MIFB 2024 to hold new conference on F&B trends

The inaugural MIFB 2024 Strategic Conference, held in conjunction with The Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) 2024 from July 17-19 will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

Featuring a three-day conference programme, the MIFB 2024 Strategic Conference will explore topics on green technologies, sustainability, food security, food tech, AI, Robotics, financing and business avenues, and the role of government policies in the sector. It will also focus on addressing the various real challenges facing today's F&B business community and facilitating meaningful conversations between conference participants and industry experts to future-proof Malaysia's F&B industry.

The programme will feature a session with Faisal Mansor, Country Director (Malaysia) of ProVeg International, who will discuss Future Foods Market Trends & Opportunities for Southeast Asia, where he will speak on key drivers behind current trends, and the growing demand for sustainable and ethical protein alternatives. He says, "We are an international nonprofit organisation recognised by the United Nations, that works with businesses and institutions to encourage the adoption of more plant-based options. We believe that by offering a wider variety of plant-based choices, restaurants, hotels, and catering services can attract more customers (locally & internationally) and create a more inclusive dining experience, while contributing to sustainability goals." John Vincent Gastanes, Co-Founder and CEO of Farm Konekt will speak on an innovative platform which is revolutionising the F&B supply chain by bridging the gap between farmers and markets.

Capital market expert and successful fund manager Chua Zhu Lian, Group MD of Vision Group discusses Strategies for Attracting Investors and Navigating IPO Potential for F&B Businesses, providing valuable insights on leveraging capital markets to supercharge growth. He shared, "What I observe is that many entrepreneurs who want to push further often face a ceiling in reaching the next stage of business, while competitors with better access to capital start to expand at a quicker pace and gain dominance in terms of market share and economies of scale. Through this session, I hope to enlighten more entrepreneurs on the power of financial markets, strategies to access capital, and how a CFO should support an entrepreneur in this journey to break through into the billion-dollar club." Chua is a value creator of over 10 billion. With his financial expertise, he will share how ambitious entrepreneurs can supercharge their business and structure their business to be IPO ready.

There will be talks by specialist food and chemical consultancy ChemLinked on new post-pandemic regulations for exporting to China and ASEAN countries. Other sessions to check out include topics on brewing sustainability – redefining the future of beverages, and sustainability in food choices, to name a few.

MIFB 2024 will feature the inaugural MYFoodTech, a comprehensive new platform that highlights the latest technological advances, solutions and services across key segments in the food value chain, reinforcing this year's theme of "Elevating the F&B business; Empowering innovations; and Enabling transformation".

The event is organised by Constellar and endorsed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). Both the conference and the exhibition are open to trade visitors and participants only. For Malaysian registered companies, 100% of early bird fees are claimable under HRD Corp. There is also a group registration discount of 20% for three or more persons.