EATING out is on the up, and diners have never been so spoilt for choice.

A new free event in Hampshire will lay out a menu of advice and information to help food and drink businesses keep abreast of the development in the sector.

Feed Your Growth, a free-to-attend event, and the first of its kind in south east, takes place at Southampton Novotel on September 30.

Exhibitors will include kitchen equipment suppliers, manufacturers and distributors, food and drink wholesalers, digital marketing experts, and food consultants.

Specialist finance lenders and grant providers have also been lined up to attend and Solent Growth Hub and Hampshire Chamber of Commerce will be on hand to provide business support.

Opening the morning will be Soundbites, a quick series of talks providing industry insights and sector trends.

This includes ‘How Well Do You Know Your Customers?’ from Hampshire Chamber and ‘Healthy Food & Healthy Finances’, the keynote speech from business finance experts Rangewell.

“We saw a huge rise in the number of catering businesses in the region looking for support with growing and scaling their business, and wanting to be connected with the best businesses support initiatives.” said Denise Barlow, head of Solent Growth Hub.

“Feed Your Growth will provide expert guidance and real industry insight to these local ambitious businesses.”

Spencer Bowman, owner and founder of Mettricks Tea & Coffee, which has opened four venues in Southampton since 2013, said he was looking forward to the event: “The more we listen to meaningful industry insights, and have access to innovative ideas, the faster we can learn from our mistakes and build a stronger business – one to be proud of,” he said.

Tickets for the event are a free – register at feedyourgrowth.com/business