Wednesday 26 February 2025 – Side events
Workshops
Collaboration: how to be better connected | Dr Lou Conway, UNE SMART Region Incubator | Facilitator | 9am – 11am | Get tickets here
Tackling Food Waste Together: Solutions for a Sustainable Future | Dr Jonathan Middis, End Food Waste Australia | 11:30am – 1:30pm | Get tickets here
Do Successful Food Businesses Know Something About Marketing That You Don’t? | Kenneth Yap, The Marketing Interchange | 9:30am – 4:30pm | Get tickets here
Future Horticulture Forum | 9:30am – 3:00pm | Get tickets here
Click here for details on Workshops.
Experiences
Levenvale Farm Experience | 10am – 4pm
Click here for more details.
6:30 pm
Welcome Function
Join us on the lawn at Pacific Bay Resort for a casual evening of festivities, showcasing local produce and beverages.
Thursday 27 February 2025 – Summit Day 1
8:30 am
Registration / Coffee / Tea
9:00 am
Welcome
Introduction | Kim Berry (MC), Food & Drink Business
Welcome to Country | Richard Widders, Aboriginal Elder of the Garlambirla guuyu Girrwaa
Welcome from the Chair | Fiona Simson, FFS
Welcome from the Mayor | Mayor Nikki Williams, City of Coffs Harbour
9:30 am
Collaboration: It takes a village… or a city
The Power of Connection | Dr Lou Conway, UNE SMART Region Incubator
Collectively, we can make a change (a conversation)
Dr Oz Dedehayir (Chair), Queensland University of Technology
Nicole McNaughton, Food and Agribusiness Network
Simon Latchford, City of Coffs Harbour
10:30 am
Morning tea / Networking
11:00 am
Partnerships: Forging connections
Representatives from clusters, co-operatives, and governing bodies come together to explore the benefits and opportunities of a systems-based approach in addressing challenges and driving innovation in the agrifood sector.
Dr James Krahe (Chair), FFS
Shaun Tholen, Nambucca Macnuts
Kris Cooling, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
Louise Tran, OzHarvest Ventures
Fiona Barden, NSW DPIRD
12:00 pm
Automation: Benefits and upskilling (keynotes)
Robotic technology for banana de-handing | Dr Chris Lehnert, Queensland University of Technology
Spatially enabling horticulture | Craig Shephard, Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre
12:40 pm
Lunch / Networking
1:40 pm
AgriTech: Simplifying tasks (panel)
Dist. Prof. David Tissue, Western Sydney University
Dr Chris Lehnert, Queensland University of Technology
Daniel Grono, Costa
Wayne Ford, Vertical Patch
Craig Shephard, Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre
2:20 pm
Value-adding: Unlocking nutrition in food (keynotes)
Produce Prescription: improving health outcomes | Kimberly Glover, The George Institute for Global Health
Pioneering new nutritional benchmarks | Dr Ruey-Leng Loo, Australian National Phenome Centre
Optimising blueberry fruit nutritionally | Gareema Pandey, Western Sydney University
Closing the loop on alternate nutrients | Tim Cassettari, FOODiQ Global
3:30 pm
Afternoon tea / Networking
4:00 pm
Manufacturing: Boosting agribusiness (panel)
Exploring the economic gains, community impact, and highlighting how local manufacturing can drive regional development and innovation.
Peter Schutz (Chair), FFS
Dr Chris Downs, Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA)
Dr Akanksha Pahwa, Norco
John King, King Tide Brewing
Andrew Eves-Brown, TURBINE
Russel Rankin, Food Innovation Partners
5:00 pm
Drinks / Networking
7:00 pm
Gala Dinner
Enjoy culinary delights at our Gala Dinner with the menu curated by popular chef and restaurateur, Mindy Woods
Mindy Woods, Chef, Restaurateur and Author
Friday 28 February 2025 – Summit Day 2
9:00 am
Coffee / Tea
9:30 am
Future food: Possibilities and reality (keynotes)
Bicultural cuisine: 60,000 years of flavour | Mindy Woods, Chef, Restaurateur and Author
Food 2050: An integrated food system | Leif Lundin, CSIRO
What will we be eating in 100 years / Mushrooms in Space | Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore, FOODiQ Global
10:30 am
Morning tea
11:00 am
Future menu: It’s happening now (panel)
From insect proteins to animal-free fats, panellists will share their personal experiences in creating innovative product formulations along with the opportunities and challenges in catering to a diverse range of consumers.
Prof. Cordelia Selomulya (Chair), University of New South Wales Sydney
Kathy La Macchia, Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council (GLNC)
Dr Rishi Naik, University of New South Wales Sydney
12:00 pm
Collaboration for sustainable food solutions and improved health outcomes (keynote)
This keynote will outline a newly established unique national initiative, focused on developing sustainable food solutions for improved health outcomes.
Prof. Roman Buckow, Centre for Food Science at La Trobe University
12:40 pm
Lunch / Networking
1:40 pm
Current challenges in innovation ecosystems
Realising opportunities for growth in regional agrifood ecosystems: Collaborative approaches to value chain development.
Realising opportunities for growth in regional agrifood ecosystems: Collaborative approaches to value chain development | Dr Jack Adams, Queensland University of Technology
Food policy integration: A case study of the Australian food policy landscape | Dr Lijun Summerhayes, Queensland University of Technology
Valorising Horticultural ‘Wastes’: Policy Approaches to Advancing Industry | Hannah Churton, Queensland University of Technology
2:00 pm
Opportunities for innovation ecosystems (panel)
Prof. Doug Baker (Chair), Queensland University of Technology
Dr James Krahe (Chair), FFS
Tanya Wilkins, TCI Oceania
Dr Mirjana Prica, TCI Oceania
3:00 pm
Afternoon tea / Networking
4:30 pm
Close
5:00 pm
Post-event drinks at King Tide Brewing
Program subject to change
Program and speakers are subject to change.
FFS = Future Food Systems
CSIRO = Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DPIRD = Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
QUT = Queensland University of Technology
UNSW = University of New South Wales
WSU = Western Sydney University
Program and speakers are subject to change.
FFS = Future Food Systems
CSIRO = Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DPIRD = Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (WA)
QUT = Queensland University of Technology
UNSW = University of New South Wales
WSU = Western Sydney University