PRESS RELEASE

MAKE OR BREAK? THE BREXIT EFFECT ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD AND DRINK 

• CIM urges marketers to attend unique event in the House or Lords on the future of food and drink as Britain prepares to leave EU
• Senior industry figures including the National Farmers Union (NFU) to debate the big issues and the NFU 2040 The Future of Food report
• The event will see the presentation of the ‘Excellence in Marketing’ award followed by drinks and networking

Leading UK food and drink brands will come together on 16 May for the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) Food, Drink and Agriculture group’s 14^th President’s Dinner at the House of Lords. The event is hosted by Lord Lexden, OBE and will see Terry Jones, Director General of the National Farmers Union (NFU) address the challenges facing membership organisations and the key trends of the NFU 2040 The Future of Food report.  

The challenges affecting membership organisations such as the NFU and CIM that Jones will focus on include; climate change, the productivity gap, the disruptive influence of technology and the uncertainty of Brexit. He will address how a sector like food and agriculture can navigate its way through these challenges and how the NFU can respond and react. Terry will also look to establish the balance between leadership and representation, the need to have the best professional staff and the importance of having authentic member leadership.  

The event will unveil the winner of CIM’s Food, Drink and Agriculture ‘Excellence in Marketing’ award, which Terry Jones will present on behalf of CIM. The award recognises an individual or organisation working in the industry who has achieved all round excellence over a period, based on criteria such as the success achieved in the face of competitors, as well as success achieved across multiple channels and approach to marketing activities. Previous winners include Green & Blacks, Samworths, Alpro, Dorset Cereals, the Fair Trade Foundation, Berry Gardens, Long Clawson Dairy, the Pink Lady Apple Association, Fever-Tree, the Happy Egg Company and Gressingham Foods.  

John Giles, CIM’s Food, Drink and Agriculture President said, “CIM’s Food, Drink and Agriculture President’s Dinner continues to be the flagship event of the year, not only for CIM members, but also for the leading brands driving the sector. In the past, the event has attracted MPs, trade bodies and board members of major food and drink brands discussing valuable debates affecting the sector, including consumer buying behaviour and palm oil usage.

“This year’s 14^th annual dinner will be no exception, and with the uncertain political climate we are currently experiencing, now couldn’t be a better time to come together and discuss what the future holds for the food and drink sector.”

Tickets are priced at £125 which includes entry, a 3-course dinner and drinks. Seating starts at 19:45, with guests advised to arrive at 19:15 for reception drinks on arrival. To book, visit: https://www.cim.co.uk/event/95860/

To find out more about how you can keep up to date with the latest trends of the food and drink demand chain and have the opportunity to network with key figures, click here to become a member of CIM’s Food, Drink and Agriculture group: https://sigs.cim.co.uk/food-drink-and-agriculture/about/get-involved/       

ENDS

For media enquiries

For further information please contact the Chartered Institute of Marketing regional press office at Pelican Communications on david.anthony@pelicomms.co.uk or 01457 820807

For CIM enquiries

James Delves
CIM Head of PR and External Engagement
james.delves@cim.co.uk

Corinne Lavictoire  
PR Executive
corinne.lavictoire@cim.co.uk

About CIM

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the world’s leading marketing body, with over 30,000 members worldwide, of which there are over 3,000 Chartered Marketers. CIM’s mission is create marketing advantage for the benefit of professionals, business and society with a focus on export, data and skills. It believes marketing is the critical factor in driving long term organisational performance.

CIM provides members and organisations with five key benefits: 

• Partnership – CIM is a professional and organisational partner to support performance and career development
• Education – CIM allows individuals and businesses to continuously upskill
• Information – CIM keeps members up to date with the latest marketing thinking, and keeps organisations at the forefront of practices
• Connection – CIM provides access to services, expertise and peers
• Recognition – CIM is the global benchmark of professional competence

For more than 100 years, CIM has supported, represented and developed marketers, teams, leaders and the profession as a whole. There are 130 CIM study centres in 36 countries and exam centres in 132 countries worldwide. In the last year, over 7,500 people registered at over 230 UK CIM events. Find out more about CIM by visiting www.cim.co.uk