New Trends in the F&B Sector due to Covid-19 and sustainability issues

In these challenging times of confusion and uncertainty, be aware of the dynamics of the market and be able to anticipate the future trends is crucial to success.

The companies who are capable of turning crisis into opportunities will lead the change in this fast-changing world.

Food and Beverage is a fascinating and vibrant sector, particularly committed to combining tradition and excellence with innovation and a cutting-edge marketing approach.

Understanding this is decisive to succeed in the industry. This is why Affiliate Professor Regina Brix, Academic Co-Director of the Master in International Food & Beverage Management and Marketing & Strategy Expert, hosted the online Masterclass "New Trends in the Food and Beverage Sector". She invited Michelle Vandamme, Project Lead Global R&D at Barry Callebaut Group and IFBM Alumna (Class of 2017), to discuss the newest marketing tendencies and gave some impactful insights about significant trends and changes due to Covid-19 and sustainability issues.

Prof Brix talked about the evolution of marketing in the last 30 years, which went from selling to making the world a better place: from a Product-centric Marketing to a Consumer-oriented Marketing while in recent time is emerging a Value-driven Marketing that has a totally different approach.

Special attention was devoted to sustainability issues, given that packaging and food waste are creating a strong concern for the consumers.

Prof Brix observed as Covid-19 crisis is giving us many challenges but at the same time a chance for change. Among the several opportunities, we can highlight: going digital with the exponential growth of e-commerce; companies need to be even closer to the consumer, implementing safety, trust and support; gaining back trust in global brands and much more.

Michelle pointed out the importance in her path of professional growth of the MSc in IFBM, especially of the company project and the many testimonials and confrontations with top managers of the sector to better understand what is going on in the market.

After the presentation, there was a meaningful discussion between the speakers and the audience during the Q&A session. The speakers had the chance to dive deeper into the topics that were more interesting for the participants.

The online masterclass gathered together about 200 people, from prospective students and students to alumni and managers. The webinar was a great opportunity to get a taste of ESCP teaching methodology and to discover more about the MSc in International Food & Beverage Management.