23 April 2007, 15:49 PM
  • Offering an excellent opportunity to help your business learn and grow, Heart of England Fine Food's (HEFF) one-day event, Food, Information, Networking, Drink (FIND), is a must for retailers.

Taking place at The Renewal Conference Centre, Solihull on Thursday 17th May 2007, FIND is open to professionals from both ends of the food chain, from growers, producers and processors, to independent retailers, national buyers, chefs and industry linked service providers.

Supported by Advantage West Midlands and organised by HEFF, FIND is a day-long event designed to bring key industry players together to share expertise, encourage best practice and inspire new, profitable business relationships.

The event kicks off with the West Midlands Food Partnership Cluster Forum, an annual conference that allows delegates the chance to put their questions to the partners, find out how they helped food and drink businesses to grow in 2006 and hear what activities are planned for the coming months.

The varied agenda includes topical Industry Forums where everyone can have their say on thought-provoking, and potentially controversial issues such as finding the right balance between local sales and working with the multiples and identifying when and if to apply for Protected Designated Origin (PDO) status.

Delegates also have the opportunity to join a fun Speed Networking exercise and to put their products forward for frank appraisal by a distinguished panel of experts in the ‘Dragon’s Den’. They can also make their selection from four Business Development Seminars, including an interactive session on New Product Development to a look at the latest packaging technologies and a revealing insight into the sociology behind consumer trends and buying habits.

Mary Barnett, the bespoke chocolatier, says, “The reaction to our chocolates after FIND was incredible. Waitrose approached us almost immediately about creating Christmas gift lines and we soon realised that in order to really go for it we needed to move premises and invest in more equipment. We are now waiting to hear exactly how many Waitrose stores are going to take our product and we’ve also received very exciting interest from Sainsbury’s, Hotel Chocolate and international buyers in America, Canada and the Channel Islands!”

To register for FIND please contact HEFF on 01746 785185, or email office@heff.co.uk.