The food retail and hospitality channels are searching for products that perform on shelf and in service. In that context Food & Drink Expo 2026 takes place from 13 to 15 April in Birmingham, bringing together buyers and suppliers across retail, wholesale, foodservice, manufacturing and hospitality.
Practical information for Food & Drink Expo 2026 in Birmingham
The event runs from 13 to 15 April at the National Exhibition Centre NEC in Birmingham. The venue details appear in official information with the West Midlands address B40 1NT and contact numbers. The show combines exhibition halls with curated areas and staged sessions aimed at trade visitors.
Sectors and exhibitor profile for this edition
Food & Drink Expo 2026 gathers companies across the food value chain: retail buyers, convenience and wholesale operators, foodservice chains, ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers. The Future Foods area highlights health-led, functional and sustainable products, drawing buyers focused on wellness and product differentiation.
Programme features and highlighted zones
Programming includes sector stages such as The Grocer Stage and The Restaurant Stage. The event lists sessions and speakers as part of its schedule and showcases product zones where suppliers launch and demo innovations. Future Foods acts as a focused showcase for wellness and sustainability claims.
Key figures
Food & Drink Expo 2026 reports 30,000 attendees and 1,500 exhibitors. Those figures reflect a dense commercial environment with extensive buyer-supplier interactions across retail and foodservice channels.
Commercial outreach and networking tactics
- Pre-qualify targets by channel. Rank prospects by retail, convenience, foodservice and manufacturing buyers and allocate short visit windows per stand to maximize contacts.
- Bring a concise commercial package. One-sheet offers with indicative pricing, minimum order and lead times speed up decision-making on the floor.
- Fast demos win attention. If your product has sensory or functional advantages, prepare a one-minute demo or sample to illustrate the benefit. Future Foods provides visibility for functional and sustainable propositions.
- Schedule follow-ups before leaving. Log conversations in your CRM and commit to a next step within 48 hours to convert leads into quotes.
Final note and official link
For suppliers testing demand for health-led and sustainable products, Food & Drink Expo 2026 is a concentrated forum to validate offers and capture commercial leads. Register and check the programme at the official site https://www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk
