A business conference for the county's food and drink producers will be staged in May.

The Food and Drink Conference 2019 will be organised by Produced in Kent and will take place on Wednesday, May 1, at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

The event is sponsored by HSBC.

Organisers say it will bring together a number of experts and business leaders from the food and drink industry nationally and regionally, who will be sharing their knowledge, insight and experiences, "to help encourage and inspire businesses of the future".

It is estimated there are some 2,500 food and drink businesses in Kent, employing 17,000.

Conference speakers include:

Allan Wilkinson, head of food and agriculture, HSBC; Ian Wright, chief executive, Food and Drink Federation; Chris Hayward, Kantar Worldpanel; Sarah Carroll, Grow Global; Al Shariat, Coconut Merchant; Des Kingsley, Thanet Earth; Sue Nelson, Breakthrough Group; James Pomeroy, economist HSBC; Olivier Morel, Cripps; Samuel Cliff, Worldwide Fruit; and Dr Umair Shafi Choksy, lecturer in strategy and international business at the university.

Stephanie Durling at Produced in Kent said: “Kent has a very diverse, innovative and dynamic food and drink industry, which is well supported and which has the potential for much greater annual growth, creating more jobs and further opportunities for investment.

“We are encouraging businesses to think outside the UK and we will look to global trends, overseas markets and hear the direct experiences of some of the region’s and the UK’s most successful businesses.

"Whether you are a sole trader or running an industry leading food and drink business, this conference provides the opportunity to network, explore market insights and trends and to be a part of the wider conversation for the future.”

For details on how to attend visit the Produced in Kent website.

Read more: All the latest business news from Kent.