Introducing Arena Futures - helping millennials connect, develop and grow
By Berenice, Wednesday 17 June 2020
Are you a millennial, Gen Z-er or simply new to working in the foodservice and hospitality industry? Are you looking to build connections which will help you develop and grow in your career? If you or someone you know could answer yes to either of these questions, then please read on to find out more…
Arena Futures is the networking group launched to support the future of our industry. We’re looking for millennials and younger generations, or anyone new to the industry and trying to find their feet, as we want to bring together like-minded people who are at similar points in their career.
Arena Networking is renowned for uniting the leaders of our industry through its inspiring networking events. Eventually our members will go on to join this fantastic community, but in the meantime, we’re seeking to ‘bridge the gap’ with Arena Futures.
We’ve answered some frequently asked questions to help you find out more.
What is Arena Futures?
Launched in January 2020, we plan to host annual events around the themes of ‘building connections’, ‘developing our skills’ and ‘growing’. For now we’re taking our new community online and through our social presence, newsletters and hopefully some online webinars, we will bring budding professionals of our industry together to connect and develop virtually.
Who is Arena Futures run by?
With the support of Arena Director Lorraine Wood and the Arena committee, 12 young foodies have come together to form an Arena Futures committee. We have a range of backgrounds from facilities management companies and delivery apps through to food producers, comms specialists and hotel events teams - and we are looking for a diverse range of people to join us.
Pictured L to R Arena Futures committee: Charlie Fortune (Just Eat) Ellen Potts, Adam Richards, Natalie Tuckwood (ISS) Emily Lowery (Bidfood), Karis Thomas (Chair) (Upfield), Lewis Jansen (ISS), Richard Anthony (Biotiful Dairy), Victoria Joseph (William Murray PR & Marketing), David King (Bidfood). Committee members not pictured: Oliver Marcus Darrington (The Landmark Hotel) and James Turner (Nestle Professional)
What’s the difference between this and main Arena?
Arena runs a series of well-established events catered to and attended by many leaders of our industry and if you've been to one you will no doubt have enjoyed the impressive locations and 5-star menus. Whilst Arena Futures members are always welcome to buy tickets to the main Arena events, Arena Futures events are primarily geared towards millennials and gen z’s or those new to our industry; giving us an opportunity to meet and build relationships with our peers. Our events will be casual, fun and affordable - that's when they can start again! Until then, we want to continue online.
What’s the purpose?
As a committee, we have already made new connections with each other and that’s great! We want to help you build connections too, so that networking events become easier and so we can all develop and grow. We will aim to bring you content and speakers on topics that are relevant to where you are in your career now, so that you take some value away from each of our events and ensure your personal and professional development.
Is Arena Futures right for me?
If you feel you are either ‘young’ (this is for you to decide), or you are new to foodservice and hospitality (we’re talking up to a few years in) – then this is for you. You might be a chef, a waitress, a barmaid, a marketing manager, head of sales or category buyer. There’s a whole host of roles across our industry and we believe all of us can learn from each other.
There’s no joining fee or requirement to attend events. Just follow us on LinkedIn and join our email database and we will let you know about all future events and opportunities.
The Arena Futures committee looks forward to hearing from you!