IFEX – the International Food & Drink Event – returns to ExCeL London, bringing together 1,300+ global suppliers, 23,000 retail, food-service and manufacturing buyers, and a programme of trend-led talks designed to accelerate product discovery and commercial partnerships. The 2024 edition positions itself as the UK’s most comprehensive sourcing fair for ambient, fresh, frozen, organic, free-from, plant-based, seafood, meat and dairy products, plus drinks, ingredients and packaging solutions. Visitors register under 14 sector-specific trails, allowing them to map three packed days of tasting, sampling and contract negotiation against live cooking demonstrations, barista championships and the Great British Menu alumni showcase. A re-formatted “Launchpad” zone offers 200 first-time exporters guaranteed buyer meetings, while the “Taste the World” street-food court pairs emerging cuisines with importer-distributors searching for the next big flavour. Sustainability remains a core filter: a new “Net-Zero Trail” highlights certified low-carbon SKUs, refill systems and recyclable formats, supported by on-site carbon-footprint calculators and WRAP-led workshops on Scope 3 emissions. The Innovation Awards, judged by Tesco, Pret, Deliveroo and Wahaca, will shortlist 100 entries across gut-health, up-cycled ingredients, functional drinks and tech-enabled packaging. Conference content is split between the Global Food Outlook Theatre – where Rabobank, IGD and Mintel debate commodity volatility, post-Brexit labelling, and the EU Deforestation Regulation – and the Retail & Food-Service Strategy Hub, where speakers from Just Eat, Compass Group, Nando’s and Amazon Fresh outline omnichannel growth tactics, loyalty data monetisation and the shift to “mission-based” shopping. A parallel “Start-up Arena” gives 60 young brands 15-minute pitch slots to panels of venture capital and retail accelerator judges; the 2023 cohort secured £42 million in follow-on funding within six months. Networking is gamified through the IFEX Connect app: buyers set procurement alerts, suppliers upload certifications, and AI recommends matches before arranging 30-minute table meetings in a dedicated “Match & Meet” lounge. The event is strictly trade-only; under-16s are not admitted.