchmaking, product showcases and live webinars, product galleries, live presentations and a library of resources.
The country pavilions will offer digital spaces for a country's trade organisations or associations to showcase new food and hospitality products, and promote smaller, local businesses and trade with the international community.
Registration for the event is free, and attendees can select the days and sessions they want to attend, engage in live Q&A sessions, and download the latest whitepapers, reports and research from participating exhibitors, speakers and sponsors.
Mr Ian Roberts, MD - Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Informa Markets, said "With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way we communicate and how business is being conducted, the launch of FOOD & HOTEL DIGITAL WEEK is a signal of our commitment to drive value through digital initiatives for our customers and community in the industries we serve, and help them navigate these extraordinary times into a hopeful future."
"With social distancing measures and travel restrictions in place globally, it is very important that we find avenues to help the communities that we serve to stay connected, and even be of assistance in their business transformation journey. Thus, we have decided to run the Food & Hotel Digital Week series of events entirely on a digital platform.
"In the long term, we believe that these virtual events will be the perfect complement to our live events. Through the creation of online content, live webinars, business matchmaking and product showcase capabilities, digital events will enable the industry to continue their engagement with the community anywhere, anytime, even in times of crisis.
"That said, live events are still hugely valuable, while virtual experiences offer an additional platform and format for food & hospitality businesses to continue to engage with their partners, customers and new audiences."
The five-day agenda will entail six full-day webinars featuring over 20 leaders, country pavilion highlights and a spotlight on the top 100 foods and drinks that will shake up the food and hospitality industries.
Themed "COVID-19 and the Future of Food", the webinars on 28 May 2020 will feature experts and exhibitors covering a range of themes from food security, F&B amid COVID-19 to hospitality management and food service.
Confirmed speakers include:
• AgFunder - a global agri-foodtech venture capital firm. The firm's investments in technologies to transform the world's food and agriculture system reached US$20 billion in 2019, a six-fold increase from 2012
• Big Idea Ventures - a venture capital and accelerator fund. The firm is raising US$50 million to invest in plant-based foods & ingredients, and cell-based meats through a combination of capital and partnership to support entrepreneurs
• Dole Food Company - one of the world's largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in nutrition education
• Impossible Foods - an American company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. Impossible Foods aims to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat without supposed negative health and certain environmental impacts associated with livestock products
• Pinduoduo - the fastest growing e-commerce startup in the history of China, attaining a GMV of US$15 billion only two years from launch
• Singapore Food Agency - a statutory board formed under Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources to oversee food safety and security for the country.