BAHA to change name to HOSPA to reflect development as a major force in the UK hospitality industry

Following a specially convened BAHA Extraordinary General Meeting, BAHA members overwhelmingly voted and approved the name change to 'HOSPA' – the Hospitality Professionals Association. The new name will be accompanied by a flexible strap-line that will define the membership, and can be adjusted to allow for any future changes in finance and other commercially related roles within the hospitality industry. In September 2011, there will be a formal launch in London of HOSPA (date and venue to be finalised) where its objectives, new identity (including logo and strap-line), the new HOSPA fully interactive website, and the first President of HOSPA will be unveiled and introduced to the UK hospitality industry. Until the official launch in September, the Association will remain known primarily as BAHA.

BAHA Chairman Paul Dukes explained why the BAHA Council took the decision to give the Association a new identity. "Finance in the UK hospitality industry has changed markedly since BAHA was formed over 40 years ago," he said. "It is not only the sector that has changed, but also the way it functions – from the emergence of IT in hotel management, guest services, administration, and guest-room technology, to raising finance and the new approach to maximising room revenues – to name but a few examples.

"BAHA has developed accordingly – continually seeking to provide cutting-edge knowledge; and greater opportunities for personal development, education, meetings, debates and special events for its membership, helping them to enhance skills, networking and employment potential. In 2009, recognising the increasing inter-dependence of finance, revenue management and IT professionals, the BAHA Council and members took the decision to enable revenue management and IT professionals to become full members of BAHA. Already this has had a positive impact on our membership, as highlighted at last year's highly successful BAHA Annual Conference and IT Exhibition which attracted a record attendance of 365 delegates, speakers, and IT exhibitors.

"Now, BAHA would like to encourage much wider membership and professional opportunities for all; and the BAHA Council believes that the change in the Association's name to 'HOSPA' – together with a new distinctive logo and flexible strap-line – will more accurately reflect our rapidly growing membership and their professionalism within the hospitality industry."

BAHA Chief Executive Carl Weldon added: "This is a new name for an exciting new era of growth for BAHA. The name change to 'HOSPA' embraces and takes into account our current development of individual 'Communities' for each of BAHA's three membership disciplines of Finance, Revenue Management, and IT, which each have their own education requirements and issues. Indeed, we are developing further our education qualifications and programmes for our Revenue Management and IT Communities. These are being created along similar lines to that of our highly acclaimed hospitality industry-specific finance qualification – the BAHA Education and Training Programme (ETP) – which has proved highly popular with the industry for over 20 years.

"Under the 'HOSPA' banner, the Association's members will be able to work better, smarter and more together through understanding the synergies with Finance, Revenue Management and IT colleagues – resulting in greater efficiencies and opportunities gained from the Association's centrally located resources."