"The UK Food & Drink Shows is a pretty unique place. The ecosystem here is so diverse. You can wander around and meet businesses you've never heard of, businesses that have got new products which are new to you. It’s a place to just learn what's going on and what innovation is happening in this sector. There's nowhere else like it."

~Allen Simpson, Chief Executive, UKHospitality

"The UK Food & Drink Shows are a really good showcase for what we are bringing the industry. They bring together a lot of suppliers and operators. It's a great opportunity to bounce off ideas to see what other people are doing in the industry. It's just a great forum to meet other people who are operating in the hospitality sector."

~ Paul Robinson Webster, COO, Fallow Restaurants

"The UK Food & Drink Shows are really important because they're an opportunity to do so many things with a captive audience, where you can fit in so much. If you’re a retailer, if you compare this to having visits from countless suppliers, you could never fit in the sheer number of suppliers that there are here today, into a year let alone two or three days."

~ Adam Leyland, Editor in Chief, The Grocer

"The UK Food & Drink Shows has perhaps the broadest range that I've seen. You get the opportunity to see more suppliers under one roof. It's good for networking because of the nature of an exhibition means you can strike up that conversation. It's good for seeing existing suppliers to see what they're doing and to see a lot of what you've not seen before."

~Carol Rhead, Head of Marketing, Compass

"It’s big! There is so much bang for your buck. It really differs from other shows by just having so many different operators, so many incredible talks and presentations and panels. The richness of the data and insight you get, and the wealth of different brands and operators that you get to speak to, it's just incomparable to some of the other shows."

~ Flora Zwolinski, Insight Lead, Lumina Intelligence

"The UK Food & Drink Shows are unbelievably important because I think there's so many amazing products that are trying to get into large retailers or independents. It brings everyone together, meeting friends personally and professionally, but also cross-pollinating that level of knowledge is fantastic."

~ Vineta Bajaj, Group Chief Financial Officer, Holland & Barrett

"I always leave the show really reflecting how much the food, drink and hospitality industry is a people industry, and the ability to be able to connect with people in person is invaluable, especially partners and collaborators, because as much as I'm a fan of online, there’s definitely something lost, in terms of the ability to build great relationships. It's one of the real values of the show."

~Lorraine Copes, CEO & Founder, Be Inclusive Hospitality

"The UK Food & Drink Shows are just great for bringing people together. It keeps you aware of what's going on in the industry, new developments on the micro and macro level. It's valuable to meet suppliers because if you're meeting them face to face, you'll get to understand whether you have a kind of synergistic approach to what you're doing.  There’s a really great atmosphere on the show floor this year."

~ Mark Wogan, Co-Founder, Homeslice & Symplicity Foods