Emerging international seafood brand Fish Tales will bring a view from across the North Sea to this year’s UK Seafood Summit.
Marketing and sales director Winus Sloot has been revealed as the keynote speaker, as the second annual event boasts a strong international flavour.
He works alongside founder Bart van Olphen, one of Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube ‘heroes’, who launched his own brand from Amsterdam, Holland, in 2014.
Organiser Seafish, the public body that supports the country’s £10 billion industry, is expecting 300 people to converge on the Humber for the event – a widening of the regional summit hosted in and around Grimsby – the home of retail-focused UK seafood – for the past decade.
Delegates come from across the sector, government and the wider food industry for two days of debate and discussion.
This year’s theme is The Responsible Seafood Economy and day one of the prestigious event, which will be held at DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Hotel, will be hosted by the Young Seafood Leaders Network, launched at last year’s summit.
It will explore changing consumer preferences, habits and desire for sustainable products and what industry can do to attract the consumer of the future, with Simon Moriarty, director of trends for Mintel in Europe, Middle East and Africa, a major draw.
Day two will focus on seafood supplies and operations, exploring the workforce of tomorrow, sustainability, and innovations.
Keynote speaker Mr Sloot is part of the headline-grabbing business that works with responsible fishing communities and encourages its customers, retailers and chefs to explore the world of fish.
Ahead of his first visit, the opening speaker said: “Being relatively new to working in the seafood industry I am very excited to speak at the UK Seafood Summit.
“At Fish Tales, we seriously love seafood and we want the world to be able to enjoy it forever. I am honoured to further share and discuss our brand’s mission and vision in a continuously changing consumer environment.”
Other speakers, who will all talk on the changing nature of seafood sourcing, innovations in technology and the evolution of the workforce, include: Max Mossler, co-founder and managing editor of the Sustainable Fisheries UW website; Laky Zervudachi, director of sustainability at Direct Seafoods; Yvonne Adam, marketing director at Young’s Seafood; Mike Mitchell, consultant for M&S; Roy Angelvik, Norwegian Seafood Council; Dr Huginn Freyr Thorsteinsson, partner at Aton Consulting; Angela Coleshill, competitiveness director at Food and Drink Federation; Jean-Charles Gordon, fisheries analyst at Ocean Mind; Sven Edgren, from DNV GL and Daniel Whittle, managing director at Whitby Seafoods.
Seafish chief executive, Marcus Coleman, said: “The year’s summit focuses on market demands, operations and supplies and highlights the positive work going on to make the UK seafood industry responsible and identifies opportunities to improve.
“We’ve got some exceptional speakers lined up from around the world including the US, Norway and Holland. This event provides an invaluable opportunity for the industry to come together to network, share ideas and discuss major issues, ensuring a thriving seafood industry for all.”
The two-day summit opens on Wednesday, October 16, and includes the well-established seafood fayre networking evening, showcasing seafood from around the UK, on the first night.
The event is free and registration is open for those who wish to attend.
