About the Event:
Join us for one of the most exciting events of 2026, where the future of consumer trends takes center stage. Experts from Mintel, Circana, and Menu Matters will share insights on emerging shifts in consumer behavior, innovation, and brand strategy. Sample the latest products from local entrepreneurs while enjoying a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages as you connect with industry leaders and peers. This event offers a unique opportunity to gain actionable insights, discover new brands, and leave inspired with strategies to keep your business ahead in a rapidly e
volving marketplace.
Agenda:
4:30 PM – Door‘s Open
4:30 PM: Networking & Sampling
5:20 PM – Opening Remarks
5:30 PM – Trends Presentation
6:30 PM – Networking, Sampling
7:30 PM – Event Close
About the Presenters
Lynn Dornblaser brings almost 40 years of product trend knowledge to her position as Client Advisor. In this role she provides insight to clients and the industry, leveraging her career’s worth of knowledge and Mintel’s rich data sources.
Prior to joining Mintel in 1998, Dornblaser covered new product trends (via publication New Product News) at several trade magazine publishing companies. She has been quoted by major US news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, and CNN. In addition, Dornblaser has also served as keynote lecturer and speaker for numerous industry groups and sales forums.
Dornblaser holds a BS in Journalism from the University of Illinois and has also contributed to two textbooks on new product development. She can usually be found in the aisles of a supermarket somewhere in the world.
Mike Kostyo has been a leading voice in food industry trends and insights for over a decade, known for digging through the messy information landscape to uncover unique insights that help brands think differently. Viewing food through a human-first, anthropological lens—shaped by his master’s degree in gastronomy—Mike brings depth and expertise to industry research and analysis. He excels at collaborative problem-solving with clients, bringing high energy, humor and a personal touch to every project.
His cross-disciplinary background, ranging from magazine journalism to advertising to political communications, allows him to communicate complex trends and ideas with clarity and impact, earning him coverage in the New York Times, a featured profile on Huffington Post (“This Food Trendologist Knows What We’ll Be Eating Before Anyone Else”), on NBC Nightly News, as a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s The AV Club Show, and even as a judge on Food Network’s Eating America. He is also a sought-after speaker who has presented to over a hundred industry events on topics like innovation and AI, as well as his still-talked-about “How to Be Weird” presentation.
Based in Chicago, Kostyo is also a freelance writer who regularly contributes to food industry publications. In addition to his gastronomy degree from Boston University, he has certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine, and artisan cheese production and he proudly serves on the advisory committee for the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks.
