CEO UPDATE
Following months of exhaustive planning we have finally arrived on the cusp of our first appearance at Agfest and I know everyone at the Tasmanian Hospitality Association is extremely excited for this year’s event. The THA has an amazing space at one of the state’s biggest attractions to showcase the Best of Hospitality in Tasmania, and across the four days there will be an abundance of activations both inside and outside our pavilion. The opportunity to highlight a selection of premium produce our industry offers in a hospitality focussed area, at one of Tasmania’s most renowned events, will be hugely beneficial and I can’t think of a better way to promote everything the industry has to offer than by bringing it to the huge Agfest crowds. From the likes of Angus Gourmet Steak Sandwiches, Lenah Game Meats and Tassal to a host of distilleries and breweries ranging from Willie Smiths in the south’s Huon Valley to Scottsdale’s Darby-Norris Distillery, there will be something for everyone and we are determined to make our site the biggest and best Agfest has ever seen. In addition to our food and beverage offerings, we will also have stalls for our partners TasTAFE, VXT and Tourism and Hospitality jobs. The future of this great industry relies on attracting both the next generation of talent as well as more experienced workers either looking for a change or to pass on their wisdom and punters will have the chance to see exactly what opportunities are out there. Speaking of the future of hospitality, we have recently launched one of our major projects from the past 18 months – our Hospitality 2030 document. We engaged with key stakeholders and consumers across the state to develop this visionary document. The consultations, which were done by independent contractors, have uncovered a range of key priorities and areas of focus which require addressing, and we need to start now to ensure this industry, Tasmania’s third largest employing sector, remains vibrant and healthy.
Sessions were held in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart in late July to unveil the main points of this vision, which will be the THA’s guiding document on an eight year journey and hard copies will be arriving to every business in Tasmania shortly. We understand Hospitality 2030 will evolve and align with new challenges and issues we encounter in the coming years, but this is the first building block to safeguard Tasmanian hospitality. And with continued support from the State Government for our programs and initiatives which assist workforce development and upskilling the sector, I’m confident our vision can be achieved successfully. Finally, I must extend a huge thank you to our outgoing president Paul Jubb. Paul has been an amazing ambassador for the industry, he never stepped away from a challenge if he thought it would benefit the sector and the respect he commanded at national level was second to none. He has been a huge support to me and I thank him sincerely for his assistance and friendship over many years. The association is in very capable hands with his replacement Ben Carpenter, who is just as passionate and will bring some new ideas and perspective to the board and I look forward to working with Ben.
7 Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/July Edition
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