Hotel & Catering Show 2015 is the leading hospitality and food service event in the South and South West
The Hotel & Catering show in Bournemouth took place on March 17th and 18th 2015 at Bournemouth International Centre (B.I.C.). There were many exhibitors showcasing their own pastries, desserts, cheese, hams and meat delicacies, organic vegetables, soft and alcohol drinks, catering furniture and formal catering British suits. There was a live-cooking event in a kitchen where visitors could try out some delicious treats as well as try some cocktails from the bar which was placed near the kitchen.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation by Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Director of the eTourism Lab at Bournemouth University, on Social Media Engagement in Hospitality & Tourism. He demonstrated how marketing in the hospitality sector has been dramatically enhanced by technology, most significantly social media and the ways how the industry can take advantage of new technological opportunities as a powerful marketing tools . It is distinguished between the three types of online media: owned, paid and user generated. Professor Buhalis underlined how more customers nowadays trust UGC (user generated content) and how companies cannot buy UGC but they can receive and share it. Also, the presentation emphasised the stages of achieving advocacy for a brand where firstly customers are followers/fans, then they become loyal customers and finally they become advocates of a brand and promote it to their friends and through their social media channels. Professor Buhalis stressed that technology plays five vital roles in tourists trips: dreaming, inspiring, booking, on-site experience and sharing. ‘Useful data’ on their customers is available for organisation through technology, enabling them to personalise products and/or services, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and maximising the potential for repeat business.
Date/Time
17th March: 10am – 5pm
18th March: 10am – 4pm
Venue
Bournemouth International Centre (BIC)
Exeter Road
Bournemouth
BH2 5BH