| Date: | Tuesday, 2 June 2026 |
| Venues: | Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Brunton Ave, Richmond (Melbourne) |
| 8.15 am | AustralianSuper Reconnect Breakfast |
| 8.15 am | Trade Exhibition Session |
| SESSION 1 | |
|---|---|
| 8.45 am |
Welcome Address Tim Piper AM, Head of the Australian Industry Group Confectionery Sector & Head of Australian Industry Group Victoria |
| 9:15 am |
Keynote: Tech to Taste – Shopping, Health and Cocoa Andrew Lawrey, Business Executive Officer - Confectionery and Snacks Oceania, Nestlé Australia |
| 10.00am |
Market Moves 2026 Kate Baker, Consultant, Circana |
| 10.30am | Energy Break proudly sponsored by GELITA Australia & Trade Exhibition Session |
| SESSION 2 | |
|---|---|
| 11.00am |
Keynote: Cocoa innovation Yeting Liu, Vice President, Cacao Coating Centre of Excellence and Customer Innovation & Technical Support AMEA, Barry Callebaut Chocolate Asia Pacific |
| 11.45am |
Where nature meets performance in natural colours for confectionery Jannice Peh, Senior Application Specialist & Mette Salling-Mortensen, Marketing Manager ANZ, Oterra |
| 12.30pm |
Potato starch as a gelling agent, what it means for today’s confectionery formulators Karen Xu, KMC kindly sponsored by Oxerra |
| 1.00pm | Lunch proudly sponsored by Fyna Foods & Trade Exhibition Session |
| SESSION 3 | |
|---|---|
| 2.00pm |
Confectionery Packet to a Confectionery Packet: Closing the loop on soft plastics Darren Thorpe, Managing Director, APR Plastics |
| 2.45pm |
Leveraging AI in food manufacture : Accelerating innovation and ensuring compliance Phillip Wills, Sales Manager – Australia / New Zealand, Centric Software |
| 3.15pm |
Do enjoyable treats fit into modern dietary thinking? Kim Tikellis, Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Consultant |
| 3.45pm |
Presentation of the Sollich Award |
| 4.00pm | Energy Break proudly sponsored by Hawkins Watts & Trade Exhibition Session |
| SESSION 4 | |
|---|---|
| 4.30pm |
Navigating a challenging and changing retail environment – an independents view Wayne Harrison, CEO Elect, Ritchies IGA kindly sponsored by Whittaker’s |
| 5.00pm | Elevator Pitch |
| 5.15pm | Panel Discussion |
| 5.45 pm | Networking Drinks proudly sponsored by Manildra Group in the MCG Members Long Room |
| 7.15 pm | ConTech Dinner sponsored by the Manildra Group |
| 10.30 pm | Close |
ConTech2026 will appeal to a broad range of confectionery and wider food industry professionals, including those in the fields of:
Jennifer Thompson
Technical & Regulatory Manager
Send an Email
Phone: 03 9867 0181
Mobile: 0418 223 170
Julie Gerrard
Event Coordinator
Send an Email
Mobile: 0407 326 160
