Hospitality Professionals Association reveals high profile line-up ahead of annual industry conference
7 November 2023
HOSPA, the Hospitality Professionals Association, has announced an impressive line-up of leading industry minds ahead of its annual HOSPACE conference this November — a popular event that brings together hospitality experts to engage in topical discussions.
Confirmed for the Royal Lancaster London on Thursday 16th November 2023, HOSPA will once again play host to an array of discussions and insightful workshops, addressing a range of topics such as the rapid developments in AI and the rising demand for wellness offerings.
Scheduled for a 9am start, Peter Hancock, the conference host, HOSPA’s president, Harry Murray and Jane Pendlebury, CEO, will take the stage to welcome guests before introducing the first discussion — which will see Kathrin Cockhill from HotStats, Mark Edwards from BDO and Jerome Wise from Amadeus reflect on the past year and offer some key insights into 2024.
Delegates will then be offered an ‘Economist’s View’ of the industry by Thomas Pugh from RSM, closely followed by the first panel discussion of the day. Moderated by Robin Sheppard of Bespoke Hotels, this will see Kate Nicholls from UKHospitality, Adrian Ellis from The Lowry Hotel, Joanne Taylor Stagg from The Athenaeum, and Susan Bland from RBH address key topics within the industry. Carson Booth from HFTP will then offer an update on the 12th edition of USALI (Uniform System of Accounts).
With its presence growing in all aspects of hospitality, Gavin Allison from Lore Group, Graham Pope from Cvent and Adrian Bingham from Leonardo Hotels will deliver a highly-anticipated discussion titled ‘How long until AI gets a personality?’. Moderated by Carson Booth of HFTP, the panel will explore the latest AI developments and its future relationship with conventional hospitality.
In a similar vein, the next discussion will see Steve Johnson from Ruckus, Wietze Bejzeit from Shiji and Wesley Thompson from Barclaycard Payments explore whether developments in technology are actually enabling or restricting the art of hospitality. With hotel guests increasingly seeking wellness offerings, attendees will then hear from Daniel Sprung from Peloton, Emlyn Brown from Accor, and expert speaker and author Daniel Fryer.
Enhanced marketing and revenue management strategies for increased profitability are then set to be explored by Inna Nekrassova from The Lanesborough, Liz Callaghan from Chevel Collection, Jodie Wilson from Crerar Hotels and Hollie McHugh from Net Affinity, before Jane Pendlebury and Janel Clark discuss HOSPA’s Professional Development courses — from which Inna actually graduated in 2021.
Rounding off the day, the final panel discussion will see Veryan Palmer from The Headland Hotel, William Gibbs from Sir Richard Sutton Hotels who is also the latest member of the HOSPA board, Jonathan Raggett from Red Carnation Hotels and Natalie Oldfield from Success Through Trust explore the power of trust within hospitality.
Throughout the day, the programme will be interspersed with some short, sharp ‘HOSPA 300’ presentations full of innovation and inspiration. The busy schedule will then, of course, be rounded off by a Gala Dinner, within which the winners of the Inspirational Leader Awards will be announced.
Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, commented: “Once again, we are really proud of this year’s line-up and anticipate some extremely insightful discussion throughout the day. Last year’s conference was a great success and we are hoping to emulate that again this year. With every HOSPACE, it becomes more clear how important it is to unite like-minded people as the potential for learning and discussion is endless. We are also looking forward to announcing the winners of our Inspirational Leader Awards during the gala dinner — which always proves a popular part of the day!”
To register for HOSPACE 2023, please visit: https://www.hospa.org/hospace-registration.
More information on HOSPACE and its programme can be found via www.hospace.org, while www.hospa.org provides more information on HOSPA’s wider offering.
