A UK network of experts launched a year ago to help hospitality businesses affected by lockdown has reached a milestone £200,000 worth of opportunities. The Hospitality Partnership (https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/) was founded by West Midlands-based tourism sales supremo Jan Denning. Although its work started before the pandemic, it was re-launched in December 2020 as a way of supporting hard-hit hotels, venues and other hospitality and tourism-related businesses. As the partnership marks its first birthday, there are now more than 30 partners, sharing in more than £200,000 of recorded opportunities in a range of services including procurement, sales training, licensing, marketing, mental health, sustainability and more. Jan says that one of the first wins came within weeks of launch when almost half the partnership joined forces to deliver a series of workshops and coaching. This was as part of a government-led Peer to Peer initiative. “The different areas of expertise proved invaluable and enabled the businesses involved to focus on their particular needs of these specialist areas,” Jan added. Thanks to one of its specialist partners, the organisation is now also a government gateway for the Kickstart programme, supporting businesses and young people into the industry. There’s now a waiting list of would-be members for invite-only organisation. Jan recognised an urgent need for professional support at a make-or-break time for the hospitality industry and a shout out on social media led to significant support. Now, as well as the partnership completing its first 12 months, Jan’s vision and commitment has earned her and the network as a whole, prestigious accolades from the respected nationwide professional body, the Meetings Industry Association. Not only did Jan win the MIA Individual Excellence award, the partnership was a finalist for the Team Excellence Award, with judges paying tribute to Jan’s enthusiasm, passion, professionalism, energy and compassion. Jan said: “The Hospitality Partnership was re-modelled and built out of a time of crisis to support the industry when it was needed most and with the foresight of longer-term challenges like resource and budget cuts. “We have created a team of well respected, well connected, proven industry experts, and created a ‘go to’ resource. “All our members share a common goal of helping businesses within our sector by offering affordable, cost-effective and flexible business solutions, all under one umbrella organisation. “Without a doubt, flexible working is here to stay. It is time for our sector, especially independent operators, to look at new ways of doing business; a more cost-effective way of doing business, delivering results without compromise to brand or quality, paying for only the time they need to get the job done”. Jan added: “I am blown away by the overwhelming positive response for The Hospitality Partnership, and truly privileged to have an amazing team of professionals around me, a team that I learn off all the time and am in awe of. “I honestly believe in this model of doing business, it is a win-win for those businesses who need expert services but do not need full time or permanent roles.” Gavin Percy, MD of Balancing Edges, said: “Working with my colleagues at The Hospitality Partnership has been refreshing and exciting. The concept really fills a gap in the market and all the partners share the desire to maximise the benefit to our clients," Julian Tee, founder and director of Compass Hotels Management added: “I am delighted to be an associate partner of the Hospitality Partnership, working alongside a group of highly skilled, experienced industry professionals whose skills complement each other so well.” Jack Appleton, founder, Relentless Media said: “As a social media specialist and responsible for the hospitality partnership digital marketing, the growth and engagement has been outstanding.” Issued by Linda Aitchison (07867 420803) at Nurture Media for The Hospitality Partnership. For more information contact Jan Denning on Jan@hospitality-partnership.com or 07791 149672.

As the UK hospitality industry starts to see long awaited green shoots of recovery, with it comes concern about staff resource. The Hospitality Partnership re-launched in December to offer a flexible, cost-effective solution to businesses affected and concerned by budget cut- backs in various permanent roles. Now just three months later The Hospitality Partnership has welcomed four new associate partners, who join the original six associate founder members and more than 20 associate team partners, to help get the hospitality sector recover and get back on its feet at a time it is needed most. The Hospitality Partnership offer a talent bank of industry professionals covering a variety of key roles, skills and services, from business development and training to accounting, financial control, procurement, HR and marketing, PMS and more, all giving flexible, cost-effective solutions without compromising brand, service or delivery. The new associate partners are Dynamize, a full marketing agency, Teri Gardner, from Food Safety Consulting, specialising in food safety and compliance, Kevin Roach, from Gaeltel, advising on sustainable, smart energy and Gavin Percy from Balancing Edges, providing health wellbeing, training and advice. The new partners enthused about joining such a partnership, Emma from Dynamize added “ we could see straight away the knowledge and expertise available to the hospitality industry through The Hospitality Partnership. It was an easy decision to come on board. It was actually the talent bank that really cemented our decision to join as it’s a huge benefit to us to be able to work with and recommend trustworthy and reliable businesses “, Gavin from Balancing Edges added why he joined, “because the concept of having professional specialists in all areas really appealed to me. What a great, flexible and cost-effective service to offer to clients - meaning that they only pay for the service they need without the overheads of a large company". Kevin also commented, “You need the right people