PRESIDENT UPDATE
Well, the weather was far from kind, but even the light showers could not put a dampener on this year’s Awards for Excellence. The vision of Steve and myself to move to a new location and tweak the format was brave and was always going to have its challenges. While we still have some things to improve the overwhelming response has been extremely positive, and I think it’s fair to say the new event format was a huge success and I congratulate Steve and his team for all the work they put in to make the day enjoyable for all of us. To have more than 700 hospitality representatives at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, despite the overhead conditions, is absolute justification for the move and I have absolutely no doubt it will continue to grow in the coming years. Our awards are a celebration of each and every person in our industry, and we want as many people as possible to be able to attend. Wrest Point has been a great host venue for a long time, and I thank the team at Federal Group for all they have done for us on the awards night in the past. But with capacity limits at Wrest Point, the ability for operators to bring more of their staff meant a new space was needed. After all it’s our staff that are the day-to-day champions of
our industry, hospitality is the heart that keeps the Tasmanian economy pumping.
Our awards are not only about recognising the achievements of the past 12 months; they also provide the opportunity to mingle and network with others from right around the state, making new connections and sharing new ideas. I extend my congratulations to all the category winners, it was fantastic to see a host of our newer establishments receiving recognition, as well as those entrenched businesses who continue to excel and raise the bar year on year. Congratulations also to Andrew Smith for receiving the Premier’s Award for Contribution to the Community. Andrew has been a driving force behind the growth of the Willie Smiths brand and has been an integral part of the Huon community for many years. I wish all our winners good luck at the AHA National Awards for Excellence on November 27 at Adelaide Oval. Tasmania has absolutely become a hospitality force on the national stage, and our venues and businesses will look to add to the success from last year which saw multiple national titles.
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