The Hospitality Show 2015

January 2015 sees the Hospitality Show taking place at Birmingham’s NEC between the 19th and the 21st.

Pubs are being invited to the event to indulge in free mentoring sessions with some of the most respected players in the hospitality sector.
The sessions are expected to last roughly fifteen minutes, one-to-one, and advice and guidance will be given on a variety of subjects that should be covered in hospitality such as catering equipment, innovation, crowd funding and social media.

Some of the mentors in the show will include:

– Chairman of the Catering Equipment Distributors Association and Managing Director of Vision Commercial Kitchens, Jack Sharkey
– Hotel Procurement Expert, Gordon Anderson
– Drinks Industry Guru, Stuart Rosenblatt
– Owner of consultancy service Yuzu Hospitality, Steve Cash
– Hospitality Consultant, Stephen McManus
– Hotel Profitability Guru, Peter Hales
– Chief Executive of the Institute of Hospitality, Peter Ducker

Design booth

There will be four mentoring booths dotted about the arena, and one of them will be dedicated to the business of better design.

This booth will allow visitors to discuss projects and design ideas in confidence with the experts from that specific field.

Managing director at Fresh Montgomery, Toby Wand, said: “Ask any successful business person about defining moments in their career and you can bet that at some point in their rise to prominence they will have been mentored.

There may be one or many, but the importance of a figurehead, there to help drive you on, or offer that bellwether piece of advice that you never forget and take with you throughout your career, cannot be understated.

The Innovation Zone

The Innovation Zone is another exciting highlight of the event which wil showcase some of the most recent equipment launches.

Keith Warren, the Associate Director of the Innovation Zone, which has been organised in conjunction with the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA), commented on what a fantastic opportunity this is for operators to take a look at the most relevant up-to-date equipment on the scene.

Warren explained: “The Hospitality Show is the largest showcase next year for innovative and energy-saving equipment that will be of huge interest to caterers.

The CESA Innovation Zone is a great opportunity for our members to showcase what they are developing and what the latest equipment has to offer in terms of user benefits and features.

Networking Dinner

In correspondence with the show, on Tuesday 20th January, a networking dinner will take place at the Arden Hotel.
Adam Bennett, Chef Director at the Cross in Kenilworth, Warwickshire will oversee the menu.

Adam will be representing Team UK for a third time at the Bocuse d’Or chef competition in January which will be held in Lyon.

Show Exhibitors

Also appearing at The Hospitality Show will be a variety of catering equipment suppliers available for visitors to discuss equipment with.
Jestic will be making use of the show by launching a brand new piece of equipment, although, for Smeg, Grant Sous Vide and Nayati UK, this will be their first time at the show.

For more information on The Hospitality Show 2015, visit the website!
To find hospitality jobs near you, visit our website!

10 great reasons why you should work in Hospitality

Why should you work in hospitality?

According to a survey by the British Hospitality Association, over 1.9 million people are said to work in the hospitality industry. Chances are though, that if you’re reading this article that you’re either one of two people; you’re already in the industry, or you’re considering it as a career option. Part of the beauty that working in hospitality gives is the joy you have from the role, but why else should you want to work in hospitality? Below we have compiled a list of eight reasons why hospitality is for you, and though shifts can be long and tiring at times, if you have a passion for the job then hospitality an incredibly rewarding career.

1. You can make someone’s day

Whether you’re a receptionist, a waiter, a bartender or a kitchen porter or any other hospitality job, your role doesn’t really matter in a sense of bringing joy to somebody’s day. Your presence makes their day a whole lot better; they come into your place of work for a host of reasons, whether its food, drink, service, relations or more, your job role is about people. Your job doesn’t revolve around the preparation of spreadsheets; it’s ultimately about the overall happiness of your customers.

Diverse friends sitting in restaurant placing order talking with waitress

2. It ‘opens doors’

Every single country in the world uses the hospitality industry, and it’s one of the world’s most common jobs as people worldwide are waiters and waitresses in their teenage years. The skills learnt in hospitality are easily transferable, with the personal skills that you learn i.e. customer service being needed in every single industry. You’ll constantly meet new people from new cultures, so you can always consider taking your skills abroad.

3. You can take on responsibilities

With the ever growing responsibilities in hospitality, this means you can make your way up the ladder very quickly in the industry. If you work hard and get on with customers and colleagues in a good manner, then very soon, you’ll find yourself in a senior position managing people and projects. You should always show initiative too, as this will always help your chances.

4. It’s a creative industry

Though hospitality is a people-oriented industry, hospitality is also an industry of creativity. You are creating a product and that doesn’t matter if it’s food, drink, a customer experience or more – there’s always a way to make your service more enjoyable for your customers.

Hospitality jobs
The hospitality industry is diverse

5. There’s no need to get stuck

There’s enough of a scope in the hospitality industry for you to gain a level of diversity in your career, therefore you’re not getting stuck in one sector. You don’t even have to move employer, you can simply move from a receptionist to a concierge or waiter. No other industry offers this level of diversity.

6. It’s not a 9-5 job

The mundane thing about most jobs is the 9-5 routine that people learn to hate. Waking up at the same time, with the same breakfast, with the same outfit, then catching the same train into the same office isn’t for everyone. The beauty about hospitality is the amount of variety that it brings to the role, not only in the varied hours of work but also the work you do in those hours as it can change at any second.

7. It’s a safe bet

People will always need their basic human needs; food, drink and somewhere to sleep.  So, even in a shaky economic climate like the credit crunch that has hit the UK in the past few years, the hospitality industry is a secure bet for a career.

8. Work can be a lot of fun!

Working in an office will often limit the perks available to you, despite getting a Christmas party with a few drinks, dire music and everyone looking a bit awkward. In the hospitality industry things are much, much different. After all, the function of your job is to be there to help customers have fun, so make sure you share some of that fun with each other.

9. Learn applicable life skills

The industry heavily revolves around food & drink – from purchasing stock & ingredients, to preparing them for service, and cleaning up afterwards. For young people especially, learning to feed, and clean for, others is more than helpful experience as you become more independent.

Woman washing dishes in kitchen sink, closeup view. Cleaning chores

10. Perks of the job

The vast majority of pubs, restaurants and hotels will offer discounts or freebies, you can use these benefits outside of work or have a much more enjoyable lunchtime compared to your typical meal deal!

For more on hospitality employment, please visit our website.