It’s an agenda built around what comes next: finding opportunity, making smarter decisions and building hospitality businesses equipped to succeed in a very different operating reality.

Taking place on Wednesday 18 November at Town Hall by Bottaccio, London, the invitation-only conference brings together standout hospitality leaders and expert voices for an afternoon of sharp insight, straight talking and practical debate.

Peach 20/20’s Peter Martin will host the event, joined by this year’s co-chairs Tom James, Managing Director of Bill’s, and Gemma Glasson, CEO of Wahaca. Both will bring a strong operator perspective to the debate, challenging thinking and leading sessions on two critical growth questions: where and how to invest, and how operating models need to evolve.

The 2026 Leaders Summit agenda: 

Finding opportunity: the global perspective

James Pomeroy, Global Economist at HSBC, returns to decode the big forces shaping business - from geopolitics, markets and capital to AI and changing consumer power.

Where are the risks, where are the gaps, and where is opportunity emerging? Thirty minutes of high-level economic insight to give leaders sharper context for the decisions ahead.

The state we’re in - a reality check

With the old rules increasingly out of the window, Peter Martin will challenge much of the conventional thinking around hospitality.

Drawing on the headline industry data - and what lies beneath it - he’ll explore an increasingly streamlined and polarised market, and why the ability to embrace tech and talent while doubling down on the guest experience will be paramount.

Place, property & capital: building the platform for growth

With investors more selective and consumer demand polarised, where and how hospitality businesses grow has never mattered more.

Gemma Glasson, CEO of Wahaca, chairs a discussion bringing together operators, investors and property leaders to explore smarter capital allocation, disciplined expansion and hospitality’s role in creating community, cultural vibrancy and commercial success.

Joining her are:

• Ed Devenport, CEO, Incipio
• Katie Grissom, Global Head of Retail, Nuveen Real Estate
• Chris Hill, CEO, Urban Pubs & Bars

Lessons in international leadership

What does it take to stay ahead at home and on the international stage?

In a candid conversation about scale, capital, competition and growth, Peter Martin sits down with two seasoned global brand leaders at the top of their game:

• Gerry Ford, founder and group CEO of Caffè Nero
• Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão.

Expect contrasting UK and US perspectives - and plenty of hard-won lessons on building and leading businesses at scale.

Is Burnham still bouncing?

What have the first months of the new Labour administration told us about the direction of travel for UK plc - and hospitality in particular?

And what will its emphasis on devolved decision-making mean for businesses and local economies?

Kate Nicholls, NED, strategic adviser and chair of UKHospitality, gives her take on the new political landscape and what hospitality leaders should expect next.

Rewiring the P&L: winning in a new operating reality

Higher costs aren’t going away. Technology is moving fast. Customer expectations remain unforgiving. So what needs to change inside the hospitality business model?

Tom James, Managing Director of Bill’s, leads a discussion on reshaping the P&L, simplifying operations, harnessing data and AI, and reimagining the proposition - while keeping brilliant execution and hospitality fundamentals firmly at the heart of growth.

Joining him are:

• James Brown, CEO, Brava Hospitality
• Lynora James, chief digital officer and digital transformation leader

With 300 board-level directors, entrepreneurs and founders in the room, expect big ideas, fresh perspectives and meaningful insight. 

Attendance is invitation only and strictly limited to board-level hospitality operators.

Huge thanks to our Headline Partners: Access Hospitality, Diageo, Fourth, NIQ, Nutritics, Sona and Tevalis; Premium Partners: Discover Network, Enotria, Harri, HeyGuest and TiPJAR; Event Partners: Bird & Bird, Brakes, Coca Cola, Northern Restaurant & Bar, The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show. Bird & Bird, Brakes, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, PayCaptain & The National Restaurant, Pub & Bar Show.