CGA will reveal leaders’ views on prospects for 2018 and cast an expert eye over challenges including rising food costs at this year’s Casual Dining Show on 21 and 22 February.
Highlights from a packed speaker programme at the Business Design Centre in London will include a briefing from CGA’s Business Unit Director Jamie Campbell on the competitive landscape in casual dining. It will be driven by hot-off-the-press findings from CGA’s 2018 Business Leaders’ Survey—the exclusive poll of opinions of bosses from across the out of home eating and drinking sector.
Campbell will also discuss how CGA’s pioneering new consumer segmentation work can help brands increase their appeal among diners and drinkers and carve out new market share. His session takes place at 11.45am on Thursday 22 February.
Earlier the same morning at 10.15am, CGA’s Commercial Director Graeme Loudon will review the impact of rising food price inflation on casual dining operators. Drawing on the latest figures from the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index, which recorded inflation in high single digits throughout much of 2017, he will take a look ahead to prospects for 2018 and suggest what businesses might do to mitigate cost pressures.
The Wednesday (21 February) of the show will see CGA vice president Peter Martin go head to head with leaders of some of the UK’s most distinctive and fastest growing concepts. At 1.15pm he will talk with Chris Hill, CEO of New World Trading Company, about the future of that business and the pub, bar and restaurant sector as a whole. Later, at 3.30pm, Martin will host a panel of leaders of smaller but no less ambitious brands including Jo Fleet, managing director of Flat Iron, and Richard Boon, founder and managing director of Hubbox. They will debate opportunities and threats for growth and share thoughts on issues including investment, innovation, staffing and site finding.
All of CGA’s sessions will take place in the Keynote Theatre of Casual Dining, and access is free for all show-goers. For the full programme of speakers, click here.
The show will also feature more than 200 exhibitors and plenty of networking opportunities. Industry professionals can register for free tickets here.
