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- Vertical Farming World Congress
Vertical Farming World Congress
Hundreds of millions are being invested in vertical farms across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Japan and beyond. How big can the industry grow? Will it replace traditional agriculture? Which technology is best – aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic? Which crops are most profitable? Will they boost supermarkets or will they come direct to our homes? This 1st Vertical Farming World Congress will enable you to hear from leading global players and network with key figures from across the industry. Bringing together vertical farming operators, investors, suppliers and experts, our aim is to debate and help advance the sector’s future.
About the event
Hundreds of millions are being invested in vertical farms across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Japan and beyond. How big can the industry grow? Will it replace traditional agriculture? Which technology is best – aeroponic, aquaponic or hydroponic? Which crops are most profitable? Will they boost supermarkets or come direct to our homes?
This 1st Vertical Farming World Congress will enable you to hear from leading global players and to network with key figures from across the global industry. Bringing together vertical farming operators, investors, suppliers and experts, our aim is to debate and help advance the sector’s future.
Programme highlights include:
- Virtual vertical farm tours
- 1-1 video call networking opportunities
- Market opportunity and funding insights
- Industry leadership panel
- Focus on aeroponics, aquaponics, hydroponics choices
- Technology briefing from plant growth to robotics
- Key innovator case studies
- Plus funding panel, workshops and one to one meetings.
This is where the world of vertical farming will meet virtually to develop the sector’s future. Make sure you secure your place to stay ahead of your competition.
For a guided tour of Zenith Global's 2020 virtual event platform, please view our preview video here.
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Speakers include
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Tuesday 22 September
Selection of virtual farm tours
A series of 5 minute delegate presentations introducing ideas for transforming and expanding the world of vertical farming
Join other delegates from your region to network in moderated social discussion. Bring your own produce, ideas or questions to provide topical introduction. Group sizes of 15-25 are envisaged, with initial regional breakdowns for Americas, West Europe, East Europe, Middle East, Africa. Asia reception will be at 08.00 UK time on 23 September.
Moderated social gathering for introductions and networking.
Wednesday 23 September
Ian Cox, Innovation lead - AgriTech for Innovate UK with £80 million UK Government capital programme
Christine Zimmermann-Loessl, Chairwoman of the Association for Vertical Farming, Germany
Henry Gordon Smith, Founder of Agritecture.com, Czech Republic
Questions and discussion
Networking and refreshment break
James Lloyd-Jones, Founder and Managing Director of Jones Food Company, United Kingdom
David Rosenberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AeroFarms, United States
David Farquhar, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Growth Solutions, United Kingdom
Mike Zelkind, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of 80 Acres Farms, United States
Panel discussion with audience questions
Julia Kurnik, Director of Innovation Start-Ups at World Wildlife Fund, United States
Questions and discussion
Networking refreshment break
Jamie Burrows, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vertical Future, United Kingdom
Thomas Marino, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Circle, Italy
Grahame Dunling, Chief Executive Officer of Uns Hydroponic Farms, United Arab Emirates
Questions and discussion
Networking refreshment break
Eri Hayashi, Vice President and Director – International Relations and Consulting for Japan Plant Factory Association, Japan
Professor Leo Marcelis, Head of Horticulture and Product Physiology Group at Wageningen University, Netherlands
Michelle Bonahoom, Chief Executive Officer at Heilux LLC, United States
Josh Lessing, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Root AI, United States
Questions and discussion
Moderated social gathering in groups of up to 25 delegates on first come, first-served basis. The first 25 join group 1, the second 25 join group 2 etc.
Close
Thursday 24 September
Moderated discussions of up to 25 delegates each around specific topical issues to be selected.
Dr Yasemin Bradley, Nutrition and Diet Consultant, Turkey
Questions and discussion
Networking refreshment break
Michael Dean, Founding Partner of AgFunder
Giles Hawkins, Partner of Ashfords
Eli Aheto, Partner of Virgo Investment Group
Sanjeev Krishnan, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of S2G Ventures
Olivia O'Brien, Business Development Director of Growing Underground, United Kingdom
Jack Farmer, Co-founder and Operations Director of LettUs Grow, United Kingdom
Tobias Peggs, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square Roots, United States
Jesper Hansen, Chief Commercial Officer of YesHealth Group, Taiwan
Questions and discussion
Networking refreshment break
Carmela Cugini, Chief Revenue Officer of Bowery Farming, United States
Eliana Zamprogna, Chief Technology Officer M-Industry for Migros, Switzerland
Questions and discussion
Close
Speakers
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Mike Zelkind
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of 80 Acres Farms
Mike Zelkind, co-founder and CEO of 80 Acres Farms knew that food wasn’t what it used to be. He wanted to make it better by creating a new kind of farm, one capable of producing an abundance of crop varieties year-round, grown completely indoors.
