The hospitality and accommodation sector, like the tourism sector, has been badly damaged by the lockdowns and border closures of the past two years.
And like the tourism sector, hospitality now has to put that behind it and look to the future. Knowing the resilience of the people in both sectors, I know they will do that and do it successfully.
But to do that we need to take lessons from what’s happened and apply them to the coming months and years.
Hospitality NZ is doing that through its annual New Zealand Hospitality Conference, which has as its theme "The Future of Hospitality".
It will feature keynote speakers from the US, the UK, and Australia, workshops and presentations that cover the width and breadth of our industry: hospitality, accommodation, and beverage.
The presentations and workshops will look at multiple categories – from technology, sustainability, and the future of our workforce, to ventilation systems, beer production, and events.
There will be sessions on the future of beverage (with local alcohol settings due to come up for renewal later this year), the Fair Pay agreement, and the Sale of Liquor laws. These are there because they are integral parts of our industry and we must be across them.
We will also look at the future of tourism with revenge travel – people not booking just one holiday but booking three at a time and creating a pent-up demand that our workforce needs to be ready for. Included will be a presentation from the Tasmanian Hospitality Association on their 2030 industry recovery plan.
The Accommodation Association, a Hospitality NZ brand, is partnering with Maximum Occupancy, New Zealand’s leading hotel and accommodation event, to bring together owners, operators, CEOs, investors, and suppliers to promote, inspire, and help guide the accommodation industry into the future.
On the last night of the conference, the annual Lion Hospitality Awards for Excellence will be presented at a gala dinner. These are a chance for the industry to give itself a pat on the back after what it’s been through, and judging by the record entries, it will be a huge pat.
This is going to be an exciting event. I don’t see it as a reset for the industry, rather a recalibration. Looking to the future, rather than back, is incredibly important for us, and the conference will reflect that.
The conference is on July 26-27 at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Auckland. It is supported by Auckland Unlimited.
