In January our sales team had the opportunity to attend some of the hospitality industry’s most prominent annual events.
2023 marked a milestone as it was our 10th year sponsoring the 29th Hotel Leadership Conference presented by The Master Innholders and the Best Western Hotels and Resorts Annual Members Conference. Our team shared some key takeaways from the events they attended.
29TH HOTEL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE PRESENTED BY THE MASTER INNHOLDERS
Ciara Crossan, CEO at WeddingDates and Alix Matania-Allerton, UK Sales Manager attended this year’s Master Innholders Conference in London and learned more about thinking #BeyondTheBubble. Topics of discussion included things the hospitality industry needs to do to help fight the current climate crisis, the return of international travel and the importance of human connection.
It was WeddingDates’ 10th year supporting The Master Innholders and Ciara has made so many amazing connections over the years.
“When I expanded my business WeddingDates into the UK 10 years ago I didn’t know a soul in the UK hospitality industry and this year I had the pleasure of attending not one but three separate events in the UK! The support from my fellow Irish in the UK has been phenomenal and I appreciate their friendship and camaraderie so much,” says Ciara.
This was Alix’s second time attending the Master Innholders Conference. “I always love being out at events and speaking with people face to face. The delegate list was strong with a lot of fantastic hotels attending. It was wonderful to catch up with some of our current clients, and with venues we had not spoken to before, allowing us the opportunity to introduce them to WedPro,” says Alix.
The speakers had some really uplifting content to share and she was particularly enthralled by the keynote speaker, Brendan Hall who delivered an inspiring talk on teamwork and leadership that had the audience transfixed in its seats.
“Since the event, I have had a number of conversations with wedding venues about incorporating WedPro into their business and have been reaching out to attendees with personalised videos and handwritten cards.” – Alix
IN4HOSPITALITY
Carys Duckworth, from our UK Sales team, attended In4Hospitality at York and Liverpool on the 25th of January and Manchester on the 26th. She was part of a panel of industry experts that discussed the hot topics within the hospitality and had a great time networking.
“I love being out on the road and seeing friends, clients and new faces too. The IN4Hospitality crew are almost like extended work colleagues as I’m at events with them on a monthly basis. An IN4 event holds invaluable learning for hoteliers as they’re run by a collective of industry professionals. Each brings their own specialism and combined best practices, to share with a room full of your local peers,” says Carys.
One of the key topics of discussion was about how customer expectations have changed and increased, and what are we doing to match those expectations despite the numerous challenges that hotels are facing now. There seems to be a real shift and focus on training, staff retention and better tools for the staff for hotels to improve both staff and customer satisfaction.
“I’m looking forward to catching up with more industry friends at the coming In4 events.”
BEST WESTERN HOTELS & RESORTS ANNUAL MEMBERS CONFERENCE
Ciara and Carys had a fantastic time attending the Best Western AMC in Edinburgh and also celebrated WeddingDates’ 10th year of sponsoring. They spent the time meeting with existing and prospective customers to talk about their wedding business and how WedPro can support busy events teams to supercharge their conversion rate and drive more revenue in 2023.
One of the highlights at the conference was keynote speaker Alex Polizzi talking about the importance of sharing our passion for the hotel industry with the next generation and preparing them with the skills set needed. Amar Latif also stood out to our team as he talked about the adversity and journey he faced losing his sight at 18 and rather than hiding, there was always a conscious decision to act and change his circumstances.
“I feel this is a powerful message to hoteliers to challenge the status quo and really helped me when chatting to venues about our WedPro software,” says Carys.
Ciara also had lots of fun catching up and taking selfies with clients and industry pals at the event. “These three events are a highlight in my calendar each year and I especially enjoy catching up with colleagues, and old friends and meeting new people. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year!” Ciara.
If you didn’t have a chance to talk to our sales team about booking a demo for WedPro by WeddingDates, you can request a meeting here.
