Hosted by Rethink Events, the Future Food-Tech summits have become the meeting place for thought leaders in the plant-based industry. This summer they’re hosting their first ever summit dedicated solely to alternative proteins. Joining us with the details is their Business Development Manager, Callum Alexander-Lindsay.
Joey Thurman: Hosted by rethink events, the Future Food Tech Summits are the meeting place for the global food tech ecosystem. You still have plenty of time to register for the upcoming alternative Protein Summit in New York on June 21st and 22nd. Here to share all of the great things we have to look forward to this summer is the man with the best mustache in the world, Callum Alexander-Lindsay, Rethink Events business develop manager. Thanks for coming on, man.
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: No worries. Great to be here.
Joey Thurman: Now let's jump right into this with a quick breakdown of what is future food tech?
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: Yeah, definitely, and I guess put in as simple terms as I can, it's not going to be that simple, but really it's a series of events where we focus on bringing together essentially the leading lights from across the innovative edge of the food sector. Whether that be focusing on alternative proteins or personalized nutrition, food as medicine, supply chain optimization in traceability or reduction of food waste is obviously a really key factor as well.
But, the idea behind our conference series is we bring those decision makers together with the focus of pushing the dial on the conversation or securing investment for early stage companies and those innovators or M and A for open innovation strategies on the larger corporates. Really our goal is to help in whatever way we can to forge those game changing partnerships that can push this sector forward in sustainability and help everyone eat more nutritious food, as well.
Joey Thurman: All right, you're talking about big players. What are some of the people in the space that are attending your summit that are most excited to be working with this year?
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: Yeah, 100%. To be honest, it's really hard to narrow down. I think we'd be here all day if I was to tell you all of the companies that I'm excited to meet in person. There's loads of people that I haven't actually been in the same room because we've been doing virtual conferences for such a long time. Yeah, from the moment the conference opens it really is just all killer.
We've got Zero Egg, they're going to be hosting the first networking breakfast, just kicking things off in the right way. They're going to be having their amazing looking alternative egg fed into the breakfast menu so just a really nice opportunity to try that exciting product. The keynote is going to be Mattias from [inaudible 00:02:22] just setting the scene for what we're going to be talking about at that conference but also what the sector is needs and is excited about.
Then from there we've got companies that are that little bit further on in their development and scaling. Whether that's an air protein or an upside, every company. Just giving that roadmap of success for these other companies that are coming so those people that are right at the beginning of their journey, these incredible innovators that are going to be the game changers of tomorrow. But then also with the likes of Tate and Lyle and Louis Dreyfus getting involved, as well. Just those bellwethers of the food sector just showing how important this segment is and how exciting alternative protein is. The names go on, you'll have to look at the website to see everyone that's cool getting involved.
Joey Thurman: Yeah, you're right. You had me at breakfast and Zero Eggs. I started thinking about how hungry am. You definitely have a lot of big players there. What opportunities do you offer attendees to network and connect through the leaders in the industry?
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: 100% and the whole point of our conference series is exactly that, giving the opportunities for everyone in the sector to meet those decision makers, those key players and thought leaders. The whole conference is based around that. Whether that be the amazing people that you'll see speaking on the panels, they'll stay there for the whole two days. There will be a team around them, as well, so really just that opportunity to network.
But further than that, our model is to ensure that everyone that is attending is at that thought leadership level. They could all be speaking on the panels, just we can't have everyone. It wouldn't be a conference. But really within that, we've got just amazing interconnectivity for everyone to be able to A, see those other people that are coming so two weeks before the conference, everyone gets involved on basically the virtual platform that we have that runs. You can see everyone that's coming, you can basically just set meetings. You can be running back and forth for the whole two days between seeing people on their booth, watching a panel, jumping into the one-to-one meeting room and just really fill your diary and all of those meetings will be with those key decision makers from across the whole value chain.
