In this week’s blog, Jo reflects on the Liberal Democrat Conference and considers how Ed Davey’s appeal to decency, community, and middle England could counter Farage, Reform, and divisive politics.
Neil Baines, Managing Director at Steven A Hunt & Associates highlights that at major property conferences, the real value often happens off the main stage. Fringe events—especially those run by Downtown in Business—bring together business, politics, and delivery specialists, creating the conversations where meaningful connections are made. That’s why the firm has chosen to renew its sponsorship with Downtown for MIPIM and UKREiiF in 2026, reflecting the need for better integration.
Back in Britain for a couple of weeks, Martin readies himself for the Labour Party conference. But having witnessed President Trump’s carefully choreographed UK State Visit, he wonders if rowdy conferences and noisy mass membership parties have much of a future?
Hospitality is built on people. Skills, confidence, resilience, pride, those things aren’t just memorized in a lecture hall. They’re learned in the pressure of service, in front of real guests, with real standards and expectations. That’s the philosophy behind The Academy Restaurant at Cheshire College, South & West, Crewe campus
A sense of gloom about the economic prospects is not shared by the West Midlands. That’s Jim’s conclusion having attended two great Downtown events in the last week.
Bee Our Guest will finally be live on Thursday, 18 September.
Despite Reform’s rather eccentric conference in Birmingham last week – it is time to start to take Nigel Farage and his party seriously.
Jim thinks the late budget on Nov 26th will be bad for business. He also comments on the crisis facing Angela Rayner and the radical new leader of the Green Party.
In this week’s blog, Steven reflects on a story from his Sales Manager, Jules, who returned from Cala d’Or with an experience that highlights the quiet power of true hospitality. Her room attendant, Monica, turned everyday service into something memorable through care, consistency, and pride in her craft.
Parliament returned after the summer recess, the PM reshuffled his team – and within 48 hours Labour was embroiled in another unfortunate controversy. Frank McKenna suggests that Keir Starmer may be under as much pressure to keep his job as Angela Rayner is to keep hers.
This week I celebrated 16 years at Downtown in Business – and what a journey it has been.
In this week’s blog, Steven Hesketh shines a light upon Hospitality Action. Hospitality Action are there for chefs, bartenders, housekeepers, porters, managers, across hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafés, schools, hospitals and event venues, whenever life gets tough.
