James Allen

Digital marketing & social media

James Allen is a social media expert with a background in marketing & public relations. Before digital marketing took off he spent 13 years representing a wide range of brands including Harrods, Virgin, Marriott, Peugeot, Dewars Whisky, Gleneagles and Page & Moy, plus tourist boards and governments for destinations including Sydney, Chicago, California, Jamaica, the Maldives, Jersey, Ireland and Valencia.

Since the digital boom he has delivered social media strategies for clients including Chelsea Football Club, Madame Tussauds, Visit Brighton, Visit Bath and Czech Tourism.

James has also written for GQ, The Telegraph and The Guardian, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Bonnie Brûlée

Bonnie Brûlée is a food consultant with an entrepreneurial flair. Her agency, of the same name, works with food start-ups in the areas of product development, marketing & communications, and in sales & distribution. Clients include artisan food producers, private chefs and online food retailers.

Bonnie also runs her own food-inspired businesses and projects including Full House (a secret underground supper club) Laptop Lunches (a subscription lunchtime catering service) and also Brûlée Chefs (a band of eccentric chefs known for their experimental approach).

Trained at Le Cordon Bleu but also with a First Class Honours Degree from London School of Economics, Bonnie’s unusual background combines creativity with strong business acumen. Bonnie was selected in this year’s The Observer & Courvoisier ‘Future 500’ and also sits on the Experts Panel for Virgin Media Pioneers programme for food and drink.

Mark Brumby

Analyst and Leisure market commentator

Founder of Langton Capital and leading Leisure Analyst, Mark is responsible for producing the well-respected daily newswire, a service that, along with his fantastic industry contacts, sees him as a leading commentator in today’s market.

Jason and Louise Hopper

Design and Branding

Jason and Louise at District-6 offer a personal and flexible service, achieving effective design and marketing solutions for clients ranging from small local companies, to large international brands.

They do more than simply design ads or produce brochures, they generate results.

Graham Allcott

Email Etiquette, Time Management and Facilitation

Graham Allcott is a productivity consultant, specialising in email etiquette, time management training and facilitation training.  His company, ‘Think Productive’ launched in April 2009, and has earned rave reviews from the likes of British Airways, The Cabinet Office, University College London and Barclays Commercial Bank for its practical, no-nonsense approach, which includes Graham’s unique ‘at-desk coaching’.

Graham was recently named in Striding Out’s Future 100 List of the UK’s next generation of young, ethical entrepreneurs and despite an intolerance of failure elsewhere in his life, he is an Aston Villa season ticket holder. 

Andrew Pring

Media Training

Andrew Pring has been a high-profile commentator on the pubs and drinks sector for over 10 years. As editor of Morning Advertiser between 2000-09, he relaunched the title and managed its transition to the current market-leading A4 format, being named Britvic Food and Drink Editor of the Year along the way. Now a freelance writer and consultant based in Sevenoaks, Kent, he edits the BII’s monthly magazine BIIBUSINESS, and produces McMullen News for the Hertford brewer. He also writes for several titles, including What’s Brewing and The Brewery Manual, and delivers talks and after-dinner speeches, as well as broadcasting and tv work. An alumni of the Beer Academy and a former chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers (2002-05).