Speaker Q&A (2018): Simon Stenning, MCA
Regular lunch! speaker Simon Stenning, strategic advisor at MCA, is hosting two MCA Briefings at this year’s show. He’ll be discussing food-to-go trends and opportunities within the UK Sandwich Market on opening day (20 Sept), followed by the Coffee Shop Market on 21 Sept.
Which food-to-go operator do you particularly admire and why?
Given my history of helping them to grow during the late 90’s, it has to be Pret. Everything we set up back then, has been taken on and further developed and sets the standard for everyone else.
What do you feel is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
A culture of excellence; this is more important than any perceived USP, as consumers will determine how good you are by the experience they receive, not how you think it should be.
What do you see as key trends for food-to-go in the coming year?
We’ve described FTG as changing from ‘work-week needs, to week-long wants’ and that is still important, but we also see that healthier eating, affordable sustainability and tech-led convenience are key to growth.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Helping clients to achieve their strategic aims through effective insight.
And the most challenging?
Impressing upon operators that there are benefits from investing into insight, rather than relying on gut feel.
How important is lunch! to the food to go sector?
lunch! provides a very useful melting pot of people, products, new ideas and inspiration.
Describe the lunch! trade show in 3 words:
Inspirational, educational, informational.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
There are always questions that arise from any insight, the challenge is to minimise the questions, and that inspires me to deliver better insight.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Throughout my life and career I have been given advice and inspiration from a lot of people, and I have taken a bit from everyone.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:
I have been a licensee of the National Gallery, with licensing sessions held at “the Board Of The Green Cloth in the verge of The Court Of St James”, at Buckingham Palace!
See Simon at lunch! 2018
The Sandwich & Food-to-Go Market – The MCA Briefing: 10.15am in Keynote Theatre 2 on Thursday 20 September.
The Coffee Shop & Food-to-Go Market – The MCA Briefing: 10.15am in Keynote Theatre 2 on Friday 21 September.
