Over 600 delegates gathered at the Hilton Deansgate Manchester for the 10th Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) on 16 and 17 October 2013.
The conference theme, Seize the Day, was echoed throughout the two-day event which featured 24 educational and thought-provoking sessions and multiple networking opportunities for delegates.
The decision to host The AHC in Manchester is a reflection of the city’s thriving tourism sector and, as the growth of tourism in the city continues to rise, so does the success of The AHC. Delegate numbers increased by 27% since 2012 and the conference programme was extended to a day and a half. In an industry first, iPad’s replaced printed handbooks (see below).
World Class Key Note Speakers discuss the Power of Local at AHC 2013
Delegates heard from an array of top-flight speakers, including:
- Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi,
- Robert Cook, CEO, De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts,
- Chris Sanderson, CEO, The Future Laboratory
- Deirdre Wells Head of Tourism at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Opening the conference was Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi. Kevin’s speech emphasised the power of local and willed hoteliers to “delight their own customers before taking on the Far and Middle Eastern travellers.” In an age where information, products and services are available instantly, he urged hoteliers to make the most of this customer facing industry and to deliver local experiences to guests that they will appreciate and emotionally interact with. “The guest experience starts a long time before check-in, and the language used across all of these interactions needs to excite, interest and engage guests”
Tourism across the country
Deirdre Wells, Head of Tourism at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport spoke of the important role tourism plays to the economy during a recession. She reminded delegates that tourism is one of the country’s biggest employers incorporating over 200,000 businesses providing 1.74m jobs.
Deirdre stated that a key focus for DCMS was to motivate both domestic and international visitors to travel around the UK. “51% of international visitors go to London and nowhere else. The real challenge for us is to encourage visitors to explore other parts of the UK. During 2012 15.5m inbound visitors went to London in comparison with 0.9m visiting Manchester.”
Deidre advised hoteliers to ensure they understood their current market and their potential market, to engage with their Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) and finally to offer something different and special to guests.
The future
The conference closed with a motivational look at the future of the hotel industry provided by Chris Sanderson from The Future Laboratory. He observed the original high adoption rates of the internet by the hotel industry to showcase properties to a global audience. He warned however, that hoteliers need to continue to develop and improve their web presence as the digital relationship between hotel and guest evolves. Chris also discussed the concept of luxury as an experience for the consumer. He acknowledged the challenges facing the UK hotel industry and encouraged hoteliers to focus on a “niche appeal to a small but lucrative sector”.
Pioneering Technology at AHC – iPads replace Delegate Handbooks
In an industry first, the 10th AHC provided iPads to all 600 delegates for use throughout the conference. The iPads replaced the traditional printed handbook. Delegates collected their loaned iPads on arrival and were able to create their unique journey throughout the conference.
All the expected information from a delegate pack was available including the conference programme, speaker biographies, sponsor information, floor plan and recommended amenities. In addition and in a trailblazing move, further functionality included the ability to ask questions to the panel members, respond to audience polls in real time, annotate presentations with personal notes and utilise an instant delegate to delegate messaging system.
Interactive format for audience insight
The iPads were provided by Event Pad, part of TEP Events International. Commenting on the event, Event Pad’s CEO Paul Beck, said: “Working closely with our clients, Event Pad is moving the focus away from conventional presentation and audience response tools towards an interactive format that provides unprecedented audience insight.
“On meeting with The AHC team and understanding their objectives to increase audience engagement and learning, maximise delegate networking, and providing that ‘wow factor’, I was confident that incorporating Event Pad into The AHC would achieve the desired outcome. We are delighted to have worked with The AHC this year and delivered an industry first in the UK”.
Jonathan Langston co-founder of The AHC and Senior Director CBRE Hotels said: “To link in with the 10th anniversary of The AHC, we wanted to be able to really connect delegates with the conference and each other. The iPads enabled us to do this. The rise in delegate peer to peer interaction through the live contact system and increase in audience questions during sessions was unquestionably a result of the iPads. We are also very conscious of our green footprint and constantly looking for ways to reduce this. Not needing to print over 600 delegate handbooks certainly contributed significantly to our ability to hold a more environmentally sensitive event.”
Further technology at The AHC 2013 included a phone-charging station for delegates sponsored by AirAngel and an interactive graffiti wall supplied by Luma.
The Annual Hotel Conference
AHC is the only event targeted at the UK’s independent and small chain hoteliers, and the leading event for the UK hospitality industry and attracts delegates from across the country. The two day event is filled with valuable educational content and practical knowledge to improve hotel performance, peer to peer networking opportunities and presentations of the latest need to know trends to facilitate continued succeeding in the UK hospitality industry.
The AHC is independently project managed by King Communications www.king-comms.co.uk.
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