GOT QUESTIONS?
WE’VE GOT ANSWERS.

Enter by clicking 'Register to attend.' It’s free to enter. Last submissions will be accepted by the 26th September so get cracking!

Round 1 is a short series of questions that will include a bit about you or your company. We then want to hear about your idea and your vision of how it will work. This needs to be approximately 500 words. Closing date: 26th September 2024

If you are selected to go forward as a finalist, then you will be invited as an entrant to the final event at the Royal Geographical Society on Tuesday 26th November from 1pm until 5pm. The space will be available from 11am for you to setup.

This leads you to Round 2. This round will require you to present your idea from a 3x3m space in the Great Hall of the RGS. You may use any form of media, prop, costume, dramatisation… to bring your entrepreneurial vision to life. Judges will then circulate and view your pitches. Following this, the best will then go through to the Grand Final.

Round 3 is the big one! You will be invited to present your four minute pitch on stage in front of the auditorium, complete with judges, attendees and VIPs galore! If we could give you a tip for this part, we’d suggest a Powerpoint or video as the best form of media - you just need to give it to us beforehand.

Judges will then decide on the best pitch and the debut winner of ‘Future of Food’ will be crowned and presented with the top prize.

This is an entirely FREE event for entrants and attendees. There should be no financial barrier to contribute to such an important theme. Other than the time to prepare and your transport to the event, there is no cost.

This event is a not-for-profit event and has been philanthropically supported in its organisation.

The winner will be awarded a £10,000 grant and a gong for their efforts.

Finalists will each have mentorship to finesse their pitch and get to deliver it to some of the industries most influential stakeholders and each .

[We are currently negotiating key and relevant support from other industry related businesses]

Doors open for the 12 finalists at 11am on the 26th November at the Royal Geographical Society.

Each team will have a 3x3 pitch station to get ready.

From 1pm, finalists, attendees and judges will meet in the impressive seated auditorium to hear from three highly acclaimed individuals who will share their own insights into the Future of Food from their own diverse perspectives. This could be land, sea, air and possibly even space!

Teams will man their stations whilst judges and guests circulate, navigate and listen.

Following this, judges will preside and a popular vote will be cast. The top three teams will be announced and invited to the auditorium for a four minute presentation along with a Q&A with the judges. Questions from the audience are encouraged, along with any opportunities for debate.

At 4:30pm, the winner of Future of Food will be heralded with the £10,000 prize grant and gong. All finalists will receive a certificate and much recognition on our social media pages and amongst the food industry.

JUDGING CRITERIA

These are some of the things they will be looking out for:

What’s the problem? - Pitches need to clearly demonstrate the problem they are solving or the opportunity they are making the most of - any evidence of this will help. Time scales for success should be within the next 5-20 years or so.

Impact on Society - A key measure of a successful idea will be the impact the idea will have on society or communities in the future.

Why will it work? - They will be looking to see if you have considered success factors but also potential roadblocks concerning the viability and commerciality of the idea. Include assumptions or citations where you can, to back up your thinking.

How scalable is it? - Another important consideration is the scalability of the idea. This can either be the size the idea itself can have or the behavioral change it influencers on others to adapt or change. It doesn’t need to be the next unicorn - it could be a pressure brand disrupting and influencing change in much bigger companies.

Perfect your pitch - Finally, judges will be looking for well thought through and delivered pitches. If you are selected as one of the 12 finalists you will need to prepare any form of media can be used to bring your idea to life and engaging with the judges will be important. The top 3 finalists of the day will then be invited to present a 5 minute powerpoint to the audience from the stage. (All 12 finalists will need to send their finished presentations by the 22nd November)

For Round 1, there isn’t any support but the use of AI or any other source is perfectly fine - it’s here to stay and we should use it!

The 12 Finalists will be offered mentorship to perfect their pitch before the event and questions about the day can be answered too.

If you have any problems or queries, you can email barney@futureoffood.org.uk

In short, you can’t. But much like Dragons Den, Sharktank and any other pitching or even awards event what you are really saying is that you are going to deliver the idea - where other others may not have the skills, charm or tenacity to do so.

Many ideas are not completely original ideas - perhaps ‘borrowed’ and adjusted. It’s the actual doing that is then the toughest part of all.

If this is not a good enough answer for you then the event may not be for you - however, any positive influence you may have shaping the future of food that you can support - we’d love to have you along.

The idea here is to shine a spot light on the challenges and opportunities ahead and get early thinking for solutions underway.

Absolutely! Isn’t every opportunity with an audience just that?

Whilst it is not designed to be an investment pitch event - we want to encourage debate and discussion - undoubtedly if your idea turns heads you may find follow-on interest.

Think Dragons Den meets Tedx meets Model UN!

We have seating for 700 and we are hoping for quality, engaged food and drink enthusiasts from all corners of the industry.

Invites will reach retailers, press, suppliers, distributors, large corporates, group influencers, investors, M&A advisers and all manor of suppliers to the industry.

Whilst predominantly UK orientated, all nationalities are welcome. You need to be over 18 years old (unless accompanied by an adult) - teenagers are certainly welcome and encouraged to attend if not enter.

You might be a business or friends team (up to 4) or an individual.

You don’t have to already be in the food industry to pitch your idea.

Everyone is welcome to apply. The event is free to enter and attend in the hope of being as inclusive as possible for this important challenge.