PARKPLAY

Background

The City Food & Drink Lecture is one of the most prestigious days in the UK food and drink industry calendar. Attended by 700 guests from across industry, academics and members of the key livery companies and with past key note speakers including Simon Roberts Sainsbury’s CEO, Ash Amirahmadi, Arla Foods managing director, Mel Smith, Ocado.com CEO, Dave Lewis, Tesco CEO, Dominic Blakemore, group chief executive of Compass Group, our brief is to profile the event pre, during and post the day itself.

Objective

Further build the event’s renown within the industry.

Strategy

Keynote-worthy: every year’s event succeeds or fails on the nature of the keynote speaker and the lecture content.

Activity

From media relations, thought leadership articles, sponsor liaison, the management of the City Food & Drink Lecture’s social media channels and the live press office at event, the comms support starts six months prior to the London’s Guildhall and beyond, meaning it’s almost a year round campaign.

Results

For the 2024 event we have created 50 pieces of national and trade industry profile with a cumulative reach of over 60milion, from lecture profile in titles including The Times, The Grocer, Fresh Produce Journal, Food Manufacture, Farmers Guardian and over 20 leading press attendance from the FT, Guardian, Bloomberg, BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme and The Observer’s Jay Rayner. Plus a dynamic social media comms programme including a live X feed at the event detailing the comments and Q&A between the lecture panel and audience debate.

Sunny Side Up says,

“The City Food & Drink Lecture is a key marker in the industry’s calendar and a moment when the great and the good can meet and mingle with the next and the new while celebrating and challenging the industry. 

“With a number of clients in food and drink we are proud to not just help build the reputation of this august evening, but also to be in the fourth year as brand partner of the event ourselves too.“

Managing Director, Zoe Ward-Waring.