Hospitality Today Feb - Mar 2017 | Page 6

The

6 | Hospitality Today

Master

| Feb / March 2017

Innholders 2017 GMs ’ Conference

The Master Innholders welcomed 450 of the country ’ s top hoteliers to Hilton London Bankside on 16 and 17 January for its Annual General Managers ’ Conference . The conference titled ‘ The Next Generation . An Industry Revolution .’ was the highest attended event of its 24 year history .
This year ’ s conference was designed to “ inspire and educate the delegates on the future of the industry and the cyclical evolvement of the hospitality industry and the generations of strategies , design , leadership , staff and customers ”. The two-day event was inimitably chaired by Peter Hancock ( inset ), Chief Executive of Pride of Britain Hotels , who ( as always ) entertained guests with his wry anecdotes .
Speaking on the future , sustainability expert ( and brother of Boris ) Leo Johnson , ( below ), discussed how empowering local
communities will help to futureproof the hotel sector for future guests . He went on to explain that all future technology won ’ t disrupt the industry , and some will help to boost tourism by creating experiences including virtual reality and using mega drones as transport .
Ufi Ibrahim , ( right ), Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association , spoke about the future of the economy and industry landscape . She warned that incoming leisure spend was falling , whilst outbound spend is up 10 %.
Outlining the imminent challenges and opportunities for the industry after the Brexit vote and she urged the Government not to damage our industry with immigration caps . “ Out of 700,000 estimated EU nationals employed in the hospitality industry , 96 % would not receive a working visa after Brexit has been enforced based on current stipulations . Any decision that restricts the movement of people is a huge threat for the industry .”
She warned : “ the Government must be careful about messages - we must be open and welcoming to tourism ”.