80 Acres is a founding member of the Infinite Acres partnership venture, along with Netherlands-based Priva Holding BV, a leading provider of technology solutions and automation systems, and Ocado Group, one of the world’s largest dedicated online grocery retailers.
Over Mike's 30-year career, he held Senior Executive roles within leading Domestic and International companies, including Fortune 50 Food & Beverage, Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods Companies, as well as major Consulting and Private Equity Firms.
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David Rosenberg
CEO and Co-Founder of AeroFarms
David Rosenberg co-founded and leads AeroFarms, a mission-driven company that builds and operates advanced vertical farms in urban environments.
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Michael Dean
Founding Partner of AgFunder
AgFunder Founding Partner. Michael has spent over 25 years in food and agriculture, venture capital, environmental sustainability and carbon markets, social impact and law.
Prior to starting AgFunder, Michael was a founding partner of SeedRock Capital Partners and SeedRock Africa Agriculture, a social impact investment agribusiness based in West Africa. As a lawyer, Michael advised numerous large investment and operating entities on their multi-sector acquisition and development activities. He has substantial experience of large-scale environmental and sustainability projects as well as acquisitions incorporating complex environmental, development and structuring issues. Michael holds an LL.B and an LL.M degree in International Environmental Law from the University of Sydney.
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Henry Gordon-Smith
Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Agritecture Consulting
Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies.
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Giles Hawkins
Partner of Ashfords
Giles is a Corporate Partner in Ashfords' Technology Team.
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Christine Zimmermann-Lössl
Chairwoman of the Association for Vertical Farming
The AVF is an internationally active nonprofit organisation of individuals, companies, research institutions and universities focusing on leading and advancing the sustainable growth and development of the vertical farming movement.
Christine has a background in studying political science, sinology and philosophy at Munich University - which was the starting point for her interest in international work. She has worked in different Asian countries which has given her experience and deeper insight in the culture and people. In Germany, she benefited from this as a project manager for risk analysis and crisis management. Networking was always easy for Christine and she founded the Asia Network Information Center – a research and project organisation bridging East and West. Later on, as the representative for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in China, she took responsibility in different areas and led a German-Chinese Management Institute, initiated environmental protection and poverty alleviation projects, as well as engaged in women’s programs.
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Carmela Cugini
Chief Revenue Officer of Bowery Farms
Carmela Cugini is the Chief Revenue Officer at Bowery Farming, the modern farming company on a mission to reimagine farming from the ground up.
Cugini’s has more than two decades of experience leading teams and developing winning strategic partnerships in the retail and consumer packaged goods categories. Before joining Bowery in 2019, she served in multiple leadership roles within Walmart’s U.S. eCommerce team, including VPGM for Walmart’s Online Grocery business during and after their acquisition of Jet.com. Prior to her role at Jet.com, Cugini spent 13 years with PepsiCo and four years at Merrill Lynch.
Cugini’s passion for leadership development and diversity has played a key role throughout her career, and she currently serves as the executive sponsor for the LGBTQ employee resource group at Bowery.
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Olivia O'Brien
Business Development Director of Growing Underground
Olivia O’Brien is Zero Carbon Food (t/a Growing Underground)’s Business Development Director, focusing on the company's strategic trajectory and driving forward retail sales and partnership opportunities.
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David Farquhar
Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Growth Solutions
David serves as the CEO at IGS, a Scottish-based agritech business.
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Ian Cox
Innovation Lead - AgriTech for Innovate UK
As Innovation Lead for the Agri-Tech Centres within the Agri-Food team at Innovate UK, Ian is leading the £100 million programme developing the four Centre’s for Agricultural Innovation as part of the UK’s Strategy for Agricultural Technologies.
Ian has also developed agri-tech funding calls with China. With a Degree in Microbiology from the University of Leeds, Ian also has an MBA from Sheffield Business School, and is both a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Biologist, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
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James Lloyd-Jones
Founder and Managing Director of Jones Food Company
James Lloyd Jones is the founder of Jones Food Company, Europe’s largest vertical farm.
