‘never complain about the environment you are in, be the change.’
Attendees had the option of choosing between several breakout sessions covering topics such as: online travel agents, making money with beverage into the future, what employment looks like in the future, gambling, sale and supply of alcohol and food trending internationally.
Presentations were made by several keynote speakers including Hospitality New Zealand’s new Chief Executive, Vicki Lee and outgoing President, Adam Cunningham. To end things on a high, our group attended the Lion Awards for Excellence Dinner where many New Zealand venues and individuals were acknowledged and rewarded for their service in various categories. Whilst the conference was geared to the New Zealand market, this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the four of us to learn about the New Zealand market but also, take away things that were relevant to our own roles back home. We would like to thank the entire Hospitality New Zealand team for allowing us to be a part of their annual conference and awards night. We have each vowed to return to New Zealand and again experience the wonderful hospitality shown to us at all the venues we visited, but next time as tourists.
‘The study tour of New Zealand organised by the THA, was of great benefit to me personally. It gave me a great insight into the common denominators between New Zealand and Tasmanian Hospitality, while also highlighting certain differences in our approach to tackle industry issues. The keynote speakers organised by Hospitality NZ were experts in their areas, who were happy to share their detailed experiences and expert knowledge. They successfully highlighted what the future holds for our industry, for which I am very excited about. I would like to thank the THA and Hospitality NZ for organising this, which also gave me an opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people.’ - Varun Khetarpal
December 2016
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