UnConference 3.0: Turning Bold Ideas into Food That Feeds the Future

Happy faces from UnConference 3.0!

What happens when you mix AI, plant-based menus, a room full of doers, and a card game about deforestation-free commodities? You get UnConference 3.0: Our Food Our Future – Innovative Solutions in Action.

Last Friday we gathered 80 change makers working in food and drink related businesses, NGOs, gov representatives and here’s what went down…

A few highlights from the day

Not your typical beige-lanyard, PowerPoint-heavy conference. This was a day where things moved. Where ideas didn’t just float—they landed.

We’ve done this before. Year One was about naming the mountain. Year Two? We mapped the path. This year? We climbed. And what we saw at the top was promising.

Our keynote speaker – Professor Chris Eliott

The Opening: AI Meets Food, Minds Go Boom

Professor Chris Elliott didn’t just give a keynote. He lit a fuse.

AI + food isn’t some futuristic maybe. It’s happening now—quietly shaping what we grow, cook, sell, and eat. But the real question he dropped like a mic: Can we trust it? That one echoed through the halls all day.

Because trust is the backbone of any food system. (That, and good bread.)

The Two Tracks: Where Theory Gets Real

This year, we split the crowd. Not to divide—but to dive.

Mae Tse Jain and James Chang (left to right)

Track A: Food & Ingredients – Think plant-forward menus, better sourcing, real transparency.

Phoebe Leung and Claire Pearson (left to right)

Track B: Waste & Circularity – Less landfill, more loop. Turning leftovers into next steps.

Both tracks weren’t just talk. They were labs. The kind where you walk out with ideas under your fingernails.

Delicious plant-based lunch!

And we ATE

We had a carbon-labelled, plant-based lunch that walked the talk. A meal that meant something. And yes—it was delicious.

Happy Salmon and our Susty Strategy Stack cards

Enter the Chaos: Gamify the System

Here’s what happens when you take deep, dense topics like biodiversity and carbon footprints… and turn them into a game that feels like Happy Salmon met a TED Talk.

It works.

We launched the FG Flash Cards Game – Susty Strategy Stack and the room erupted. Laughter. Shouting. Fast-paced learning. Suddenly, “deforestation-free commodities” was the hottest phrase in the room.

Lesson? You want people to care? Let them play. 

Here’s what happens when you take deep, dense topics like biodiversity and carbon footprints… and turn them into a game that feels like Happy Salmon met a TED Talk.

Gamification isn’t fluff. It’s glue.

Lorna facilitating the Magic Lenses workshop

“CLICK” Moments: A Test Before You Leap

In the afternoon, we got serious. (But still fun-serious.)

With help from our superstar co-facilitator Lorna and our workshop squad, we broke out the ‘Magic Lenses’—a sharp little tool from the upcoming book Click by Jake Knapp. The goal? Pressure-test your ideas before you waste time and money on them.

We asked: Is it kind to the planet? Will it grow? Will people want it?

When answers came up short, teams pivoted. That’s the power of permission—to change your mind before the market does it for you.

Our attendees love prizes! All smiles

Prizes That Walk the Talk

We don’t hand out plastic trophies. We give away meaning:

– Vegan cheese from Chef Tina Barrat  

– Organic wine from The Wine Guild  

– Local gin from N.I.P.

– Sustainable seafood from Seafood Friday

 -A feast at FRANCIS 

– Even a pre-release copy of Click

Each prize? A little nod to what we stand for: future-forward, planet-kind, taste-tested.

Circle of appreciation

 

Wrapping with Heart: The Circle of Appreciation

At the end, something unexpected happened.

We formed a circle.

Not planned. Not polished. Just people—sharing what they were grateful for. One by one. It was real, moving and human. Gratitude has a strange way of sticking with you longer than facts ever do.

 And of Course… We Drank and Ate

You can’t talk about change making without networking and finding your partner.

 Why It Mattered

Here’s the truth: If you care about the planet, you need to care about food.

Want to fix climate change? Fix food.

Worried about forests, oceans, freshwater, and species extinction? Fix food.

It works.

We’re not waiting for someone else to lead. We’re doing it now. Together. One game, one conversation, one bite at a time.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, showed heart, and showed us what’s possible.

Huge thank you to our sponsors! 

To our hosts, our sponsors, and every single hand that helped build this—thank you. You didn’t just support an event. You supported a movement.

Here’s to the next one. Until then: stay bold, stay curious, and don’t forget—sustainability starts with what’s on your plate.

Click the button below to access our Unconference gallery—grab your pics and tag yourself!