After a morning packed with data and discussion at the Lumina Intelligence Q3 Food Strategy Forum, the afternoon was all about discovery. We swapped charts for cutlery and were whisked around Covent Garden on a Food Study Tour – a curated journey through some of London’s most exciting and innovative food and drink concepts.
Walking the floor at ExCeL, it was impossible to ignore the sheer buzz around all things better-for-you. This year, health and function weren’t fringe topics, they were very much centre stage.
When you think of bootcamps, you’d be forgiven for thinking of a screaming sergeant major and a lot of mud, sweat and tears. But the bean team, have a different kind of bootcamp in mind – more seminars and talks from those leading in the world of social than burpees. On a sunny September morning, we headed up to Mayfair for a day with Brandwatch. From the world of disinformation, and LinkedIn trends, to a key trend of – the importance of narratives, whether they’re true or not.
In partnership with jellybean the iconic Italian tomato brand Mutti has transformed the historic Queen’s House in Greenwich into the stage for a one-of-a-kind immersive dining experience.
On the 21st May 2025, Courtney and I headed into Clapham for the hottest ticket in town – the CLASS Bar Awards!
What better way to spend a sunny Wednesday afternoon than glamming up for a night out in London and celebrating the achievements of those lucky enough to win a coveted CLASS Bar Award.
Last night, the Hilton London Metropole played host to one of the most inspiring evenings in the foodservice calendar – the 2025 Public Sector Catering Awards! A packed room of industry professionals came together to celebrate the unsung heroes who keep our vital services running with passion, purpose, and phenomenal food. From care homes to hospitals, schools to prisons, and even our armed services these catering professionals are relied upon to keep our country running.
Calling all food lovers! If you, like us, enjoy top-notch street food, celebrity chef demos and live music, food festivals are a must-visit.
The UK has endless opportunities for food lovers to get out and about and experience a diverse range of cuisines, with everything from gourmet dining to sizzling street food on offer across the country. Whether you’re into Michelin-starred cuisine, BBQ feasts or artisan delicacies, there’s a festival for every palate. Here are a few you might like to sample in the coming months…
Highly anticipated, Arena’s sold out Spring Event, was its first of 2025 and it did not disappoint. Arena provides foodservice industry professionals with a fascinating day of learning, networking and thought provoking discussion on the issues that matter.
Taking place at the Sofitel London St. James, myself and fellow bean, Senior Account Executive Alvi Tysall –Â along with 200 attendees – gathered for the morning session to find out how the hospitality industry was shaping up.
Presented by Jill Livesey – MD at Lumina Intelligence we were first given a frank take on an industry still in recovery, the sectors performing, food trends to watch out for and predictions for the future.
For those who find themselves in the Gen X category, or even some of you Boomers, I am sure you will recall Hotelympia. Well, it may not be called that anymore, but that hasn’t stopped HRC (it’s current moniker) celebrating an incredible 90 years! Over that time, it’s true that much has changed across the hospitality industry, but the one thing that hasn’t is the fact that at its heart it’s a people business. However much technological advances can help drive guest experience and operational efficiencies, people will always be at the core of hospitality. Which is why it was so good to head up to the ExCel with fellow bean Clare Freeman to check out in person not one, but the four co-located shows: IFE, IFE Manufacturing, The Pub Show and HRC.
We’re thrilled to announce that the Make It Mutti Immersive Dining Experience has been crowned Best Marketing Campaign at the World Food Innovation Awards 2025! Recognised for its bold creativity and immersive storytelling, the activity has set a new benchmark for brand activation in the food industry.
jellybean has been a long-time supporter of the great work Hospitality Action does for those in need in the hospitality industry. As a Hospitality Action Ambassador, I am also personally keen to do all we can to support their great work. Some row across the Atlantic (see Spirit of Hospitality), me, well I’m more of a nice dinner at a posh hotel kinda girl, so when we saw the line up for the Winter Chefs’ Dinner at Raffles OWO we were in!
Earlier this month I attended the Alliance of Independent Agencies’ Festival of Happiness, a day dedicated to exploring the role culture and wellbeing has within a business. Taking place at Google’s Kings Cross HQ, this year’s theme was focussed on leadership – that to achieve as a high performing agency, leaders must pay attention to the wellbeing and happiness of their people.
jellybean was delighted to attend the MCA Live Restaurant Conference at the Ham Yard Hotel on November the 7th. The event featured insightful discussions from industry leaders on a range of topics, including menu engineering, tech innovations, delivery, and gender diversity. Here are the key highlights:
In an ever-changing digital world, with AI exploding and hospitality businesses seeking new ways to drive customer experience and business efficiencies, digital transformation was the obvious topic for Arena’s Autumn Event. As the leading foodservice agency, we jumped at the opportunity to catch up with industry friends and contacts, whilst getting to hear from innovative events catering company Freemans Event Partners and Jeremy Blain CEO of Performance Works International, not to mention the chance for a sneaky peak behind-the-scenes at Lords Cricket Ground.
After a short hiatus for a worldwide pandemic, the Universal Cookery and Food Festival was back with a bang this year. With the location set appropriately in the Garden of England (Kent) the imposing big top at Loddington Farm played host to a wide range of brands, along with a trends and debate stage and The Staff Canteen Live. Not only was the event, dubbed Glastonbury for chefs, awash with food and drink, it also offered farm and foraging tours for those up for braving the elements and getting back to nature.
There is one ‘gong’ that everyone in hospitality covets. From hoteliers to chefs, restauranteurs to mixologists, the iconic ‘lady holding a clamshell’ is frankly the equivalent of an Oscar when it comes to hospitality. So, I was hugely honoured to be invited to attend this star-studded night by Jacobs Media, publishers of The Caterer magazine and hosts of the Cateys. As a leading food and drink agency with over 37 years in foodservice and hospitality (six years longer than the Cateys have been running!) we have been proud to work with many Cateys’ award winners and sponsors over the years. So, it was wonderful to witness another cohort of winners receive their well-deserved awards.
We Brits take our pubs and bars seriously, from our beloved locals to splashy one-off ventures, right through to the well-known group operators that are always a safe bet. Heading to the pub for ‘one’, or perhaps a few more, as often ends up being the case, is a pastime so embedded within our culture that it’s practically in our DNA.
The Public Sector Catering Awards were held last week at the Hilton London Metropole and as a leading foodservice agency we were of course there to celebrate these amazing caterers. These awards are the benchmark for excellence in public sector catering, a sector which, despite its size, can often be overlooked in favour of the more glamourous profit sector. Be it catering in education, hospital catering, care home catering and even catering for the military and the prison service, public sector catering is the oft-unseen force that keeps Britain running.
HRC, (Hotel, Restaurant & Catering) was back at ExCel for 2024 as part of Food, Drink and Hospitality Week which also hosts IFE Manufactoring, IFE, The Pub Show and International Salon Culinaire. And as the leading food and drink agency we were there in force, exploring the exhibition hall and supporting our wonderful clients.
With working life increasingly dominated by virtual meetings, the opportunity to step away from the screen and engage in face-to-face interactions is a refreshing change of pace, so it was an absolute pleasure to attend the Arena event ‘An Audience with Tom Aitkens’ on Friday 15 March, held at the esteemed Rosewood Hotel in London.