working with you to attract the right customers. The Hospitality Partnership offers that all at once for me, a team that I can relate to and can trust.” Welcoming them founder Jan Denning said, “I am so proud of The Hospitality Partnership, we only launched the business model as it is now, at the end of 2020 and we are going from strength to strength. I’d like to say this is down to me and my strategic thinking, but it’s not, it is down to the incredible, talented, experienced, professionals we have as associate partners and the range of services they offer. That and the fact that our industry is having to look at new ways of operating and getting role responsibilities fulfilled in a flexible and cost-effective way”. Jan sent on to say “staff resource is a challenge, we hear it every day, reduced budgets on permanent staffing costs means exploring new ways of working, to get the job done, The Hospitality Partnership IS the solution. I’d encourage any hospitality business to simply chat to us ... explore how we can help, nothing to lose and a lot to gain”. Jan concluded with, “This is further evidence that this industry pulls together in time of need. By attracting the right partners and services The Hospitality Partnership can give back by offering solutions to the immediate and longer-term skilled personnel shortage”. Ends Notes to editors: · For more information Jan@hospitaliity-partnership.com Tel: 07791 149 672 · visit the website: https://www.hospitality-partnership.com Find us on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram

Article written by Julian Tee - Associate Partner Business come in all shapes and sizes and arguably, none more so than in the hospitality sector. Think mobile coffee shop housed in the back of a tuctuc to the grandest of hotels or largest conference centre, and everything in between. All have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in some way, shape or form and whilst some will not survive, others will, with varying degrees of success and with varying periods of time taken to get back on their feet. Some have thrived through diversification and others have battened down the hatches. None of the businesses hit by the pandemic, caused the pandemic; few insured against such explicit a risk and it is reasonable to assume that none of the businesses set out to fail. Many will have significant financial concerns which cannot be overlooked or underplayed. Most have received financial support. Of course, motivations for business owners and leaders will vary but it is likely that one common goal sits with all – to achieve. `Achievement` may sound like a simple word however, it has a deep meaning referring to purpose, delivering outcomes, being proud of one’s work, stretching oneself and others, and being willing to adapt and change. What is more, achievement requires effort, skill, courage, ongoing collaborative engagement in goals and actions and is underpinned by values. Achievement may take many forms and will be driven by the motivations of the founders. Motivation is the key driver for performance, in particular during a crisis. Research shows that individuals are most energised and committed when they are internally motivated by their own values, sense of enjoyment, and growth. Think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, satisfaction of basic needs and aspirations to achieve self-esteem. The latest research by McKinsey&Company found a strong correlation between employees’ stated needs and the underlying drivers of their engagement, well-being, and work effectiveness during Covid-19. In an industry that is still heavily reliant on human beings to deliver customer experiences (especially in front of house areas) employees play a key role and will continue to play a key role in driving revenues, reducing costs and generating profit. Employee engagement must therefore be a focus for hospitality business leaders in the fight for survival as we come out of Lockdown 3.0 in the UK. Within the UK hospitality space and more specifically within the hotel sector, there are international hotel companies, brands, management companies, owners, franchisees, operators along with national and regional businesses. There are single site boutique hotels, owner operated lifestyle businesses and low-cost B&B’s. All have a place; all have a purpose and all have objectives. All plan to survive and thrive and to do this, all need Leadership of some sort. This global pandemic has taught us many things and shown the fragility of many an organisation. Equally so, it has shown how agility and resilience are essential skills to survive and thrive. Government support in the UK has thrown a lifeline to many businesses regardless of size or complexity. However, the complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity of the circumstances caused by the crisis are still unfolding, and the reimagination of business ranging from operations to employee engagement is essential. With the vaccine programme well underway and hope for the immediate future, business Leaders must once again step up and embrace the opportunity to show leadership and re-ignite their businesses – regardless of scale or complexity. What is the role of leadership in a time of crisis? · In times of crisis, Leaders step forward – they address the issues and find solutions; · Leaders obtain information to enable them to make informed decisions; · Leaders align people and motivate, energise and inspire; · Leaders communicate and make decisions based on pre-determined criteria; · Leaders will make mistakes and must react accordingly; · Leaders show leadership. Leaders need to balance the need for business survival (and in some cases the survival of their own livelihoods) with the needs of the people who have supported their businesses (and therefore their livelihoods) in the past. Leaders need to recognise the challenges that lie ahead for their workforce and recognise various attitudes (and subsequent drivers) to work: · Those who are energised and ready to go; · Those who are hesitant; · Those who are reluctant to travel and expose themselves to risk; · Those who have