Top 10: Food & Drink Industry Events
Unsure which food and drink industry events to attend? This is a common question we get asked, and having partnered with our clients at numerous events over the years, it's something we know a bit about! To help with your planning, we've compiled a list of our top 10 food and drink trade events, complete with dates and essential information.
lunch! / Casual Dining • ExCel, London • 18th - 19th September 2024
The definitive coffee shop and food-to-go event, plus the definitive restaurant, pub and bar event, all under one roof.
Bringing this vibrant industry together for two days under one roof, Casual Dining is perfect for quality suppliers to showcase their innovative products to the decision-makers of the casual dining sector. If you want to supply cafés, sandwich bars, food-to-go chains, coffee shops, delis, contract caterers, wholesalers, supermarkets, or travel caterers, then lunch! should be your most important date of the year!
Caffe Culture 2024 • Business Design Centre, London • 1st - 2nd October 2024
Caffè Culture is the only trade event catering to the UK's speciality coffee and cafe bar market.
Hosted in Islington's Business Design Centre, 3500 trade industry professionals will visit the show to source hundreds of leading international brands whilst absorbing a fantastic programme of competitions, industry talks, training, workshops and more in one of London's most iconic venues.
Cheers! The Drinks Summit by Bread & Jam • Business Design Centre, London • 15th October 2024
One-day event dedicated exclusively to the world of beverages.
This is a one-day deep dive for no and low, softs, juice, plant, dairy, functional, alcoholic, and RTD challenger drinks brands to gather and explore the latest opportunities in drink. You'll discover the possibilities and immense potential within the beverage industry to super-boost your business growth.
NR&B (Northern Restaurant & Bar) / lunch! • NORTH Manchester Central • 11th - 12th March 2025
Northern Restaurant & Bar is the North's leading hospitality trade event co-located with new show lunch! NORTH.
Bringing together over 9,600 visitors and 300+ exhibitors, NRB is an unmissable date in your diary. It is now co-located with the much-anticipated industry show lunch! NORTH. It promises to be the event for innovative suppliers wanting to do business with leading local, regional, and national food-to-go operators, specifically dedicated to the northern café, coffee shop, and food-to-go industry.
IFE (International Food & Drink Event) / HRC (Hotel, Restaurant & Catering) • NEC, Birmingham • 17th - 19th March
The ultimate business event for food and drink product discovery and the ultimate business event for the UK hospitality industry.
IFE is the UK's largest and most successful product-sourcing event, with buyers from the retail, food service, hospitality, wholesale, distribution, import, and export sectors. Paired with HRC, it is an opportunity to cultivate valuable business opportunities with the UK's largest gathering of buying groups and independent decision-makers in the hospitality sector looking to source food and drink products.
Food & Drink Expo / National Convenience Show / Farm Shop & Deli Show • NEC, Birmingham • 7th - 9th April 2025
The UK food and drink, convenience, and specialist retail sectors under one roof.
With everything in one place, the Food & Drink Expo is an invaluable event that can help move your establishment forward and inspire your customers. The National Convenience Show is the biggest event for the convenience-retailing sector, providing a single platform for suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers to come together. And The Farm Shop & Deli Show unites hundreds of speciality suppliers to celebrate the best British regional produce.
Natural Food Expo • ExCel, London • 11th - 12th May 2025
The home of natural and speciality food and drink.
From organic food to functional drinks or the latest in plant-based products, Natural Food Expo is the home of products you cannot find anywhere else. Since 1997, it has been the place for buyers from across the retail, hospitality, food service, manufacturing, import, and export sectors to discover new products.
The London Coffee Festival • The Truman Brewery, London • 15th - 18th May 2025
This event celebrates London's bustling and vibrant coffee scene.
With over 23,500 visitors in 2023, it is one for artisan coffee and gourmet food brands. It features tastings and demonstrations from world-class baristas, interactive workshops, street food, coffee-based cocktails, music, art exhibitions, and an educational lab programme. The London Coffee Festival will open for two Industry Days on Thursday and Friday.
Barcode Festival • Kenwood House, London • 3rd July 2025
Bringing the grocery industry together - a fundraising event for Grocery Aid.
Barcode Festival is returning in 2025 for another memorable day of headline music acts, product activations, industry networking and complimentary food and drink. Build brand awareness and benefit from new industry connections using one of Barcode's activation packages, which are available to suit all budgets and brands. Spaces range from XL to roaming ambassadors.
Bread & Jam • Business Design Centre, London • 15th - 16th July 2025
The must-attend annual gathering for challenger brands looking to accelerate their growth.
The legendary Bread & Jam Festival will return in July. Since launching in 2016, it has grown to become the must-attend event of the year for hundreds of ambitious FMCG Challenger Brands looking to accelerate their growth. The festival is the place to build the connections you need to grow your business, and networking is built directly into the programme.
