HOSPACE 2014 ‘HOSPA Spotlight’ panel to provide ‘Hospitality cures for sleepless night anxieties!’

The authoritative HOSPACE 2014 'HOSPA Spotlight' panel of industry specialists to discuss, explore and illustrate 'Hospitality cures for sleepless night anxieties – from fraud and PCI compliance, to OTA commissions, purchasing technology, and the challenges surrounding an industry coming out of recession', has been revealed.

The panellists – bringing their particular experience and expertise to the second in-depth, 70-minute 'HOSPA Spotlight' of the one-day HOSPACE 2014 Conference and Exhibition on 20 November – will include: Jim Gee, Partner and Head of Forensic and Counter Fraud Services, PKF Littlejohn; Paul Nisbett, Finance & Commercial Director, The Hotel Collection, and Chairman of the HOSPA Finance Community; Bryan Steele, Head of IT, Royal Automobile Club (RAC), and Chairman of the HOSPA IT Community; and Rajesh Vohra, Sales & Marketing Director, Sarova Hotels, who is also President of HEDNA's (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) Board of Directors. HOSPA is delighted that one of the world's most distinguished and respected hotel advisers, HVS Chairman Russell Kett, has agreed to chair the session.

"This is an in-depth, wide-ranging discussion embracing many of the most pressing challenges – such as rising utility costs, meeting and managing guest technology expectations, and the new challenge (for many of our members and delegates) of trading coming out of a recession – currently giving many hospitality finance, revenue management and IT professionals sleepless nights," explained HOSPA Chief Executive Carl Weldon. "Guiding our excellent and multi-disciplined line-up of panellists through such thorny issues, we are very fortunate to have one of the industry's most experienced and distinguished advisors, Russell Kett – the recipient of a special HOSPA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, in recognition of his 'outstanding commitment to improving best practice financial management' right from HOSPA's inception in 1969 as the British Association of Hotel Accountants."

The first ever 'HOSPA Spotlight' will be the focal point of HOSPACE 2014's morning sessions and will shine on the 'Data Insights Revolution', whilst the second 'HOSPA Spotlight' will provide the centre-piece for the afternoon discussions. Both HOSPA Spotlights' will be supported by the latest cutting-edge, interactive technology to ensure full delegate participation – including voting on issues raised.

Delegates, and those unable to attend HOSPACE 2014, can interact on the day with the Conference –to be held at the Sofitel London Heathrow, Terminal 5 – by tweeting on '@HOSPATweets'. HOSPA has over 14,000 followers on all social media platforms, and the Association would be delighted for industry members to join in the discussions via social media on 20 November.

For regularly updated information on HOSPACE 2014 (HOSPA Conference and IT Exhibition), visit the HOSPACE 2014 Website at: www.hospace.net . For bookings and further details for HOSPACE 2014, contact the HOSPA Membership and Events Office on telephone: +44 (0) 203 418 8196; or email: [email protected]

Other HOSPACE 2014 highlights:

• Setting the scene for the one-day HOSPACE 2014: the traditionally popular 'HOSPACE Industry Overview' – comprising the latest hotel data again presented by STR Global and PwC, with the addition this year of the latest sales trends for the UK eating-out and drinking-out market by Coffer Peach
• The eagerly awaited HOSPACE annual 'Leaders Panel' discussion which, with the upturn in the economy, will examine – amongst other topics – the key question of 'how is the hospitality industry investing in the future'? Under the expert guidance of Panel Chairman Peter Hancock, Chief Executive, Pride of Britain Hotels, the 'Leaders Panel' will include: Steve Cassidy, Area Vice President, UK & Ireland, Hilton Worldwide, responsible for the company's multi-brand portfolio across the British Isles; Simon Ewins, Business Development and Corporate Responsibility Director, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, who is responsible for the roll-out of Whitbread's new high-tech city centre hotels: 'Hub by Premier Inn'; Heiko Figge, Head of private equity company Moorfield Group's hospitality portfolio; and Phil Le-Brun, Senior Director - European Restaurant Solutions at McDonald's Europe Ltd.
• 'How the hospitality industry can get the most from the data insights revolution' is the subject of the very first in-depth, 70-minute 'HOSPA Spotlight' session. The top line-up of 'information insights' specialists, dealing with the hospitality industry, will comprise: Michael Heyward, Director, Hotel Performance Support Europe, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG); business intelligence specialist Samir Sharma, Chief Executive of datazuum – which enables companies to turn data into valuable insights; Peter Martin, Vice President, CGA Peach (provider of unique research, analysis, insight and market access in the UK eating-out and drinking-out market) who is a leading commentator on this sector of the UK hospitality industry, and Vice-President of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), the licensed retail trade organisation; Isabelle Pinson, Senior Director of Market Management for Northern Europe, Expedia Lodging Partner Services; and Paul Squires, UK Wireless Manager, Hewlett-Packard (HP). Chairing the session will be Michael Prager, non-executive Chairman of Optimal Monitoring Limited & Hospitality Pro, and formerly Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Hilton Worldwide. He is also a former Vice President – Sales, Planning & Development, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
• Rounding off HOSPACE 2014's morning sessions: a 'Tourism Council Overview' presented by British Hospitality Association Chief Executive Ufi Ibrahim, who is also Chairman of the Tourism Alliance.
• Afternoon: popular and highly topic industry-specific 'Educational Workshops' programme, which will be linked into the 'HOSPA Spotlight' sessions
• As in previous years, HOSPACE 2014 will be hosting its ever growing Exhibition of hospitality technology solutions – providing delegates with a 'one stop shop' to view and interact with the latest and 'best in class' technologies – covering all eventualities for any hospitality business, whether they be start-up, established independent, or multi chain-owned, operations
• Demonstration and study by Dr. Ajay 'AJ' Aluri of consumer behaviour regarding Google's innovative 'Glass' technology, introduced from the US to the UK in June 2014. Dr Aluri will be examining how wearable computing technologies will both positively and negatively affect the hospitality industry. He will be demonstrating Google 'Glass' and will be collecting data from HOSPACE delegates to examine consumer behaviour when using 'Glass' in the context of the hospitality industry. Google 'Glass' has been called an 'ubiquitous computing' device – with an optical head-mounted display that can be integrated to mobile, and can be operated hands-free using simple voice commands. This is a new type of tourism in which cyber travellers virtually travel and experience a destination in real-time, as a substitute for physical travel
• The event's grand finale Gala Dinner – including the signature 'HOSPA Pub Quiz and entertainment' – is one of the traditional social networking highlights of the Conference.