Two days of workshops brought to you by some of Bristol’s leading food business experts and those who have ‘been there and done it.’

Workshops designed for existing and aspiring businesses, and brought to you at a subsidised cost, with thanks to our sponsors and partners.

Day 1:Scaling up Your Business What does it take to take your business to the next level? We’re offering two masterclasses covering the most important things you need to consider when scaling up your business – from PR and Marketing, to finance and risk management, to getting your business investment-ready.Both sessions are aimed primarily at established businesses that are ready to expand their scale, offer or customer base. Start-ups and more established businesses are also welcome. Participants can book onto one or both sessions, with a reduction if you book for both sessions.

Part 1-Creative Branding and PR with Pam Lloyd Marketing and PR. Monday 11 June, 10am. Tickets £10 Join a panel of food and drink marketing experts and have your questions answered. We’ll cover a variety of topics such as:When do you need PR? And what can you do yourself?Getting social media right. The role of video in communicating your message. Gaining listings and scaling up for expanding distribution.

We invite food businesses to submit questions beforehand to be answered by the panel (please send to polly@pamlloyd.com). Some questions will be taken on the day and there will be breakout groups with each of the panel members where you’ll have the opportunity to draw on their experience and expertise.

The line-up: • Pam Lloyd – Director of Pam Lloyd PR – From a PR career starting in the Harrods’ press office, before

venturing agency-side and working on M&S, Chewits and St.Ivel, Pam then accidentally set up a specialist food and drink PR agency that now employs six other food obsessives!

• Polly Akielan – Account Director at PamLloyd PR - Polly has helped a range of food and drink brands, grower groups and restaurants get noticed on social media and through targeted events. Specialises in eating, speaking and socialising simultaneously.

Bristol Food Connections Business Bootcamp

11th and 12th June 2018 Triodos Foundation Event Space, Deanery Road, BS1 5AS

• Nik Read Creative Director of Meor Design – Covering all elements of design from branding to signage, web to packaging Nik has helped bring Cornish export HUBBOX to Bristol and created a brand identity for much-loved Porthminster Café’s latest project, Porthminster Kitchen. Often found instagramming beautiful Cornish views.

• Luke Sapsed – Director of Reach Brands - Luke specialises in bringing loved brands bang up to date and helping new brands extend their reach within retail. Whether it’s listings or investment your business needs, or a helping hand to grow, Luke has the expertise to help your business take flight.

• Rob Wicks – Videographer and Photographer at Eat Pictures – Specialising in the creation of short films and images that leave you hungry, Rob Wicks has a background in the BBC but he now specialises in helping brands and producers tell their stories through films and photos. 10 – 11.30 opening plenary and Q&A 11.30 – 12: Expert clinics12 – 1: Networking

• Chris Haywood – Chartered Trademark and Design Attorney at Gregg Latchams Solicitors – specialises in management of business trade marks, as well as issues relating to design, copyright, reputation and media law.

10 – 11.30: Opening Plenary and Q&A 11.30 – 12: Expert Clinics 12 – 1: Light Networking lunch, kindly provided by Boston Tea Party Scaling up Your Business Part 2: Your Guide to Growth Monday 11 June, 12 noon lunch, for a 1pm start. Tickets £10 Are you looking to learn how to get your business investment ready or to crowdfund for the next stage? Or maybe you’d like to find out how to mitigate financial and operational risks as your business grows. Join our panel of experts as they give you the tools you’ll need to get ready to scale up and to manage the various elements of growing your business. Learn from those who have scaled up successfully, including Boston Tea Party. Whether you’re a restaurant or street food business, food producer or market stall holder, there will be something for everyone in this expert-packed session. Chaired by Claire Ladkin, Chair of Bristol Food Connections. Claire will contact all attendees in advance to fully understand their business model and what they want to get out of the day.

The line-up: • Sam Roberts – CEO and Owner of Boston Tea Party – will share stories and insights into the journey

he has been on with Boston Tea Party, from their one store on Bristol’s Park Street, to their 21 branches across the South West and Midlands.

• Alex Troncoso – Head Brewer and Co-Founder of Lost and Grounded Brewers. Alex started his career as a Chemical Engineer, and subsequently completed graduate studies in brewing science and an MBA. After being involved in two high-growth brewing businesses over the past 15 years (Little Creatures in Australia and Camden Town Brewery in London) – he and his partner and co-founder Annie Clements decided to make their own brewery - starting up with a state-of-the-art operatiion specialising in larger production. Alex will share some of their experiences from the past 3 years.

• George Herbert – Managing Director of Hobbs House Bakery. George worked in Hobbs House bakery from the age at which it was legal to do so, until he left for university. He spent his ‘wilderness years’ away from the Bakery, seeing the world and honing his project management skills at the Telecom giant Orange for 9 years. Having rejoined the bakery in 2011, he has funelled a huge amount of passion and enthusiasm into planning, improving and developing more consistent and innovative products and services for all their customers. He has now taken over from his father Trevor as Managing Director.

