A diverse audience of food and drink professionals gathered on 14 October to gain insight into the sector's skills and innovation needs and the opportunities going forward.

Delegates heard from speakers, including representatives from the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, Sheffield Business School's Centre for Food Innovation and also Appetizing Innovation - an organisation that offers product and packaging support within the region.

The day's tone was set by Colin Beard from Sheffield Business School who captivated the audience with examples of innovative gadgets and novel ways of working. Colin encapsulated the thinking behind the event - encouraging people to look at things differently and spot the opportunities in everyday activities and experiences.

The day was drawn to a close with the summarised outcomes of the afternoon's workshops.

Presentations from the day and the workshop feedback can be downloaded below:

Justine Fosh, Director, The National Skills Academy (NSA) Food and Drink Manufacturing - Research feedback (PDF, 168KB) (PDF, 167.2KB)
(The full results of the research will be available on the NSA website at the end of October)

John Sorsby, Director of Food Innovation, Sheffield Business School - Introduction to Food Innovation (PDF, 142KB) (PDF, 141.8KB)

Simon Ranger, Managing Director, Seagreens Ltd (PDF, 406KB) (PDF, 405.8KB)

Dr Keith Hurst, Sheffield Hallam University - Psychology of Consumer Choice (PDF, 785.8KB)

Ian Blakemore, Head of Programme Management, Food Processing Faraday Partnership Ltd PDF, 478KB) (PDF, 477.3KB)

Skills Summit discussion groups summary (PDF, 107KB) (PDF, 104.4KB)