Chaired by retail icon Damodar Mall, CEO — Grocery, Reliance Retail, India Food Forum 2022 is set to host 150+ speakers, 100+ exhibitors, top hats belonging to the C-Suite of 400+ brands and organisations in the food business
By Sanjay Kumar
Mumbai: The 15th edition of India Food Forum 2022 is all teed up for the mega congregation of India’s emeriti of the Food Retail establishment at The Westin Mumbai, Powai Lake on December 7-8.
Started in 2008, the annual India Food Forum is the platform du jour for those looking to get a ring-side view of India’s food retail industry and those wanting to ride the action on the Emerging Innovations and Trends and Developments in the Business of Food in India.
The two-day conclave — focusing on Food & Grocery Retail on Day 1 and Foodservice on Day 2 — is being chaired by retail icon Damodar Mall, CEO — Grocery, Reliance Retail, and is powered by Smart Bazaar and MessageBird.
Bringing together an august assemblage of thought leaders like no other in India’s Food Retail industry, the Forum will take a detailed dive into the complex issues facing the food retail industry today. Capturing the current zeitgeist and gazing into the crystal ball to analyze how India’s Food Retail industry will shake up in the future, the Forum has put in place a quartet of unique, focused templates in the form of mega conferences, exhibition, networking and awards ceremonies.
These distinct components of the Forum have been put together in a way where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Through these specialized lens, retail captains and industry professionals will take stock of the evolving retail matrix where the close interplay between offline and online customer decision journeysare being increasingly influenced by technology and issues like health and wellness, sustainability, product sourcing and traceability, and brand loyalty.
“India Food Forum is the premier destination for anybody connected to the Food & Beverage industry where you can exchange views and hear about the latest trends in the industry from the stalwarts and thought leaders. For me, India Food Forum has always been a chaupal – a platform for ideas and discovery of new things to discuss amongst my fellow supermarketwallahs and with the leaders of consumer brands,” Damodar Mallsaid.
Food Forum to roll out the Bazooka with gunpowder from Retail Heavyweights
This year, the Forum is set to host 150+ speakers, 100+ exhibitors, top hats belonging to the C-Suite of 400+ brands and organisations in the food business. With 3000+ Visitors and 25+ Conference Sessions, India Food Forum is acknowledged as the country’s largest food B2B intelligence and exhibition platform.
As in the previous editions, India Food Forum this year will host a wide array of enlightening panel discussions and presentations on diverse topics: creating 24/7 food consumption channels, profitability matrix for food retail, the supermarkets of Bharat, QSRs and cloud kitchens, retail marketing and much more.
With a raft of hot-button issues slated to be discussed and deliberated at the Forum, industry experts will bring prescient concepts and incisive insights on ways to accelerate business growth, think outside-the-box brand strategies, scaling the retail footprint to the next orbit, balancing investments in pricing, promotions, and technology build-up, among others.
A formidable line-up of speakers will hold forth over tight-as-a-tick binge-able sessions bookmarking the sessions at the Forum. They include the likes of Damodar Mall, CEO, Grocery at Reliance Retail; Anurag Katriar, Founder, Indigo Hospitality and Trustee – NRAI; Kabir Jeet Singh,Founder & CEO, Burger Singh; Dr. A.K Tyagi, ED, Haldirams;ShaileeChatrath Tyagi, Sales Director, Organised Trade Sales, Pepsico India Beverages; Sudeep Goenka, Director, Goldiee Group; Uzma Irfan, CEO, Sublime House of Tea; Mohit Khattar, CEO,Graviss Foods, Baskin Robbins; Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri;Seshu Kumar, Chief Buying & Merchandising Officer, Big Basket;Tarak Bhattacharya, ED & CEO, Mad Over Donuts; Devendra Chawla, CEO & MD, Spencer’s Retail; Aditya Mittal, Sr. Associate Dir, Head Modern Trade, Kellogg; Amitabh Singh,Sr. VP, Patanjali Ayurveda; Rahul Khandelwal, AVP, Modern Trade, Godrej Consumer Products; Dheeraj Gupta,CEO, Jumboking Foods; Swati Dalal, MD & General Manager, Abbott Nutrition, Nutrition International India; and many more industry stalwarts.
Several Industry Associations and Trade Bodies affiliated to India’s Food Industry are also attending this year’s Forum, who will bring several more helpings of credibility and actionable insights to the table.
Bodies such as National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Western India Culinary Association (WICA), Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF), Indian Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHAR), Chamber for Advancement of Small & Medium Businesses (CASMB), Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) will be in attendance with their own thoughtful takes and food-forward concepts that are going to move the needle for India’s Food Retail industry in the days to come and help the stakeholders in expanding the retail pie.
“The Forum is very proud and happy to be working closely with several trade bodies of the industry to make this event more well-rounded and inclusive. Their generous support to this event truly underlines the significance of India Food Forum as a major industry event, with potential benefits to all businesses and professionals in the ecosystem,” said Anurag Katriar, who will chair the proceedings as the Chairman of India Foodservice Forum on Day 2.
India’s Most Coveted Food Retail Awards to Round-up the Conclave
As in the past, the Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards and the Pepsi-IMAGES awards will the icing on the cake with all the trimmings, and provide the perfect climax and grand finale to the conclave.
Presented on the consecutive evenings of the two-day show, the awards are a hat tip to the crème de la crème of India’s Food Retail industry for showcasing outstanding achievements in business performance, marketing, format innovation, business expansion and customer experience across multiple categories.
With all the essential ingredients to vivify the experience of the participants, India Food Forum this year is set to live up to, if not exceed the expectations and standards of its previous editions. Watch this space, for the updates and breaking stories brought to you straight off the runway of India Food Forum’s momentous proceedings beginning Wednesday.
To view the impressive line-up of speakers, download the agenda or register for India Food Forum 2022, click here
