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By Steven Hesketh

The Art of Hospitality Hosts ‘Youth Panel’ – A Young Person’s View on Hospitality

Steven discusses the upcoming 'Art of Hospitality' event to be held in June and what issues the event aims to address within the hospitality industry.

Our next ‘The Art of Hospitality’ event is in the diary for the 11th June 2024, at The Hilton, Liverpool, UK and it will explore ‘How to Make Hospitality Great Again’, with ‘People, Place and Perception’ in mind.

As always, the event promises to delve deep into the evolving landscape of the hospitality industry, and what needs to be done to help it not just survive but thrive, featuring ‘raw and real talk’ across panel discussions and presentations, with networking opportunities also a-plenty.

But, at this event we are also set to host a brand new incredible ‘Youth Panel’, which will feature; Scott Hesketh (who I shared an interview with on my social’s last week), also Rita Adeyina Obeng and James Ellams… they will discuss a Young Person’s View on Hospitality and what we need to learn to attract and retain them, as intergenerational recruitment is considered and I encourage us all to look to the future, to save hospitality by engaging the next generation.

One of the big problems we are facing as a profession is that young people are not attracted to working within hospitality – this is madness as it’s one of the best routes through which you can build a strong career path – but, they have been put off by the outdated image of being overworked and underpaid and scenes of chefs swearing at everyone. This is not what a modern-day hospitality business looks like, and indeed alongside a bigger focus on wellbeing and work life balance the progressive operators are creating opportunities for young people that really suit their skills.

For example, at my hotel we no longer have ‘front of house meet and greet staff’ – we have influencers – people who greet the guests, connect with them to ensure they have the best experience and encourage them to share their experiences with the world during their stay. This is a 21st Century hospitality role -and when we speak in this language, we can start to become relevant as a profession to young people looking to build careers they’ll love.

The inaugural ‘The Art of Hospitality’ event in 2023 saw over 100 people come together to unite and provided a platform for thought-provoking conversations on the essence of hospitality and its transformative potential. With a diverse range of topics covered. And, I’m thrilled to bring together another exciting event focused on the Art of Hospitality.

The last event created such a buzz and sense of camaraderie, that I knew I had to do it again.

To grab your tickets, please book via: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thehospitalityheroltd/1225792

Downtown in Business