The Hospitality Sector Council (HSC) is launching the first in a series of accelerator events to improve productivity within hospitality with the inaugural event taking place at Oxford Brookes University on 22 May 2024.
Operators are being urged to attend and take part in the inaugural event to develop new ideas that will stimulate innovation and drive creativity in hospitality labour productivity. You can register to attend the event by clicking here
While hospitality is one of the most creative sectors in the UK, it’s investment in research and development has been historically low. Accommodation and food services accounted for just £46 million of £26 billion total R&D spend in the UK.
Jane O’Riordan, chair of Caravan Restaurants, chair of the Innovation Working Group (IWG), and a member of the HSC, said: “Hospitality is a very creative sector but given the pace of change and the recent challenges we have faced, we often don’t have time or resources to come up with innovative ways of improving our productivity.
“We’re excited to be launching this Accelerator initiative with a simple but important goal: to find creative ideas and solutions in labour productivity and workflow management that will benefit the entire industry.
“I would encourage operators, innovation experts, technologists, policymakers and professionals from related fields to join us at our first facilitated workshop to develop actionable strategies to improve our productivity and tackle shared challenges.”
Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, said: “The hospitality industry plays a vital role in our communities up and down the country and the Hospitality Sector Council is putting together the first ever Hospitality Innovation Day in partnership with leading universities, sector pioneers, technologists and Government officials – to further unleash innovation and productivity in an important sector. Apply now to find new ideas and solutions to your productivity challenges.”
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “Hospitality’s innovation and creativity are two of its biggest strengths but it’s clear there’s more that can be done to harness those skills and use them to improve our productivity.
“Events like these are so important to bring operators together to develop solutions and I’m pleased we’re able to work closely with the Minister and Hospitality Sector Council to deliver this important event.”
Independent research conducted by the IWG earlier this year found labour productivity, alongside energy efficiency, ranks as one of the most important areas of focus for innovation among hospitality operators.
Supported by the Hospitality Sector Council and its partners, the event is open and free to operators from restaurants, bars, pubs or cafes who are keen to explore creative ideas with others in the industry, alongside academics and innovators.
