PKN+Food & Drink Business LIVE

LIVE returns to Melbourne in October

The Food & Drink Business + PKN LIVE breakfast forum returns to Melbourne on 11 October. With experts from the food, beverage and packaging industries taking the stage, expect insights and revelations about what it takes to be a truly brave brand. We’ll explore emerging opportunities that enable brands to connect more deeply with their tribe in both the digital and real world realms. We have also planned a ‘surprise and delight’ reveal for the day.

Speakers, panellists and delegates will include Teresa Cutter (The Healthy Chef), Natalie Moubarak (+Hemp), Nicole Ohm (Brownes Dairy), Michael McNulty (Blue Diamond Growers/Almond Breeze) and Cameron Prowse (Alternative Meat Co).

Our keynote speaker is Nikki Moeschinger, managing director of Brand Opus. She will provide a framework to create brands capable of affecting consumer behaviour, as well as explore how the pressure to deliver short-term results is leading to damaging, unsustainable, price-driven promotional activity that’s eroding the only defence we have against the rise of private label in the Australian retail landscape.

Also speaking is Matthew Hurle, co-founder of brand activation start-up Brandcrush. Hurle will give insight into what’s driving the brand activation phenomenon and demonstrate how Brandcrush works with brands and activation partners/hosts to facilitate product sampling and experiential marketing with a difference.

Chris Gray, managing director of The Daylight Agency, will reveal the key factors that make a brand brave in the eyes of consumers, while shining a spotlight on specific brands that have done just this.

The event, which includes a full sit-down breakfast, will take place at the Arts Centre, Melbourne CBD, from 7.30am – 11.00am on 11 October.

Tickets are available from www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au/live.

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July

Sydney’s iconic Bastille Festival returns this year from 17-20 July, drawing hundreds of thousands of food and wine lovers, music enthusiasts, and seekers of good vibes.

From the hottest chilli sauces to the smelliest cheese, the Margaret River to the Barossa, we scour the nation to find the most delicious and exciting products around and bring them all together in one place.

Discover the future of winemaking at WineTech 2025, Australia’s premier wine industry trade exhibition, taking place from 21-23 July at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Hosted by Weld Australia, this year's National Manufacturing Summit will be held from 23-24 July 2025 at the Shangri-La Sydney, bringing together a diverse group of industry stakeholders.

August

The 2025 AIFST Convention (AIFST25) will bring together Australia’s agrifood science and technology community for two days of cutting-edge insights, industry connections, and professional growth.

The Gluten-Free Expo is the largest dedicated gluten-free event in Australia. It provides an ideal platform to showcase your gluten-free products to targeted, qualified gluten-free consumers. 

The Australian National University (ANU) Agrifood Innovation Institute has partnered with not-for-profit organisation, Cellular Agriculture Australia (CAA), to bring the future of food to the nation’s capital. Made & Grown: The Future of Food will take place in Canberra on 21 August, spotlighting the biotechnologies shaping the Australian food system.

September

Australia’s largest and most influential food trade event is back in Sydney this year. Fine Food Australia 2025 will take place from 8–11 September at the ICC Sydney, and bring together the full foodservice, hospitality, and retail industry for four powerful days of product discovery, education, and business connection.

The 13th ICSD 2025 will be an opportunity to share ideas and research findings relevant to the Sustainability Science, through the European network of academics.

drinktec 2025 will bring together experts from the beverage and liquid food industry in Munich from 15-19 September 2025. drinktec aims to be the premiere platform for world firsts, where exhibitors from all over the world present the entire value chain with their innovative solutions for beverage and liquid food production.