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Vertical Farming World Congress 2025

Event Programme

Bringing together vertical farming operators, investors, suppliers and customers, the 6th annual Vertical Farming World Congress is designed to help develop and advance the sector’s future. It is the most substantial dedicated event of the year, featuring two days of conference sessions, networking with key industry figures.

Discover this years speakers

Vertical Farming World Congress 2025
Tuesday

0:00 pm

VERTICAL FARM VISITS

Visits to Growy and Philips GrowWise Centre

Visits to Growy and Philips GrowWise Centre

(Exact timings to be confirmed)

Wednesday

9:00 am

OPERATING PROFITABLY

Welcome address: Driving price competitiveness

Ard van de Kreeke, Founder of Growy, Netherlands

9:15 am

OPERATING PROFITABLY

Achieving farm level profitability

Tisha Livingston, Chief Executive Officer of Infinite Acres, Netherlands and President of 80 Acres Farms, United States

9:30 am

OPERATING PROFITABLY

Size, scale and affordability

Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agritecture, United States

9:45 am

OPERATING PROFITABLY

Questions and discussion

 

10:00 am

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Panel discussion on raising funds, investment criteria, investor influence, efficiency best practice and governance

Dr Phillip Lee, Managing Director of Evolve International, UAE

Peter Bachmann, Managing Director – Sustainable Infrastructure for Gresham House, United Kingdom

David Verbitsky, President and Managing Director for Verbitsky Capital, United States

 

Additional speakers to be announced

10:45 am

NETWORKING BREAK

Refreshment and networking break

 

11:15 am

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP

Developing the next generation of GigaFarms

Andrew Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Growth Solutions, United Kingdom

11:30 am

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP

Using AI for new strawberry strategy

Speaker to be announced

11:45 am

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP

Questions and discussion

0:00 pm

SCIENCE AND NUTRITION

Reducing energy costs, increasing productivity

Professor Leo Marcelis, Chair of Horticulture and Product Physiology at Wageningen University, Netherlands

0:15 pm

SCIENCE AND NUTRITION

Developing autonomous growing in space

Dr Jen Bromley, Chief Scientific Officer of Vertical Future, United Kingdom

0:30 pm

SCIENCE AND NUTRITION

Electro-agriculture in near total darkness

Robert Jinkerson, Associate Professor of Chemical Environmental Engineering at University of California, United States

0:45 pm

SCIENCE AND NUTRITION

Questions and discussion

1:00 pm

NETWORKING BREAK

Lunch and networking

2:00 pm

SHAPING PUBLIC POLICY

Setting standards for sustainability measurement

Tom Stenzel, Executive Director of CEA Alliance, United States

2:15 pm

SHAPING PUBLIC POLICY

Fair treatment on energy, grants, planning and tax

Tristan Fischer, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Fischer Farms, United Kingdom

2:30 pm

SHAPING PUBLIC POLICY

Panel discussion

3:00 pm

NETWORKING BREAK

Refreshment and networking break

 

3:30 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Equitable, sustainable, global

Marc Oshima, Chief Executive Officer of Babylon Micro-Farms, United States

3:45 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Expansion through high value crops

Speaker to be announced

4:00 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Creating a national network to replace imports

Andy O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer of GoodLeaf Farms, Canada

4:15 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Exporting to SE Aisa

Speaker to be announced

4:30 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Aiming for 500 modular farms across Middle East

Maan Said, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crysp Farms, UAE

4:45 pm

WORLD OF GROWTH

Questions and discussion

5:00 pm

Close

7:00 pm

NETWORKING BREAK

Gala Industry Dinner

Canapes and drinks reception followed by a gala industry dinner.

10:00 pm

Close

Thursday

9:00 am

RETAIL PARTNERSHIP

Developing an Unbeleafable brand

Mike Hedges, Chief Executive Officer of GrowUp Farms, United Kingdom

9:15 am

RETAIL PARTNERSHIP

On display in a shopping centre

Chris Davies, Chief Executive Officer of Harvest London, United Kingdom

9:25 am

RETAIL PARTNERSHIP

Extending to home delivery

Halil Beşkardeşler, Co-founder of Plant Factory, Turkey

9:35 am

RETAIL PARTNERSHIP

Panel discussion

10:00 am

NETWORKING BREAK

Refreshment and networking break

10:30 am

CROP INNOVATION

Coffee, cosmetics and cotton

Roel Janssen, Chief Business Officer of Planet Farms, Italy

10:40 am

CROP INNOVATION

Hydroponic coffee farming

TShane Johnson, Founder of Big Guns Coffee & Farm, United States

10:50 am

CROP INNOVATION

Indoor hop cultivation

Speaker to be announced

11:00 am

CROP INNOVATION

Multiplying productivity for wheat

Diego Gomes, Founder of 100% Livre, Brazil

11:10 am

CROP INNOVATION

Questions and discussion 

11:40 am

PRODUCTION INNOVATION

Molecular farming

Speaker to be announced

11:50 am

PRODUCTION INNOVATION

Smart mobile farms

Raymond Mak, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Farmacy HK, China

0:10 pm

PRODUCTION INNOVATION

Potential for biostimulants

Wilson Boardman, Chairman and Technical Director of Evoponic, United Kingdom

0:20 pm

PRODUCTION INNOVATION

Questions and discussion

0:45 pm

NETWORKING BREAK

Lunch and networking

2:00 pm

Close

 

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