The Bidfood Industry Hub will put the business of hospitality centre stage when Hostex 2026 opens its doors from 8 to 10 March at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Positioned in Hall 2, the Bidfood Industry Hub is the show’s dedicated thought leadership theatre. It is a live platform where conversations shaping foodservice, hospitality and beverage happen in real time.
Sponsored by Bidfood, the Hub brings together operators, suppliers, innovators and industry leaders. Over three days, visitors will experience practical learning and open dialogue. Each day concludes with the SA Food Stories launch moments, recognising the people shaping the sector.
What to Expect at the Bidfood Industry Hub
The programme has been curated around the realities of running and growing hospitality businesses in South Africa and beyond. You can explore more about the event’s history in this article on Hostex at 40: A Legacy of Trust, Taste and Tenacity.
Across the three days, visitors can expect:
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Power Hits: fast, focused conversations with practical takeaways
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Live panels: unpacking industry shifts, opportunities and challenges
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Conversations: deeper thinking from respected leaders
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Q&As: giving the audience a seat at the table
Sessions explore the commercial heartbeat of the sector. Topics include the role of beverage as a growth engine, the future signals shaping hospitality, sustainability compliance in 2026 and beyond, technology-driven innovation, and building people-centred teams for a fast-evolving industry.
Agenda Highlights at the Bidfood Industry Hub
Across three days, the Bidfood Industry Hub theatre programme tackles the key topics operators are grappling with today.
Sunday: Hospitality Innovation and Technology
Sunday, 8 March, includes sessions on building a hospitality business that lasts. Speakers also explore how smart technology supports service and the rise of low or no and functional beverages.
Another session focuses on approaching AI without the hype, helping operators understand how emerging technology can support hospitality operations.
Monday: Beverage Growth and People Development
Monday, 9 March, shifts the conversation to beverage as a growth engine. Discussions explore what the “future” really sounds like for the hospitality sector.
Sessions also examine sustainability commitments and why people development matters more than job titles when building teams for the future of hospitality.
Tuesday: Sustainability, Coffee and Local Sourcing
Tuesday, 10 March, focuses on the real cost of food waste and how kitchens can address it.
The programme also explores how food and hospitality businesses can drive inclusive growth, the importance of specialty coffee that delivers quality and consistency, and how local sourcing can work at scale.
The Bidfood Industry Hub forms part of Hostex’s 40-year milestone edition, reinforcing the event’s role as a place where the industry gathers to buy, sell, think and plan ahead. For a broader look at these shifts, read The State of SA Hospitality 2026: Macro Industry Trends.
Industry Leaders Sharing Insights
Speakers at the Bidfood Industry Hub include Hostex 2026 Ambassadors and leading industry experts.
Some of the names sharing their insights include:
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Gustav Pieterse (FEDHASA and Saxon Hotel)
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Iain Evans (True North Media & Coffee Magazine)
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Lindiwe Sangqweni-Siddo (City Lodge Hotel Group)
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Trevor Boyd (City Lodge Hotel Group)
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Happy Ngidi (Proudly SA)
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Omelele Mmbo (FNB)
Additional industry experts include Jane Russill (Bidfood South Africa), Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa (Tourism Business Council South Africa), Boota Pitso (Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa), Lorraine Jenks, and Chef Coovashan “Coo” Pillay, President of the SA Chefs Association, among many others.
SA Food Stories Takes Centre Stage
Each day at the Bidfood Industry Hub, the focus shifts from business conversations to celebrating South African food culture through the SA Food Stories vodcast series.
The watch parties are hosted by published Penguin Random House author, TV chef and health expert Nicci Robertson. She introduces the guest influencer and hosts the screening of highlights from the first 12 episodes in the SA Food Stories series.
Each day also features a conversation with a published chef-author, followed by a book signing in partnership with Penguin:
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Sunday: Naqiyah Mayat
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Monday: Kenneth Tebogo Middleton
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Tuesday: Zanele Van Zyl
The series highlights the people, stories and ideas shaping South African food culture, connecting personal journeys with the commercial conversations explored earlier in the day.
By hosting the watch parties inside the Bidfood Industry Hub, storytelling connects directly with the realities facing operators and suppliers across the hospitality sector.
A Space Designed for Real Industry Connection
The Bidfood Industry Hub supports Hostex’s mission to create interactive platforms that strengthen engagement between exhibitors and visitors.
“The Bidfood Industry Hub reflects exactly what Hostex stands for,” says Lerato Nako, Events Manager of Hostex. “It creates a space where the industry can step back from the day-to-day, engage with the bigger picture and leave with ideas that strengthen their businesses.”
“For Bidfood, the Industry Hub is more than a sponsorship,” says Lindy Arnold, Marketing Executive of Bidfood. “It is a platform to connect with our customers in a meaningful way. Through SA Food Stories, we celebrate the people, passion and innovation behind South African food.”
Register for Hostex 2026
Hostex 2026 marks 40 years of connecting the food, drink and hospitality industry. Alongside product launches and purchasing decisions, the Bidfood Industry Hub ensures the sector’s most important strategic conversations take centre stage.
