Tourism and Hospitality

The participants in the inaugural Fast Forward 15 mentoring scheme for women in the events industry were unveiled at a special launch event at The Savoy Hotel, London. The scheme – the brainchild of Zibrant’s Fay Sharpe – is designed to help women reach the top in business.

 When she took to the stage at The Savoy Hotel, Sharpe told the 95 per cent female audience: “I feel like I’ve just had a baby!”

The event was a chance for both mentors and mentees to get to know each other and start to develop the relationships that will be crucial to the programme’s success. Sharpe said she had achieved multi-millionaire status by deciding on goals, writing them down but then “being prepared to move the goalposts” when necessary.” She told the audience that her father had died early and this left her focused on being the bread-winner for her family.

Sharpe said there had been 139 applicants to be mentored under the scheme but only 15 were successful.

Fleur Burrows-Jones, from The National Theatre, who is one of the scheme’s first mentees, said: “I am so pleased to be part of Fast Forward 15 and looking forward to gaining knowledge and expertise from a leading woman within the industry. Being part of Fast Forward 15 will inspire me to progress in my career within the events world. I am very much looking forward to working with my mentor Hannah Rhodes over the coming year.”

Commenting on Fast Forward 15, Hannah Rhodes, founder of Hiver Beer and Burrows-Jones’ mentor, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the mentees to gain insight into working cultures outside of their own role and gain perspective on their own professional challenges.

“I’d love to think that in a year’s time the applicants will have clarity about their own ways of working and will be looking to lead the industry by example in the years ahead. Even as a mentor, you can’t help but be impressed by the high standards set by Fay and think, ‘What’s stopping me?’”

Fay Sharpe added: “This has been a momentous occasion; there was real electricity in the air when we introduced mentors and mentees to each other for the first time in the flesh. This will be an exciting and productive year and I look forward to working with all parties to ensure that the scheme is a resounding success, serving as an example to the hospitality industry.”

The full list of participants are:

Aspirational Board Director

Selina Donald, ITV (mentor: Fay Sharpe, Zibrant)

Rachel Bartlett, Warwick Conferences (mentor: Jo Austin, Lime Venue Portfolio)

Middle Management Progression

Fleur Burrows-Jones, National Theatre (mentor: Hannah Rhodes, Hiver Beer)

Catriona Ross, Post Office Ltd (mentor: Alex James, Zibrant)

Corporate Events Professional

Laura Adams, cievents (mentor: Joanna Lawlor, AstraZeneca)

Michelle Kibble, Everywoman Ltd (mentor: Karen Sumner, Allen & Overy LLP)

Lauren Glynn, Harrow School Enterprises Ltd (mentor: Jackie Mulligan, Leeds Beckett University)

Kate Furness, Zibrant LIVE! (mentor: Jason Scott, entrepreneurial consultant)

Emma North, Black Tomato Agency (mentor: Lex Butler, Wolf & White)

Budding Entrepreneur

Amy Seton, The Food and Drink Events Company (mentor: Paul Beavis, Champagne Lanson)

Libby Willetts, EMA Events (mentor: Sallie Coventry, ibtm events)

Maternity Leave Returner

Rebecca Goodman, Ageas UK Ltd (mentor: Yasmin Arrigo, Haymarket Media Group)

Under-26

Tanya Dennis, MRO Network (mentor: Meenaz Lilani, Fairmont/Raffles Hotels & Resorts)

Charlotte Warwick, Silverstone Circuit (mentor: Louise Bang, Ritz Carlton)

 University Final-Year Student

Hannah Coleman, Bournemouth University (mentor: Juliet Price, HBAA)

Bournemouth University have won the Passion 4 Hospitality Business Game for the second year in a row. Team member Ellen McCausland tweeted after the event “@HOTS_Simulation Such a fantastic day yesterday at @IoH_Online Conference. Proud to have brought home the trophy for a second year! #BUproud”. The competition was contested this year by teams from Plymouth, Manchester Metropolitan, University College Birmingham, Westminster Kingsway and Bournemouth. These five teams came through the online heats for the competition, which featured eight teams.

This year the focus of the business game was on revenue management, social media and guest reviews. Each of the five teams competing in the HOTS business management game were given the responsibility of managing individual hotels within the simulated environment. All five teams were in direct competition with each other and competition was fierce.

The simulation scenario was created to compliment the theme from the P4H live debate final. The teams were tasked with creating a revenue management strategy for their hotels and then executing this within the simulation. The teams were judged on their hotel performance results, which included RevPAR, ADR, Occupancy and Gross Operating Profit. They each also had to produce a written revenue management plan. The teams could sell rooms through online channels, set their rate strategies and also manage their social media profiles.

Peter Russell, Operations manager from HOTS (The Total Simulator Company) said, “We wanted to present the teams with a curveball this year and present them with an exercise closely focused on revenue management to see how they would cope. This will be an essential skill for them in years to come and all five teams coped very well, with all of them running profitable hotel businesses by the end of the competition, which is a great achievement.”

The properties all started the same, with all teams having an equal chance for success. The competition was fierce with Plymouth coming a very close second, followed by Manchester Metropolitan in third.

