Online Desk: A daylong Food and Beverage Marketing Fest 3.0 was held in Dhaka on Saturday night.

“Nestlé presents Food and Beverage Marketing Fest 3.0 Powered by Bakeman’s and Pusti, in association with Mojo” was organized by Brand Practitioners Bangladesh.

Under the theme “Seasoning Resilience, Savoring Success,” the fest encapsulated nine pivotal insights, keynote addresses, and panel discussions delving into the survival and thriving strategies within the dynamic landscape of the food and beverage industry.

Esteemed figures such as Managing Directors, Chief Executives, and Marketing Officers from leading companies graced the occasion, sharing invaluable perspectives on navigating the sector’s challenges and envisioning its future.

A captivating talk went down at the event, titled “Conversation of a Business Maestro and a Marketing Maestro.” Anis Ud Dowla, business maestro, shared valuable insights on how business skills, leadership, and marketing strategies all come together. The engaging conversation was moderated by marketing maestro Ashraf Bin Taj, General Secretary, Asia Marketing Federation.The conversation was a simple yet powerful exploration of what it takes to succeed and a session of sharing expertise to unravel the secrets of business brilliance.

The keynote speaker of the event Ashraf Bin Taj captivated the audience with his profound insights. This stalwart in the marketing realm brings over a decade of invaluable experience in steering major multinational food brands within the country towards success.

Dipesh Nag, Managing Director, Grameen Danone Foods Limited; Director of Sales and Marketing of T.K. Group of Industries, Md. Mofassel Haque; Chief Marketing Officer of Akij Bakers Limited Md Shafiqul Islam Tushar; Executive Director Marketing and Sales of City Group Zafar Uddin Siddiqui; Chief Executive Officer of Unique Hotel and Resort PLC Shakawat Hossain discussed how to streamline costs, increase revenue and sustain growth in food production, supply, and business operations in this turbulent global environment. The panel was moderated by Galib Bin Mohammed, Head of Strategic Business Unit, Meghna Group of Industries.

Savvy marketers in the world of marketing promotion talked about strategic communication to retain consumers in a highly competitive market. The panel was attended by Tasnuva Ahmed Tina, Managing Partner of Mindshare Bangladesh, Kazi Mohiuddin, Senior General Manager (Brand) of Meghna Group of Industries, Syed Gausul Alam Shaon, Managing Director of Dot Barth, Sayeda Umme Salma Jhumur, Chief Executive Officer of Ngage 360 and Prothom Alo Chief Digital Business Officer A B M Javed Sultan Pias.

Deep Dive into Market Challenges for Food and Beverage Marketers

Imranul Kabir Category Head, Marketing Bashundhara Group, Iftekharul Islam Dastgir, Business Development Specialist, International Distribution Company Bangladesh PLC and Faraz Hossain Rumman, Brand Communication Department Manager (Lead) of Navana Group spoke in this panel. They discuss what to do to address the market challenges to do business most effectively and efficiently in the fast-moving food consumer market. The panel was moderated by S.M.M. Ibrahim Mahmud, Sales and Marketing General Manager of Kazi & Kazi Tea Estate Limited.

Syed Iqbal Mahmud Hossain, Sales Director of Switzerland-based multinational company Nestlé Bangladesh PLC, took an insight session on “Power of Generating Demand Mindset: Bridging the Gap, Unlashing Prosperity”.

How to create synergy in the collaboration of suppliers, dealers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers in food and beverage market operations.

Debabrata Roy Chowdhury, Company Secretary and Head of Legal and Taxation of Switzerland-based multinational company Nestlé Bangladesh PLC, Chief Business Officer of Acme Consumer Products Limited Ashfaqur Rahman, Head of Business Partex Star Group Saidul Azhar Sarwar and Associate Head of Commercial HR, Perfetti Van Melle Rifaqat Rasheed talked about the synergy of communication channels, quality maintenance and customer satisfaction from sourcing of raw materials to reaching the product to the consumers. This panel was moderated by Mr. Quamrul Hasan, Business Director of ACI Limited.

Closing session “Crafting a Resilient Marketing Mix for Survival to Success” — moderated by Surayya Siddiqua, Director, Marketing & Sales, Grameen Danone Foods Limited — provided insight on how food businesses can move from survival to success using various marketing tools and techniques. Md Maidul Islam Chief Marketing Officer Akij Food and Beverage Limited, Sharfuddin Bhuiyan Shamol Head of Marketing, Transcom Beverage Limited and Shahid Bin Sarwar, Head of Marketing, Dan Food Bangladesh and Samid Bin Salam Managing Director, Kiva Han Grouppo were the panellists.

The Food and Beverage Marketing Fest 3.0 was graced with a momentous unveiling—the second edition of “Business Brillianz” magazine, a testament to excellence in the business domain. The cover proudly featured Mr Anis Ud Dowla, Chairman of ACI Group, a stalwart in Bangladesh’s business landscape.

Iftekhar Rafsan, a Gen Z representative, shared his journey from content creator to entrepreneur, presenting “Rafsan the ChotoBhai: A Gen Z Content Creator to Foodprenuer” at the event.

Brand Practitioners Bangladesh CEO Mirza Ileush expressed optimism about the Fest 3.0, addressing challenges in food production and market management. Anticipating growth for participating institutions and a boost to the national economy, he thanked approximately 250 marketing and sales professionals along with organizers, sponsors, guests, and media for their cooperation.