underlying conditions that are now impacting their ability to work; · Those who have fallen out of love with their former roles. If they don’t already, Leaders need to engage with their workforce: · To show empathy and commitment to re-train, re-energise and re-invigorate; · To communicate regarding business plans; · To re-evaluate job roles for the immediate future and longer-term prosperity of the business and individuals; · To evidence their commitment to the wellbeing of the workforce. Leaders need to show self-awareness and openly evidence their empathy and support for their workforce. What is the road map for such leadership? Transformative Leadership can provide the framework to shine the light out of the tunnel: `Transformational Leadership is an ethical based leadership model that integrates a commitment to values and outcomes by optimizing the long-term interests of stakeholders and society and honoring the moral duties owed by organizations to their stakeholders. ‘ Caldwell et al. (2020) (Figure 1) The transformative Leadership model developed by Caldwell et al. (2012 ) incorporates a commitment to ethical duties, values, and outcomes that are key elements of six leadership perspectives. When we take into consideration high complexity, volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity of working and social environments due to Covid-19, the transformative leadership will be one of the most effective leadership styles in terms of its proactive, dynamic problem solving, human and future-oriented nature. As also highlighted by Forbes, one of the best leadership styles for managing an external crisis is transformational. Transformational leaders see the bigger picture to better understand the extent of the crisis and its consequences before executing the response. They are responsive rather than reactive and they motivate others to harness their know-how to create logical, dynamic and adaptive plans accordingly with alternative future scenarios. Most importantly, leaders need to develop and maintain trust in dynamic circumstances such as a pandemic, changing over time from pre-existing trust, to trust based on actions, to trust in the strength of the authentic relationship. Transformational leaders have shown to be the most trusted leaders by employees.

PRESS RELEASE As the UK hospitality industry continues to deal with the effects of the on-going pandemic Jan Denning and Associate Partners believe the re-launch of The Hospitality Partnership has come just at the right time. As hotels, venues, bars, restaurants, conference and events centres, destinations and attractions struggle to keep the staff to run their businesses, they are being offered a lifeline, a flexible, cost effective alternative way of working The Hospitality Partnership, working with approved industry partners and associates, can offer outsourced key roles like sales and business development, PR, social media, revenue management, financial control, training, reservations, food and beverage services, procurement, mystery shopping, business coaching, venue finding and more. Six associate founder members and more than 20 associate team partners have joined the Hospitality Partnership to benefit both employers and job seekers. Says Jan: “This industry always comes together in times of crisis but we have never really seen anything on this scale before. It is heart-breaking to see good businesses struggle, continue to operate and plan ahead because of lack of resource and recruitment budgets cut. The Hospitality Partnership is truly the solution, whether long term or short term, whether a day a month or five days a week. “I am delighted with the calibre and experience the partnership has attracted, covering a variety of key roles and skills, and we all have the one common objective, to get business back on its feet, cost effectively and without compromising service.” Adds Jan: “Businesses will make their own choices and agree fees with the partner professionals, we make the introductions and recommendations. There are many benefits, but a main driver for our services is that businesses can operate efficiently and within budget, whilst saving on all the associated costs of permanent employees and the time consuming recruitment process. It gives the business total flexibility of an outsourced professional, while they choose how many days they are needed for and maintain full control of time and cost.” The founding associate partners of The Hospitality Partnership with Jan are Jo Kenny, a sales professional, Russell Fraser, a travel, tourism and hospitality professional, Diane Lofthouse, freelance Director of Sales, Jack Appleton, Managing Director of Relentless Media and Sue Redmond, Managing Director of Sue Redmond PR. Together they have built the ‘Go To’ resource of associate team partners, all have a proven track record in their field of expertise and come personally recommended. “That way clients know we are referring people at the very highest level, who meet our very strict eligibility criteria,” said Jan. Ends Notes to editors: The Hospitality Partnership is now live, visit the website for more detail www.hospitality-partnership.com Find us on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram Background on the founding partners: Jan Denning – Began her career as a travel agent then worked for a national airline and tour operator before opening and operating her own restaurant and bar. She worked for various conference venues, hotels and stadia, in senior commercial sales and business development management roles. She is owner of JD Enterprises, a training, business and sales development and destination management consultancy. Jo Kenny - With 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Jo has worked for brands such as Millennium and Copthorne, IHG, De Vere and Village Hotels. She has spent the last 12 years growing MICE revenues for Compass Group UK&I and has helped and supported venues such as Somerset House, Leeds Castle, Churchill War Rooms, Space with US (University of Sussex) and Jockey Club venues with bespoke sales training, learning activities and driving enquiry levels.