The Brand Playbook: Why Global Leaders are Betting on Culinary Experiences

Culinary experiences have become a strategic driver for global leaders seeking deeper, more meaningful connections with travelers. In this keynote, we’ll explore how these experiences have evolved from simple tastings and brand homes into fully immersive cultural ecosystems rooted in storytelling, place-making, and human connection. Attendees will gain a new perspective on gastronomy as a powerful medium for authenticity and differentiation—and understand how these investments are reshaping partnerships, distribution, and traveler expectations on the ground. Participants will leave inspired and equipped to collaborate more closely with chefs, artisans, and cultural partners; to thoughtfully layer culinary into non-food experiences; and to design multi-sensory journeys that position each destination as a true micro-destination worth traveling for.

What Attendees Will Learn:

• How culinary experiences have evolved from simple tastings to immersive cultural ecosystems rooted in heritage, storytelling, and community.
• Why global brands are increasingly investing in gastronomy as a strategic driver of traveler motivation and loyalty.
• How Pernod Ricard transformed traditional visitor centres into experience centres, and then into cultural & culinary hubs.
• What today’s travelers are really seeking: human connection, meaning, multisensory immersion, and authenticity.
• How to design culinary experiences that express a sense of place through local producers, rituals, architecture, and terroir.
• How to collaborate effectively with chefs, artisans, artists, and cultural partners to amplify storytelling and differentiation.
• How to integrate culinary layers into non-food experiences (architecture, nature, design, heritage tours).
• How gastronomy can attract new audiences beyond major cities, turning remote regions into desirable micro‑destinations.
• Practical ways to evolve from tastings to multi-day journeys and culinary retreats, meeting the growing appetite for depth.
• How to create experiences that feel human, emotional, and memorable, driven by people rather than operations.