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Eri Hayashi
Vice President and Director – International Relations and Consulting for Japan Plant Factory Association, Japan
Eri Hayashi is Vice President/Director of International Relations and Consulting, Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), a non-profit organisation devoted to academic and business advancements in the Plant Factory / Vertical Farm/CEA industry.
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Jack Farmer
Co-founder and Operations Director of LettUs Grow
Jack Farmer is the Co-Founder and Operational Lead of LettUs Grow, a start-up using innovative aeroponic technology to design the next-generation of indoor farms.
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Eliana Zamprogna
Chief Technology Officer M-Industry for Migros, Switzerland
Eliana Zamprogna has been Chief Technology Officer at Migros Industry since 2017 - Switzerland's largest supermarket chain.
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Josh Lessing
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Root AI
Josh is one of the world’s leading minds on dexterous robotics, previously serving as the Director of R&D at Soft Robotics Inc.
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Sanjeev Krishnan
Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at S2G Ventures
Sanjeev has nearly 20 years of experience in sourcing, executing, managing and exiting venture and private equity investments, with a focus in agriculture and food companies.
He is passionate about the role of innovation, entrepreneurship, markets and system investing as a theory of change. Sanjeev has worked in the intersection of sustainability, technology and health in many regions, including Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. He has invested over $500 mm in venture and growth stage firms throughout his career.
Sanjeev began investing as a co-founder of the life sciences practice of the IFC, the $99 billion private investment arm of the World Bank. His previous investment roles include CLSA Capital Partners, Global Environment Fund, World Bank Group’s IFC and JPMorgan. Sanjeev is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Tobias Peggs
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square Roots
Tobias is co-founder and CEO of Square Roots, a tech-enabled urban farming company growing local, real food, year-round, while simultaneously training future generations of farmers.
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Thomas Marino
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Circle
As an entrepreneur, Thomas co-founded The Circle - the biggest agricultural aquaponic company in Italy, with a wealth of technological content.
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Grahame Dunling
Chief Executive Officer of Uns Hydroponic Farms
Grahame is a Fourth-generation grower with over 40 years extensive knowledge in horticulture where he has grown in glasshouses, polytunnels and warehouses all over the world.
While pioneering many new innovations in the industry, notably been the first to grow all year round in greenhouses in Bahrain, after moving to Dubai to start growing vertically inside warehouses. While combatting 50c heat and 80% humidity he focused on growing Gourmet Salads for the high-end chefs and restaurants. Now the CEO of Uns Farms he is doing the same by providing high quality salads in the form of ready to eat Baby Leaf salads which are supplied daily to the supermarkets of Dubai.
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Jamie Burrows
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vertical Future
Jamie Burrows is Founder and CEO of Vertical Future, which he set up in 2016 following 10 years working in Health, Life Sciences, and Economic Regeneration.
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Eli Aheto
Partner of Virgo Investment Group
Eli is a partner at Virgo Investment Group and has over twenty years of experience in private credit, private equity and distressed debt investing.
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Professor Leo Macelis
Head of Horticulture and Product Physiology Group at Wageningen Univeristy
Prof Dr Leo Marcelis is head of the chair group Horticulture and Product Physiology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
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Julia Kurnik
Director - Innovation Start-Ups at World Wildlife Fund
As the Director, Innovation Start-Ups at WWF, Julia works to identify innovative trends and evolving global market issues and to strategize and develop entrepreneurial solutions to major sustainability concerns in food and agriculture.
Before that, Julia spent four years in the research world at Hart Research Associates and then as the Director of Research and Policy at the National Women’s Business Council where she created a new research vision to re-energize a defunct organization and partnered with the private sector to create a policy agenda focused on meeting the needs of small businesses. Prior to her time in the research world, Julia spent nearly two years on the first Obama campaign traveling across the county building large constituent and volunteer coalitions in communities as diverse as inner-city Philadelphia to rural South Carolina.
For the past two years, Julia has worked as an adjunct professor at Rutgers Business School where she designed and now teaches in the Social Entrepreneurship program. Julia holds an SB from MIT, an MBA in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPA focused on sustainability from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
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Dr Yasemin Bradley
Nutrition and Diet Consultant
Yasemin Bradley is a Medical Doctor, Nutrition & Diet consultant, and renowned Turkish television broadcaster and media expert.
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Michelle Bonahoom
Chief Executive Officer of Heilux LLC
As a forerunner and industry leader, Chief Executive Officer Michelle Bonahoom successfully leads a growing organisation and team as they innovate and educate on the power of LumaFilm & GrowFilm lighting technologies.
