The opening session entitled ‘Connecting with customers and consumers’ featured Paul Martin, MD of host bottler Water Brands Ltd, renowned for the Harrogate Spa and Thirsty Planet brands. He talked about ‘Seeking space to grow’, and without giving too much away described how both brands had achieved success in the past two years.
The keynote address – ‘Water on the go’ – was given by Noel Toolan, chief marketing officer of SSP Group. He looked at the ‘hydration heaven’ of providing bottled water in SSP’s prime business arenas: airports and railway stations. Reminding delegates that travellers have ‘only one hand’, he challenged them to innovate in this important sector.
Closing the session with insights on how to follow consumer trends was Jonathan Banks, insight director at Nielsen Company Ltd. Zenith International chairman, Richard Hall, led a lively question and answer session.
After a hydration break, three speakers looked at market realities and opportunities. Zenith International chief operating officer, Charles Phillips, provided a rundown of global, regional and UK statistics before looking at market themes and developments. He concluded that the UK industry was set to grow steadily over the next three years. (For more on Zenith’s findings, see Richard Hall’s latest blog – Bottled water back to growth in Britain.)
Rebecca White, head of marketing at Nestlé Waters UK discussed how to communicate the benefits of water to consumers. Closing the session, Nadine Slyper, marketing manager for Volvic at Danone Waters (UK & Ireland), looked at ‘Closing the loop: a journey to plastics neutrality’.
Lunch was followed by a focus on innovation. Opening the session entitled ‘Innovation for success’ was Jonathan Sands, member of The Design Council and chairman of Elmwood branding agency, who explained how to reinvent and reposition brands. Caroline Hipperson, marketing director of Lucozade Sport for GlaxoSmithKline plc looked in detail at sports hydration. Closing the session, Jules Birch, founder of Works With Water Nutraceuticals looked at how to deliver ‘real’ functionality.
The event rounded off with two insight workshops. Gordon Robinson, senior operations consultant at Zenith International, ran a workshop on how to minimise cost and maximise efficiencies, while FoodBev Media group editorial director, Bill Bruce, presented an illustrated workshop on water innovation around the world.
Many of the themes and discussion points will no doubt be revisited during the 6th Global Bottled Water Congress in Istanbul from 10-12 November.
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