Manchester Plays Host to St Julian Scholars Spring Meeting
The Master Innholder’s community descended on Manchester for this year’s St Julian Scholars Spring Meeting, with the aim to share insights and updates, as well as provide an opportunity for hoteliers to connect with one another.
Sunday evening (21st June) played host to a fantastic Safari Supper across three different Manchester establishments, allowing all in attendance the opportunity to network, catch up and build relationships with industry colleagues.
After a much-deserved rest for all, the meeting kicked off the following morning, taking place at the famous Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and welcomed by St Julian Scholar chairman, Rob Flinter MI.
Various talks were then held throughout the morning, including an interview with Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Advisor for Manchester. He explained his work around supporting the industry during Covid, including when he took the government to court over the fiasco of having to have a “scotch egg” if you wanted to have a drink in a pub. Sacha also gave an overview of Manchester’s night-time economy, as well as some helpful advice on how some of the workings can be applied elsewhere.
Timothy Griffin, Principal at Wellbrook Hospitality & Co-Founder at LEVEN, was also in attendance. He shared his experiences of creating the LEVEN brand and why Manchester was the perfect first city to launch its series of hotels.
Next up was CEO of UKHospitality, Kate Nicholls, who gave an overview of what the group is currently working on, including its various lobbying work to the government to ensure there is the necessary support for the hospitality industry moving forward.
Following on from Kate was Ben Stocken, Managing Director at West Peak, who talked through the importance of trust in hospitality as well as helping to understand our own and each other’s communication preferences and styles.
Afterwards, Adrian Ellis MI took to the stage with Rachell Angell SJS for an interview on his work with the Manchester Hoteliers Association, including its work with local schools and the introduction of a city centre hotel tax which will be invested back into promoting Manchester and its many exciting offerings.
Peter Hancock, award-winning presenter and honorary MI, was also on hand throughout the event to help keep things running smoothly, as well as providing plenty of laughs throughout the morning as well.
Simon Mahon MI FIH, General Manager at The Grand, York, was but one of the many attendees on the day, helping to make this meeting its biggest turnout yet.
Simon said: “The mix of industry speakers, as well as those operating on a national level and representing hospitality, was fantastic.”
A massive thank you to all that attended. The St Julian Scholars autumn meeting will take place on Friday 10th November. Details will be announced in due course.