Debra Adams, Head of Professional Development at arena4finance said, “We were very impressed by the commitment and level of achievement demonstrated by all the teams taking part at this years event. REVPAR and GOPPAR maximisation was the key to success and all the teams massively improved these KPI’s for their virtual hotels resulting in a very close contest!”

The Business Management Game was delivered by the teams from HOTS and arena4finance and in partnership with the Institute of Hospitality, HOSPA and CHME.

The winning team will be awarded a day in industry from a partner organisation who will give them experience of what it is like working in the hospitality industry. This will be discussed with the team to make sure the day is focused on an area of interest to them.

All of the teams did exceptionally well. If these were real life hotels, all of the shareholders would be very pleased, as all five hotels were starting to turn a good profit by the end of the year, with the chance for further improvement in future years.

This was the second year that this Business Management Game has taken place and due to the positive feedback received, it will certainly be taking place again next year. If your university is interested in taking part, contact the teams from HOTS or arena4finance.

Picture caption: University of Bournemouth win P4H 2015 Business Game Competition. Peter Russell & Debra Adams present the award to the winners.

For further information contact: Peter Russell – The Total Simulator Company (HOTS) – prussell@etosc.com

Wayne Gosden – arena4finance – wayne.gosden@arena4finance.co.uk

In support of the hospitality community in the South, Bournemouth University returned to the Hotel and Catering Show for the third year running. This impressive event brings people and organisations together to find solutions for sourcing skills, products and services; and business networking, specifically serving the hospitality sector.

Claire Main, Business Engagement Consultant for the School of Tourism commented: “We are committed to supporting the industry and it is a great opportunity for the University to get involved with the show and engage with the public. It is also an ideal time to talk to businesses about our range of services, including bespoke accredited courses and other cost effective services to gain a competitive edge be it through consultancy, student placements or funded projects. One of our latest clients is New Forest Biscotti, a local company requiring support to develop new products.”

This year, two University academic experts were invited to speak at the event. Dr Charles McIntyre and Professor Dimitrios Buhalis entertained and informed visitors with their latest research and advice. Charles outlined how small changes in hospitality space design can increase customer satisfaction and improve an enterprise’s spatial attractiveness. Dimitrios revealed ways in which the industry can take advantage of new technological opportunities, most significantly social media.

For more information on business services and to engage with the BU academic team, contact Claire Main – cmain@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Level  I BA Tourism Management students recently spent seven days in Malta as part of their studies. The students were investigating tourism development, planning, operations and tourist experience and behaviour during the field trip. During the trip students met with a number of tourism industry professionals, including representatives from Visit Malta, Heritage Malta, The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, MIDI Group, and the Ministry of Gozo.

Students were able to look at the plans for Malta’s capital city Valletta as it prepares to become European Capital of Culture in 2018; explored the development of ecotourism on Malta’s sister island Gozo; experienced the redevelopment of Malta’s Three Cities for heritage and cultural tourism; visited new developments such as the National Aquarium; and investigated dark tourism provision at the catacombs.

During the field trip links were strengthened between BU School of Tourism and the Institute of Tourism, Travel and Culture at the University of Malta, with BU students visiting the University for a guest lecture on ‘Maltese Culture and Heritage as a tourism product’.

Daniele Quattromini, manager at Club Lounge 39 in Canary Wharf, is set to receive a year of expert mentoring following his success in the Gold Service Scholarship 2015.

He was named the winner of this year’s award during a gala presentation at London’s Claridge’s hotel.

Among his collection of prizes, Quattromini, 25, will have the opportunity to work with the Royal Household at a state banquet, spend a work with Mandarin Oriental Hotels Group at one of their European hotels, receive mentoring from Diego Masciaga at the Waterside Inn and Silvano Giraldin at Le Gavroche, and visit the vineyards of Champagne and Bordeaux.

Quattromini joined foodservice operator CH&Co in October 2013 and moved to its Lusso Catering contract at Club Lounge 39 – a private members club on the 39th floor of One Canada Square, Canary Wharf – six months later.

He graduated in hospitality management from Bournemouth University in 2013, having undertaken work experience stints at Chewton Glen and Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Quattromini, who competed against seven other finalists during a lunch service at the Connaught hotel, London, said it was “an honour” to be selected as the 2015 Scholar. “The next year will be an incredible experience and I feel so fortunate and privileged to know that I will be working alongside industry greats in so many revered venues and establishments,” he said.

“I hope over the next year my own work and experiences will inspire other young people to pursue a career in this dynamic and rewarding industry and better understand the huge breadth of opportunities available to them within it.”

As the third winner of the Gold Service Scholarship, Quattromini follows in the footsteps of Rebecca Dibben the inaugural winner in 2013 and now general manager of the Forest Inn, near Bournemouth,, and last year’s winner, James Fleming, now guest relations executive, Berkeley hotel, London.

The full list of finalists in the 2015 Gold Service Scholarship was:

• Daniele Quattromini – Club Lounge 39, Canary Wharf, London
• James O’Keeffe – Lainston House Hotel, Winchester, Hampshire
• Lukáš Andr – the Seafood Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall
• Karen Weisheit – Cliveden House Hotel, Taplow, Buckinghamshire
• Matthew Balman – Buckingham Palace, London
• Ronald Rosario – the Capital hotel, London
• Nicholas Winfield – Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
• George Oates – Buckingham Palace, London