The Regional Food Summit will take place on 2 March 2022 at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham. We are expecting 200 delegates including food & drink SMEs in England as well as regional food groups (RFGs) and other organisations with an interest in supporting regional and local food and drink. The event will include workshops and networking aimed at highlighting opportunities for growth in the sector and sharing best practice. The Summit will help to deliver the Government’s manifesto commitment to ensure that “people, both at home and abroad, [are] lining up to buy British.”

The benefits for SMEs

The event will provide SMEs with an opportunity to network with like-minded businesses, regional networks, and organisations that have a funding or support offer for SMEs. Workshops and accompanying short how-to guides will be designed to support SMEs access the growing demand for local, seasonal, sustainable British food and drink.

The four focus areas for the day will be:

• Regional promotion initiatives – Understanding the benefits of developing a strong regional food and drink identity, to grow the local food economy and attract inward tourism.
• Accessing public sector procurement – Looking at the different routes to accessing public sector procurement, including how SMEs can be part of the supply chain, and how this market is evolving.
• New routes to market (Direct to Consumer) – Focussing on the growing opportunities for direct sales to consumers, and the benefits of shorter supply chains.
• Building export capability – Examining the opportunities for SMEs in markets across the world, and how they can overcome barriers to exporting.

Workshops will also provide SMEs an opportunity to highlight key barriers to growth and identify potential solutions within their region.

Next Steps

We are seeking LEPs help in selecting food and drink SMEs that would benefit from attending the summit to share their experience and hear about successful initiatives in other regions, as well as accessing further support. If you are interested in being involved in the process of selecting SMEs or have any questions, please reply to foodanddrinkpromotion@defra.gov.uk by Tuesday 21 December.