Whether you are a hotel executive, restaurateur, caterer, distributor, coffee professional, technology provider or SME founder, the Hub offers insights that sharpen decision-making and open new opportunities.
Seats in the theatre are limited and sessions are expected to draw strong attendance.
Register now at www.hostex.co.za to secure your place at Hostex 2026 and experience the conversations shaping the future of hospitality at the Bidfood Industry Hub.
Visit www.hostex.co.za to register and explore the full programme. Follow Bidfood South Africa on Facebook (@BidfoodSouthAfrica), Instagram (@bidfoodsa) and LinkedIn for speaker announcements and session updates. Hostex 2026 runs from 8–10 March at the Sandton Convention Centre, Gauteng.
The Bidfood Industry Hub Daily Programme Overview
Below is the daily programme schedule for the Bidfood Industry Hub at Hostex 2026, outlining session times, topics, moderators and speakers.
Sunday, 8 March 2026
| Time | Session Title | Moderator | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 10:20 | Revolutionising Ordering – An interactive journey with MyBidfood Webshop | Nichola English | — |
| 10:30 – 10:55 | Power Hit: Build a hospitality business that lasts | Gustav Pieterse (FEDHASA and Saxon Hotel) | Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa (TBCSA); Martin Cody (Four Seasons The Westcliff); Carmel Rubinstein (Hospitality Suite Hotel Supplies) |
| 11:05 – 11:35 | Conversation: How smart technology is redefining hospitality operations | Kagiso Khaole (Lesaka Hospitality); Sean Candy | — |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Conversation + Q&A: Low/No, functional and ‘new consumption’: what’s selling and how to run it simply | Iain Evans (True North Media) | Vusi Mteshane (Unilever Food Solutions); Philippe Frydman (Oakfield Farm); Boota Pitso (Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa) |
| 12:25 – 12:55 | Power Hit: AI without the hype | Chantelle Balsdon (Hospitality Marketplace) | Name TBC (OneGate); Jason Whitehouse (Whitehouse Inc) |
| 13:30 – 13:40 | Official welcome: SA Food Stories launch | Nicci Robertson | Naqiyah Mayat (Published Author) |
| 13:50 – 14:00 | Watch Party: SA Food Stories | — | — |
| 14:10 – 15:30 | Book signing and photo opportunity | — | Naqiyah Mayat (Published Author) |
Monday, 9 March 2026
| Time | Session Title | Moderator | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 10:20 | Revolutionising Ordering – An interactive journey with MyBidfood Webshop | Nichola English | — |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Panel: Beverage as a growth engine | Boota Pitso (Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa) | Happy Ngidi (Proudly SA); Wayne Buckley-Koch (Quion Rock); Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela (Tolokazi Beer) |
| 11:10 – 11:40 | Power Hit + Q&A: The future is noisy – what should hospitality be paying attention to? | Larry Hodes (Grow Franchise) | Jabulani Debedu (BDO South Africa); Trevor Boyd (City Lodge Hotel Group) |
| 11:50 – 12:10 | Conversation: Meeting sustainability compliance in 2026 and beyond – what operators need to get right | Candy Kruger (The ASK Group) | Gustav Pieterse (FEDHASA and Saxon Hotel); Lorraine Jenks (HotelStuff); Jane Russill (Bidfood) |
| 12:20 – 12:55 | Conversation: People, not positions: building teams for the future of hospitality | Stephen Hickmore (The Swiss Hotel School South Africa) | Gustav Pieterse (FEDHASA and Saxon Hotel); Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo (City Lodge Hotel Group) |
| 13:30 – 13:40 | Official welcome: SA Food Stories launch | Nicci Robertson | Kenneth Tebogo Middleton (Published Author) |
| 13:50 – 14:00 | Watch Party: SA Food Stories | — | — |
| 14:10 – 15:00 | Book signing and photo opportunity | — | Kenneth Tebogo Middleton (Published Author) |
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
| Time | Session Title | Moderator | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 10:20 | Revolutionising Ordering – An interactive journey with MyBidfood Webshop | Nichola English | — |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Power Hit: The real cost of food waste – and what kitchens can do about it | Yonela Motloung (Unilever Food Solutions) | Jane Russill (Bidfood); Chef Coo Pillay (SA Chefs) |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Conversation: How food and hospitality businesses get “scale-ready” | Omelele Mmbo (FNB) | Cordelia Masher (Grow) |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Power Hit: Specialty coffee that drives loyalty | Iain Evans (True North Media) | Sinjon Wicks (SCASA) |
| 12:10 – 12:30 | Conversation: Local sourcing without operational risk | Jane Russill (Bidfood) | Joshua Schwark (Henlo); Other names TBC |
| 13:30 – 13:40 | Official welcome: SA Food Stories launch | Nicci Robertson | Zanele Van Zyl (Published Author) |
| 13:50 – 14:00 | Watch Party: SA Food Stories | — | — |
| 14:10 – 15:00 | Book signing and photo opportunity | — | Zanele Van Zyl (Published Author) |