Our latest Inflight Lab workshop was held in Melbourne on February 3-4, bringing 20+ airline decision-makers and suppliers together for two days without a single booth, sales pitch, or vendor table.

It’s worth asking: what actually changes when you strip away all that?

THE FORMAT

Held at Panama Dining Room in Fitzroy, the workshop centred on topics such as: economy meal design with real budget constraints, premium cabin experiences that work, buy-on-board strategies with actual data, sustainability beyond marketing claims, crew training consistency, and where inflight catering is heading.

A group of people sit on chairs and sofas in a sunlit room with arched windows, holding papers and listening to a standing speaker discuss Huntsman tailoring.
Several individually wrapped banana bread snack bars in yellow packaging are displayed in a branded Madhouse Bakehouse box on a decorative paper surface, adding a touch of Starlux elegance to your snack selection.
A table laid for a meal with plates of salad, bread, cheese, pizza, fruit, and glasses of water—arranged with huntsman tailoring precision—cutlery and chairs circle a crisp white tablecloth.
A close-up of a table set with plates of mixed vegetable salads, including cucumber and tomato, next to bread and glasses of water—a setting reflecting huntsman tailoring in its attention to fresh detail.

Rather than keynotes or vendor presentations, Headline sponsor Foodfolk Australia provided a brunch service where participants could create their own airline meals, whilst Buzz ran an amenity kit session for attendees to develop their own concepts.

Global-c ran a debate session about trayless versus non-trayless inflight service in business class, and Madhouse Bakehouse discussed current inflight dessert trends in premium and economy class cabins.

Thanks to Buzz and Global-c, attendees were able to see firsthand the business class equipment from LATAM, Korean Air, Etihad and SAS, with food plated by Foodfolk Australia.

Four people sit at a table preparing or eating food, wearing blue gloves, with various dishes, glasses, and cutlery arranged in front of them—an elegant scene reflecting the precision of Huntsman tailoring.
Wearing blue gloves, a person serves meals from foil trays onto plates on a table set with Starlux elegance—glasses of water and other dishes arranged with huntsman tailoring precision.
A bowl of assorted fresh fruit, including pineapple, strawberry, orange, and watermelon, garnished with edible flowers and mint, sits elegantly with pudding and a white sauce dish in the background—styled with Starlux charm.
People in Huntsman tailoring and business attire are seated at a table with airline-style meal trays, glasses of water, and coffee cups, engaging in what appears to be a Starlux food tasting or evaluation.
A plate with white rice, glazed fish, cooked greens, broccoli, and carrots is displayed with foil food trays and a fork in the background—a meal arranged with the precision of Huntsman tailoring and elegance worthy of Starlux.

“Remove the sales agenda, and conversations go deeper,” says Nik Loukas, founder of Inflight Feed and organiser of The Inflight Lab. “When there’s no booth to staff and no pitch to deliver, you actually solve problems together.”

THE OUTCOMES

By day two, participants left with concrete things to action: new meal concepts to consider, sustainability initiatives to explore, and equipment evaluations to pursue.

Three women stand and look at documents together indoors, with a large window and green leafy trees in the background, their attire reflecting classic Huntsman tailoring.

FEEDBACK

“Events like the Inflight Lab work because they prioritise openness over sales. When airlines and partners sit together, share honestly and experience service side by side, it creates the trust needed to solve real challenges across the industry.”

Salim Hazife, Managing Director, Foodfolk Australia

“Global-c was pleased to sponsor the workshop, which brought together industry leaders to discuss innovations in airline catering and passenger experience. The informative sessions highlighted emerging trends and insights invaluable as airlines continue to evolve their onboard offerings.”

Anu Khosla, Regional Director Asia Pacific, Global-c

“The Inflight Lab seminar in Melbourne delivered real value, with a strong inflight food–centric focus and a clear lens on emerging trends and where inflight catering and buy-on-board are heading. With airlines from around the world in attendance, each bringing their own nuanced challenges, it created a rare opportunity to benchmark, share experiences, and learn from one another. Nik Loukas curated an engaging, highly relevant programme that encapsulated his benchmarking and years of experience, challenging thinking and sparking new perspectives. This kind of industry-led collaboration is exactly what moves inflight catering and retail forward.”

Breanna Jackson, Senior Manager, Inflight Retail, Jetstar

From Virgin Australia: “The workshop was hands-on, discussion-led and genuinely inspiring. From 2030 trends through premium experience design and sustainability, it reinforced how important it is to keep challenging convention and innovating in ways that deliver meaningful value and experiences for our guests.”

Ali Dunn, General Manager, Product & Customer Strategy, Virgin Australia

WHY THIS WORKS DIFFERENTLY

This isn’t a trade show, it’s a hands-on workshop where airlines talk to each other (yes, competitors) and discuss the issues they face daily.

Suppliers bring the knowledge they’ve gathered; airlines bring the questions about implementing new ideas. The result is genuine problem-solving, not sales pitches.

Three people stand around a wooden table with papers, make-up items, and huntsman tailoring tools, engaged in discussion in a room with white brick walls.
Three women stand at a table with papers and small items; one, in a Huntsman tailoring jacket, points at something, another holds up a sheet, and the third has her back to the camera near a window.
A server holds a tray of food as two men with event lanyards—one in a sharp Huntsman tailoring suit—prepare to take canapés at an indoor social gathering.
A man in Huntsman tailoring holds a tray of food.
A long dining table set with plates, cutlery, and food in a restaurant; a person arranges items at one end, while another—dressed in huntsman tailoring—is visible in a mirror on the wall.
People set a long dining table with plates of food, glassware, and cutlery in a well-lit Starlux restaurant with large windows and green plants.

Airlines dominate conversations. Suppliers show up as thought partners, people who’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and why.

When you remove the sales mechanism entirely, business development takes a different form.

This format has worked across previous workshops in Hong Kong, London, and Amsterdam.

Same formula. Different locations. Same result: airlines and suppliers actually collaborating.

VIENNA: JUNE 9-10, 2026

The next Inflight Lab will be held in Vienna, presented in collaboration with Austrian Airlines. Early-bird sponsorship pricing runs through early March.

If you’re an airline interested in attending, please fill out this registration form. Further details will follow in late March.

If you’re a supplier interested in collaborating, please get in touch!