• Dan Hird – Head of Corporate Finance at Triodos Bank - Dan has spent his career helping small to medium sized business raise early stage and development finance for growth and in his 10 years at Triodos has raised money for a range of organic and fairtrade food, drink and restaurant brands. Dan’s team have recently launched a crowdfunding platform which enables ordinary investors to invest in ethical businesses and brands.

• Gonzalo Trujillo – Managing Partner at Heron Capital – has invested in a number of sucessful businesses including Pieminster, and will advise on pitching to investors, and what they’ll be looking for from your business.

• Daniel Valentine – Senior Account Broker at Brunel Insurance Brokers – responsible for driving business development at Brunel, Danny provides expert guidance on identifying, managing and protecting your business against risks as your business grows.

• Marti Burgess – Heads up the Corporate SME Team at Gregg Latchams – Marti specialises in corporate advice, business sales and purchases, and mergers and acquisitions. She is particularly well versed in working with SME’s and advises on a broad range of corporate matters including acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, investments, reorganisations, corporate governance and general aspcets of company and commercial law. Marti also loves food, and has been part of the Bristol Food Connections family from the outset.

• Victoria Matthews – Scale-up Business Advisor, Business West. Business West offer two grant schemes funded through the European Regional Development fund to help SME’s across the West of England to scale up. Victoria will talk about the grants they offer to businesses who are looking for business coaching and leadership and development training, and who are looking to create new jobs and products.

12 – 1: Light Networking lunch, kindly provided by Boston Tea Party 1 – 2.30: Opening Plenary and Q&A 2.30 – 3: Expert Clinics 3 – 4: Coffee and Networking Day 2 Food Tourism and The Travel Industry – Making the Most of the Visitor Economy Tuesday 12th June, 10am. Tickets £10 Bristol welcomes around 18.5m day visitors and 2.7m staying trips, of which 21% are from overseas. In total, tourism generates more than £1.3bn for the local economy and more than £421m is spent on food and drink. Of course they do, whether they are here for a day or a week, they have to eat. How do you make the most of this? And what constitutes a food experience? And what type of food destination is Bristol in the international market place? Co-hosted by Destination Bristol and VisitBritain, this workshop will give an insight into food tourism, key markets and opportunities plus offer real practical advice on how to work with the travel industry to maximise opportunities for your business. Exploring the demands of groups and independent travellers, there will be opportunities to discover more about creating experiences, packaging this and developing routes to market. There is also an exciting opportunity to be the first to hear about the results of the Bristol Food Tourism Strategy, giving an insight into where Bristol sits internationally and what our opportunities are for the future. And most importantly, what happens next. The session will run from 10 – 12.15, with a light lunch and networking afterwards.

The Secrets of Our Success Past Food and Farming Awards Winners Share Their Stories Tuesday 12th June, 12.15 light lunch, for a 1pm Start. The BBC’s Food and Farming Awards will again take place in Bristol this year as part of Food Connections week. The Awards – now in their 19th year – have transformed the fortunes of so many amazing small businesses. Learn from past winners what it takes to start a sucessful food enterprise from scratch, and what the secret ingredients are of developing an Award-winning business. Panelists will share the trials, tribulations, challenges and opportunities that they have experienced along the way, and reveal how their lives and businesses have changed as a result of being a winner. Panelists include: Dimitri Houtart – Radio 4 Rural Affairs and Environment Editor, BBC. Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn – AKA ‘the Hangfire Girls’ – of Hangfire Smokehouse

Hang Fire is a traditional American smokehouse business in Wales, specialising in street food and pop-up restuarants. Since winning their award for best street food / takeaway, they found a new permanent restaurant, released a cookbook and started their own TV cookery series – Sam and Shauna’s Big Cook-Out. Now mooted as the new female hairy bikers, there really is no stopping them!

Nick Saltmarsh of Hodmedod’s Hodmedod is a rapidly growing independent business, founded in 2012 to source and supply beans and other products from British farms. They are committed to providing quality, British-grown, food that's more sustainably produced and in 2017 won the Food and Farming Award for Best Food Producer.

Andy and Annie Hallett of Hallet’s Cider Hallets Real Cider is a traditional craft cider carefully crafted by the Hallett family in Caerphilly, South Wales. The unique blend, texture and flavour of Hallets Cider is a result of great care, time and in immeasurable passion for cider-making. They won the BBC’s award for Best Drinks Producer in 2016, and have since gone on to rebrand the product and win more awards along the way.

The session will run from 1 – 3, with coffee and networking afterwards.