Yesterday I attended The Big Hospitality Conversation event which was held at City Hall and organised by the British Hospitality Association. The theme of the event was all about Inspiring the Next Generation of hospitality professionals. This is a long standing campaign of collaboration that brings together young people and hospitality employers to share their experiences, expertise and employment opportunities.

Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association

Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association started off the day with a welcome message and introduction of how London is the Hospitality Capital of the World and with 3 million people in our industry, we are a powerful force working together to create some special and magical moments as our industry is made up of people serving people.

Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business clearly stated that London is Open for Business and that we welcome people from all around the world and the European Union and recognise their contribution.

Anne Pierce, Chief Executive of the Springboard Charity spoke of the importance of Inspiring Work Opportunities in Hospitality. From research they carried out 53% of young people would consider working in our industry. What really inspired them was interaction with industry employers and getting first hand knowledge of the career opportunities on offer. To ensure the hospitality industry offers first class work experience opportunities they have created their Inspire Quality Standard.

Throughout the morning there were panel discussion with young people that were looking to work in hospitality or had recently started apprenticeships in the industry and they shared their experiences and future aspirations.

One of the very inspirational speakers of the day was Simon Boyle, Founder of Beyond Food who shared his career journey from being an Apprentice Chef through to how he now is Inspiring a Future Beyond Homelessness.

Lunch was served up on the 9th Floor of City Hall with some amazing views of London and the Big Conversations continued between hospitality hopefuls and employers.

If you work in hospitality or are looking to work in hospitality and are reading this blog, then one of the best ways to get advice from those in the industry is to network. Our Hospitality Superheroes Facebook group is a support group for anyone in our industry. So if you have a question about anything hospitality related, post it up and one of our Hospitality Superheroes in the group will come to your rescue. Several of our Hospitality Superheroes have already been featured in short video introductions. If you would like to be featured in the group then connect with me, Monica Or,  in the group on Facebook.