It's a fantastic opportunity and that's even just the pre-planning that you can do and filling your diary. There's also networking drinks that we'll have on day one. But also lunch breaks where, honestly, you'll see the exhibition room where there's people running around and meeting people that from conversations that I've had with them. I know they've been trying to connect with them for six months, a year even, and just have that being that focal point for everyone to finally actually be able to meet in person and connect with those people that can make a difference to their business, really. It's a fantastic thing to do with my time.
Joey Thurman: I'm sure the connection piece is huge, whether you're watching virtually or you're there in person. You guys do these summits and I know each time you do a summit, how are you going to take the next one even bigger and bigger? What are your plans to go above and beyond to top the summits you've hosted in the past?
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: Yeah, definitely. I guess the first point of this is this is actually going to be the first time that we have hosted the alternative protein conference, so a dedicated one focused on alternative proteins in person. Which, given the fact that it's such a tangible thing, it's really exciting to be back able to provide these different experiences. We have all of that interconnectivity that is massively improved since we moved onto the virtual space. As you rightly say, there is that opportunity to connect both in person and virtually and have these meetings in a variety of different formats. That's just made a massive difference and was a real learning that we took from moving into the virtual space and then coming back and we are using the same platform that we had when the only opportunity was that sort of at distance, but now forging that into the conference as a whole, as well.
But certainly what we are doing is really just amping up those exciting elements. Whether that is the showcasing of the foods, like I was saying earlier we've got Zero Egg in the breakfast, but it goes way beyond that as well. Meaty Foods are hosting one of our lunch breaks, we're going to have their steak that they've obviously recently launched as part of the menu. Nowadays have got a really exciting Caribbean style menu that we're working on to feeding in their nutritious nuggets as well. Then tons of other companies across that as well so just really nice opportunity to get that tangible understanding of what these companies are actually doing.
But then we've got new formats that we're using, as well. There's breakout sessions that we're doing. Some of them are taste labs so opportunity to try Breville Foods plant-based cheeses they're working on. BIO are bringing some of their cultivated honey, including their royal jelly, which I think is going to be really exciting. V2 foods are hosting one, as well. There's all of these different formats that we are playing with and whether that is an opportunity to taste products or things like the round table workshops as well, just an opportunity to connect as a group of people and really be involved in that conversation. There's so many different things that we've added in for this conference. Like I say, it's the first time that we have this dedicated group of 700 people that are all at that leading edge of alternative proteins in one space. It's set to be an amazing couple of days, I can't wait in case you can't tell.
Joey Thurman: I can tell, [inaudible 00:07:48] not the mustache. Whether planning on attending in person or virtually through the online summit platform, when are the cutoffs or registration?
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: That's a surprisingly complicated question. You think it would be a specific date, but really, I guess the day of would be the absolute drop dead date. But what you really want to do, in terms of getting the most out of this conference, it's certainly you want to be on the virtual platform ahead of the conference and it's really, really beneficial just to be able to plan your time. Because like I say, you can see everything that's going on. You can work out what panel discussions you want to be on then book that time off, but importantly, it's setting those meetings as well.
We are going to be launching that two weeks ahead of the conference. That'll be on the 6th or 7th of June, what's that? 10 days or something like that. That's a really key date so if people are getting involved, you want to be on that platform as early as possible. But we also do host the conference for a month after, as well. If for some reason you're seeing this video in a month and a half and actually you realize you've missed the date. You can still get on, you can watch the content, you can still do that sort of post networking side of things as well. There's a good amount of time to be getting on it. But yeah, really, the 6th of June is a date that I would advise making a decision by to get the most out of it really.
Joey Thurman: Sounds like there's still time left to get in on the fun. I know I'm looking forward to seeing all that the Alternative Protein Summit has to offer the summer. Thank you so much for joining us, Callum. I'm Joey Thurman for Talking Plant Protein.
Callum Alexander-Lindsay: Thank you very much, it's been a pleasure.