IH&RA To Stage 50th Anniversary Congress In Amsterdam

Paris, 28 April 1997 - The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) will convene its annual Congress from 2-6 November 1997 in Amsterdam, where a high-powered programme to mark the association's 50th anniversary is expected to attract more than 500 global hospitality professionals.

"In addition to celebrating 50 years of service to the global hospitality industry, the IH&RA has put together an agenda focusing on strategies to impact the future success of the industry worldwide," said IH&RA president Michael B Peceri. Themed "A Capital Event", the Congress will hear from hotel investment experts, bankers and hospitality executives on current trends in hospitality investment and finance and how they translate into profitable ideas for both independent and chain hoteliers and restaurateurs.

Herman Cain, chief executive officer and president of the National Restaurant Association of America, will deliver the keynote address. Known for performing management miracles in the food service industry, Cain will draw on his experience in turning declining Godfather's Pizza into a thriving business, to reveal the secrets of his success.

Highlights from the business programme include sessions on:

· 50 ways to improve your bottom line

· The Euro - How it will Affect Business Operations

· Vacation Ownership - What's at Stake?

· Building a Business Plan to Woo Investors.

The agenda will go beyond the financial arena to look at "Investing in the Future" via issues such as technological progress, women in the workplace, sustainability - and assess how delegates can transform these challenges into opportunities.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the IH&RA will be staging a series of special events during the Congress, culminating in a gala birthday party on 5 November at the 'Beurs van Berlage', the historic merchants' exchange building in central Amsterdam, sponsored by American Express.

IH&RA has set a target this year of $50,000 for its Foundation for the Future, to fund at least 15 study scholarships for promising young hospitality professionals. A special exhibition of paintings on a culinary theme, commissioned by national hospitality associations, will be auctioned to Congress delegates as part of the fund-raising drive.

With Amsterdam's Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky as the backdrop, the Congress will honour individuals who have made major contributions to the industry with the presentation of top industry awards, including the Yitzhak Rabin Peace Tourism Award, presented for the first time in Amsterdam, the American Express-sponsored IH&RA Environmental Award, the IH&RA/HOTELS magazine Young Hotelier of the Year, and the announcement of appointments to the "Confrérie des Amis de l'Hôtellerie Internationale".

Registration is open from 1 June 1997, to non-members as well as members and accompanying persons. For information on the Congress contact Ellen Mollay, IH&RA, tel: (33 1) 44 89 94 00, fax: (33 1) 40 36 73 30, e-mail: [email protected].

Editor's note: The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), this year celebrating 50 years of service to the industry, is a global network of independent and chain operators, national associations, hospitality suppliers and educational centres in the hotel and restaurant industry in more than 150 countries. As the "voice" of the industry" it represents, protects, promotes and informs its members to enable them to achieve their objectives.