HOSPACE went well! We hope you think so too. Judging by the feedback (both formal and anecdotal) it seems HOSPACE was successful on every level. Hoteliers, wider hospitality operators, exhibitors and sponsors alike have all reported back with comments on great learning, fantastic commercial opportunities and quality, enjoyable networking.
We are still in the process of producing video content from the day and we will let members and delegates know via email once they are uploaded on our website. There is a whistle-stop review of the day on pages four and five of The Overview. If you were not able to attend this year, then you can get a feel for the content from reading the report,
but there is nothing like actually being there; especially when it comes to the gala inner. Whilst the atmosphere during the day is business like – there is a lot of sharing of ideas, exchanges of opinions and gathering information – the fun aspect really starts with the pre-dinner drinks, followed by the dinner during which we present four key awards for
inspirational leadership in Finance, IT, Revenue Management and Marketing. This
year’s winners were all truly inspirational and so humble as to be genuinely
surprised when they won their awards. We will include a full report on the winners
in February’s edition but in case you cannot wait to find out:
Finance (sponsored by BDO) was won by Barry Dawson of Interstate Hotels and Resorts
IT (sponsored by Tierneys) was won by Robert Henderson from The Doyle Collection
Revenue Management (sponsored by Right Revenue) was won by Jamie Blackmore from Langham Hotels
Marketing (sponsored by the HMA) was won by Joi Izilein from The Ritz London.
We had a competition between dinner tables in the form of a quiz, kindly sponsored by Euronet. As Euronet were hosting a couple of tables, we chose not to let Simon Auld (regional MD) have a look at the answers prior to inviting him up on stage to reveal them but he did a valiant job of pronouncing the names of global winners of Olympic gold medals. Thank you, Simon.
And the magicians! Each year they never cease to delight, impress and surprise. Following the fantastic dinner delivered by The Royal Lancaster’s food and beverage events team, the gaming tables opened as did the bar. The rest is a blur of networking, chatter and laughter and, perhaps it would be indiscreet to go into more detail, but if you weren’t there, you might want to mark 19th November 2020 in your diary.
And on the subject of diaries – two important dates for January – HOSPA’s
Professional Development Awards on 23rd January at The Soho Hotel and The
Hotel Leaders Conference from Master innholders on 13th and 14th January.
Jane Pendlebury HOSPA CEO jane.pendlebury@hospa.org