Three days of inspiration.

See the 2024 event schedule here:

  • 1:00 p.m. REGISTRATION OPENS

    4:00 p.m. GENERAL SESSIONS

    • A Trends Timeline: 20 years of trends to predict what’s next

    • Flavor & The Menu’s Trends for 2025 and Beyond

    5:30 p.m. FLAVOR EXPERIENCE KICKOFF SHOWCASE

    • Flavor Experience sponsors being flavor to life with trend-forward tastings

  • 7:00 a.m. MORNING WELLNESS & EARLY A.M. BITES & SIPS

    8:30 a.m. GENERAL SESSIONS

    • Keynote: Bestselling Author Dan Heath on How to Change What’s Not Working: A framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter

    • Disrupting the Dine: Navigating Shifting Consumer Decisions — Maeve Webster, Menu Matters

    10:30 a.m. FLAVOR EXPERIENCE BRUNCH SHOWCASE

    • Trend-forward food & drink provided by our sponsors

    12:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS 

    • Growth Strategies for Brands: An operator panel on marketing campaigns that win

    • Using AI as Your Creative Copilot — Mike Kostyo, Menu Matters

    • Flavor & The Menu’s Trends Roundtable #1

    • Between Two Ferns: A conversation with two industry experts on brand alignment, culinary integrity and craft at scale — Dan Kish and Steven Goldstein

    1:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS (sessions repeat)

    • Gen Z Consumer Insights: An interactive tasting to highlight four key behaviors that shape their purchasing decisions

    • Unlocking Flavor With Cryo-Concentration: A comparative tasting 

    • Tasting Table: An Immersive Journey Exploring Unexpected Flavor Combinations 

    • Ozempic Nation: Understanding Obesity Drugs' Impact on Food & Beverage Behavior — Barb Stuckey, Mattson & Co.

    2:00 p.m. FLAVOR BREAK

    2:30 p.m. TASTING TOOLBOXES

    • Fast-paced, interactive and inventive tasting experiences to inspire menu development for tomorrow

    3:30 p.m. GENERAL SESSIONS

    • The Next Big Beverage Trends — Datassential’s Renee Wege

    • A Non-Alc Case Study: A close look at what’s next in modern flavor building

    • 5 Macro Themes to Grow Your Business in 2025 — David Portalatin, Circana

    • Calamity as Inspiration: Learning to see food system challenges as opportunities for innovation — Jason Evans, Dean, College of Food Innovation & Technology, Johnson & Wales University

    5:30 p.m. FLAVOR EXPERIENCE SHOWCASE

    • Trend-forward food & drink provided by our sponsors

  • 7:00 a.m. MORNING WELLNESS & EARLY A.M. BITES & SIPS

    9:00 a.m. GENERAL SESSIONS

    • Craveable Flavors and Viral Trends Through the Lens of a Gen Z Influencer — Jack’s Dining Room

    • Global Menu Innovation: Operator panel on trends and learnings from abroad

    10:30 a.m. FLAVOR EXPERIENCE BRUNCH SHOWCASE

    • Trend-forward food & drink provided by our sponsors

    12:00 p.m. BREAKOUT SESSIONS 

    • C-Store Innovations: A panel discussion on why to the convenience store space is one to watch

    • Beverage Superstars: Exploring next-level innovation with San Diego standouts

    • Flavor & The Menu’s Trends Roundtable #2

    • Operator Panel: Leveraging “Newstalgia” to Revitalize Menus and Attract Gen Z

    1:00 p.m. FLAVOR BREAK

    1:30 p.m. GENERAL SESSIONS

    • The Race to the Next Generation: Where should the industry look to drive distinction? — Graham Humphreys & Betty Kaufman, The Culinary Edge

    • Pioneering the Plate: A Journey to the Future of Flavor— Mike Kostyo, Menu Matters

    3:00 p.m. SAN DIEGO FLAVOR EXPERIENCES

    •  A curated tasting tour of North Park

    7:00 p.m. FLAVOR WRAP COCKTAIL PARTY

    • Close out the 2024 Flavor Experience over drinks, light bites and music overlooking the San Diego Bay