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11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Thank you for making the Food Connoisseurs India Convention 2025 – West India Edition a Grand Success!

11th June 2026 | NESCO Centre, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Agenda

Time

Session

09:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Conference Registration along with Networking Tea

10:00 AM - 10:05 AM

Welcome Address

10:05 AM - 10:15 AM

Inaugural Keynote Address



10:15- 11:05 AM

Session 1: The West India F&B Power Curve: Decoding a region where legacy taste meets luxury aspiration

  • West India’s evolving diner preferences, hyperlocal nuances, and rising experiential trends

  • Starting a Restaurant, QSR, Cloud Kitchen or F&B Business—how to tackle its Pros & Cons

  • How cities are redefining culinary experimentation

  • The role of cultural nostalgia in menu engineering

  • Market insights: understanding hyperlocal preferences

  • Behavioural shifts—solo dining, late-night ecosystems & brunch culture

  • Rise of experiential gastronomy and chef-driven storytelling

  • The competitive matrix: national chains vs homegrown powerhouses

11:05 AM – 11:15 AM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM

Session 2: The Restaurant of the Future—Tech, Talent & Transformation

    • Creating intelligent, human-centric F&B ecosystems

    • AI-enabled forecasting, staffing & service orchestration

    • Robotic kitchens, smart appliances & automated inventory discipline

    • Bridging the skill gap—crafting a future-ready culinary workforce

    • Guest experience personalisation powered by data

    • Strengthening back-of-house efficiencies through IoT

    • Future POS ecosystems—omnichannel integration & payment fluidity

    • Sustainability-led design: energy optimisation & waste minimisation



12:00 PM – 12:40 PM

Session 3: Culinary Creativity & Menu Innovation – Where bold ideas meet regionally-rooted authenticity

      • Navigating the balance between hyperlocal flavours & global formats

      • Ingredient innovation—millets, coastal produce, microgreens, global food, vegan

      • Seasonal engineering for cost, consistency & variety

      • Sweet spot of indulgence—reinventing mithai, customized pastries, cakes & dessert artistry

      • Crafting iconic signature dishes with staying power

      • Elevating food gastronomy through Menu R&D

      • Creative plating & design trends for modern Indian dining

12:40 PM – 1:35 PM

Session 4: The ‘Profitability Stack’ for Modern Restaurants – Decoding the economics behind sustainable success, franchising & expansion in the F&B Landscape

        • Identifying profit power-centres across menu, manpower & marketing

        • Unlock the blueprint for expanding — from cozy cafés and high-energy QSRs to dessert bars and artisanal bakeries & more

        • Essentials of creating scalable concepts—how structured franchise models accelerate growth

        • Best-in-class cost control & dynamic pricing

        • Franchising as a Profit Multiplier

        • Building revenue durability—delivery + dine-in balance

        • Vendor negotiations, local sourcing & backward integration

        • Smart planning for long-term ROI

        • Understanding the new-age investor lens

        • Profitability benchmarks for premium, midscale & QSR formats



1:35 – 2:15 PM

NETWORKING LUNCH 

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM

Session 5: Hospitality Leadership for the New Era – Building resilient, people-forward environment in Hotels

  • Talent wars—attracting & growing the right people

  • Culture-building strategies for multi-unit F&B groups

  • Leadership agility in a volatile hospitality environment

  • Emotional intelligence & empathy-led service delivery

  • Training frameworks that create lifelong hospitality professionals

  • Crisis response playbooks for operations & reputation

  • Gender diversity, inclusivity & modern workforce expectations

3:05 PM – 3:15 PM

KEYNOTE ADDRESS 

3:15 PM – 4:10 PM

Session 6: West India’s Beverage Renaissance – From the art of mixing to craft cocktails and functional wellness drinks

* The booming craft mixology scene of West India, craft beers, new flavours, authentic taste
* Non-alcoholic beverage innovation—functional, fermented, botanical
* Bar tech, food pairing with drinks, ambience & innovation in breweries, bars, lounges and nightclubs
* Designing beverage programmes with purpose and storytelling
* Local terroir—Goan spirits, Indian wines, artisanal distilleries
* Beverage profitability: margins, menu design & pairing strategies
* Evolving consumer expectations at bars & lounges
* How unique bars are redefining menus with signature infusions, craft techniques & regional ingredients
* From Vineyard to Kitchen: Pairing with Purpose
* Experiential Dining as a Brand Strategy – Moving beyond food to create immersive concepts
* Harmony on the Palate: Food & Beverage Synergy

4:30 PM ONWARDS

AWARDS REGISTRATION

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

NETWORKING COCKTAILS

5:45 ONWARDS

AWARDS PRESENTATION CEREMONY FOLLOWED BY NETWORKING DINNER