Michelle is passionate about giving back. She invests in her community through non-profit board service and through teaching leadership, entrepreneurship, and self-discovery through her church and as an adjunct professor for several community colleges. Michelle is also a local chapter leader of the Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors. She loves to spend her free time with her family, reading and dreaming, and advocating for emerging leaders.
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Jesper Hansen
Chief Commercial Officer of YesHealth Group
YesHealth Group, based in Taiwan, is a mission-driven company with the goal to transform agriculture and create sustainable practices that do not harm the environment.
1-1 networking
Expand your network
Zenith Global’s events are renowned for providing extensive networking opportunities. As we go virtual with our 2020 events, we aim to create even more ways for you to expand your network, with access to all delegates through the instant chat and 1-1 video meeting functions.
- Give attendees an instant introduction to who you are and your networking goals through your customisable profile. Build your profile with additional links, such as your company website and LinkedIn.
- View all event attendees and use search filters to find those individuals who are most relevant to your needs.
- Invite and schedule 1-1 video meetings with delegates and speakers throughout the day and especially in the dedicated networking breaks. Invite additional delegates to join the call to facilitate a wider conversation.
- Instantly connect with other attendees through the private chat function.
- In a rush? Create a “want to meet” list of delegates you wish to connect with that you can revisit later.
- Access the platform days ahead of the Congress to begin building your profile, programme your agenda and arrange meetings, with ongoing access available in the weeks following the event.
For a guided tour of Zenith Global's 2020 virtual event platform, please view our preview video here.
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Virtual event preview
For a guided tour of Zenith Global's 2020 virtual event platform, please view our preview video:
If you have any questions, please reach us at events@zenithglobal.com.
Attendees
Delegates registered for this year's event include:
Through our virtual event platform you can view all event attendees and use search filters to find those individuals who are most relevant to your needs.
In addition to being able to initiate a conversation through the chat function, you can invite and schedule 1-1 video meetings with delegates and speakers throughout the day and in the dedicated networking breaks.
| Pay by 28 Aug Extended Early booking rate | Pay by 22 Sep Standard booking rate | ||
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| Full Congress | Each delegate | £395.00 | £450.00 |
| Concession* | £195.00 | £225.00 |
Substitutions will be accepted up to 21 September. Bookings are subject to Zenith Global Event Terms and Conditions, available here.
*A concession rate is offered to start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs. To be eligible, companies must be within two years of formation and with annual sales below £1 million. For more information and to book this rate, please contact e events@zenithglobal.com t +44 (0)1225 327900
Sponsorship
We have a range of virtual sponsorship packages available which will offer unique and effective opportunities to showcase your brand and services to a highly relevant audience. We can tailor a bespoke package to suit your needs and budget.
To view available sponsorship packages and prices, click here
Sponsorship opportunities
Packages include the following capabilities:
- View all event attendees and use search filters to find those individuals who are most relevant to your needs.
- Give attendees an instant introduction to who you are and your networking goals through your customisable profile. Build your profile with additional links, such as your company website and LinkedIn.
- Invite and schedule meaningful 1-1 video meetings with delegates and speakers throughout the day. Invite additional delegates to join the call to facilitate a wider conversation.
- Customise your dedicated sponsor page with downloadable multimedia content and messaging.
- Instant feedback and interaction using real-time interactive features such as polling and Q&As. Attendees can share documents, chat with other attendees and share their views and opinions.
- Take advantage of your virtual booth where you can instantly connect with interested attendees, simulating a real-life event.
- Use measurable event analytics that capture real-time valuable data and insights, promoting lead generation and showing positive ROI.
- Revisit the portal in the weeks following the event to re-watch recorded sessions and access important information and contact details that may have been missed initially.
The advantages of virtual allow you to:
- Stay relevant and connected to your existing clients and reach new audiences.
- Raise your brand awareness and learn from your industry peers.
- Use your time more effectively, as you no longer need to worry about logistics, travel, accommodation etc.
- Reduce your impact on the environment as you lower your carbon footprint by going digital.
For more information, please contact Lisa Solovieva
e lsolovieva@zenithglobal.com t +44 (0)1225 327941
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Contact
For more information regarding this year's Vertical Farming World Congress, please contact
Lisa Solovieva at lsolovieva@zenithglobal.com or call +44 (0)1225 327900