Education & Content
Redefining hospitality – Recovering for future growth
Our series of seminars brought a dynamic mix of learning, development and in-depth industry debate from a range of leading thought leaders across the hotel and hospitality sector.
Attendees got the latest trends and key issues impacting the sector, discovered the latest innovations, creativity and knowledge to drive you and the hospitality community forward.
Key themes discussed this year included:
- Pivoting beyond rooms – unlocking new revenue opportunities
- How can technology drive recovery
- How will we attract and train future leaders
- Designing spaces for tomorrow’s guest
- How are brands adapting…
- Reinventing the F&B experience
- Township hospitality
- What sustainability means for the future of your hotel
Event At A Glance
THURS – 19 MAY 2022
Feature
Audience
EXPO
ALL
INDOOR
OFFICIAL OPENING OF EXPO
OUTSIDE EXHIBITION 1
WORKSHOP CONTENT
ALL
WORKSHOP THEATRE EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
HOTEL GM’S FLOOR TOUR AND PRIVATE LUNCH
WORKSHOP THEATRE EXPO FLOOR
RASA ROSETTA AWARDS CELEBRATION
BILL GALLAGHER ROOM
ALL
CO-LOCATED EVENTS
FRI – 20 MAY 2022
Feature
Audience
EXPO
ALL
INDOOR
WORKSHOP CONTENT
ALL
WORKSHOP THEATRE EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
ALL
CO-LOCATED EVENTS
SAT – 21 MAY 2022
Feature
Audience
EXPO
ALL
INDOOR
WORKSHOP CONTENT
ALL
WORKSHOP THEATRE EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
EXPO FLOOR
ALL
CO-LOCATED EVENTS
2022 Hospitality By Design Workshop Agenda
Theme: Redefining hospitality – recovering for future growth
Day 1: Thursday, 19 May 2022
10:00 – 10:30
Registration and Networking
10:30 – 10:50
Official opening
10:50 – 11:30
Panel discussion: Pivoting beyond rooms and rethinking plans for your assets – Unlocking new revenue opportunities and getting the best from your operations
Now that the dust has settled, are you sweating your assets and/or space-as-a-service? The bottom line is that the rise of non-guest and non-room revenue streams is here to stay. But what does this mean to your business and how are you rethinking plans for your assets? What added services will power demand, what services can provide recurrent revenue and how do you re-build your F&B offering for long-term returns are some of this questions you should be asking? Join this session and gain insights into what trends African hospitality leaders are focused on as they discuss key questions, how they have adjusted to create new demand and what strategies will win market share as we plan to recover.
Moderator:
Fabio Nava, Vice President: Hotels & Hospitality Sub-Saharan Africa, JLL
Speakers:
Glenn Stutchbury, Operations Director, Legacy Hotels & Resorts
Mike Vroom, Executive Director Africa, Newmark Hotels
Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, Chief Operating Officer, City Lodge Hotel Group
Marc Wachsberger, Managing Director, The Capital Hotels & Apartments
11:30 – 12:30
Presentation: Sustainability in design (Design Joburg Session)
Join Andrea Kleinloog as she shares her experiences of community based product development on her hotel projects.
Speaker:
Andrea Kleinloog, Owner, HK Studio and Anatomy Design
11:30 – 12:30
Hotel GM exhibition floor tour
Followed by a closed-door lunch at the Sandton Sun, with a keynote presentation from Olivier Barbeau, Managing Director, Moore Advisory Johannesburg
12:30 – 13:00
Presentation: Adapting successfully – The highs and lows of the first digital media platform
Join John as he shares his views, successes and failures from hindsight to insight providing hotels a platform to digitise their inhouse content and going green.
Moderator:
Jeff Blackbeard, Global Director of Sectors & Markets, Regional Director Africa & Middle East, Moore Global
Speaker:
John Owens, Commercial Director, DLT Media
13:00 – 13:30
Fireside chat: Leveraging technology and automation – What steps are you putting into place to improve business performance?
There’s no doubt COVID-19 has created some interesting hospitality trends. New innovations in hotel and restaurant technologies and design along with new customer preferences means that businesses had to adapt to survive. When it comes to digital experiences your guests now expect only the very best. Frictionless, touchless F&B orders or grab-and-go meals, electronic room key access, less bottlenecks and easy access to current information has become the norm, but are you keeping your guests at the heart of your business strategies? Join our expert panel as they discuss the latest trends and innovations to improve business performance.
- Re-imagined information distribution – future flow of guests and services
- Balancing the formula of hygiene and technology driven services
- Insights – predictions, analysis on guest behaviour
Moderator:
Jeff Blackbeard, Global Director of Sectors & Markets, Regional Director Africa & Middle East, Moore Global
Speakers:
Nick Kleynhans, Head of Partnerships, RoomRaccoon
In conversation with
Gustav Pieterse, Hotel Manager, Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa
13:30 – 14:30
Panel Discussion: Africa’s metaverse – Should designers and artists be paying attention to it? (Design Joburg Session)
Join the discussion and hear first-hand how the metaverse and digital space impacts architects, interior designers, artists and the greater creative community. Our panelists specifically discuss Africarare: Africa’s first metaverse.
Moderator:
Steve Pinto, Founder, New Reality
Panelists:
Melody Maker, Digital Consultant, M&C Saatchi Abel
Ann Roberts, Founding Director, TMRW Gallery
14:30 – 15:30
Panel Discussion: Building a diverse workforce and rethinking human capital – Recruitment, retention, diversity, equity and inclusion
The constrained economy has meant hospitality and hotel operators have had to rationalise their workforces out of necessity to survive. Along the way they have discovered that technology solutions have allowed for a more efficient use of labour and smaller workforces seem set to continue. Now more than ever, to serve customers and harness the opportunities of new technologies, your staff have to be brand ambassadors. It has been said that an engaged workforce is a productive workforce and that businesses need to stay more agile and flexible to survive. So, what is the formula for ensuring your employees are directly contributing to your success and bottom line? Join this discussion and hear from our experts as they discuss the challenges of retention in a churning market steps how to find quality staff and ensure their ongoing commitment.
- What is government doing to support hospitality careers?
- What routes are operators taking to find, train and retain great staff?
- Has your talent strategy moved with the times?
- Are we upskilling staff and what is the criteria to train your staff at an operational level?
- Are we training business managers?
Moderator:
Stephen Hickmore, Director, Swiss Hotel School
Speakers:
Prof Nellie Swart, Associate Professor: Tourism Management, University of South Africa
Ashleigh Christie, Regional Director of People & Culture – Africa, Minor Hotels
Thandeka Kase, Human Resource Manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton
15:30 – 16:30
Panel Discussion: The business of conscious design (Design Joburg Session)
Join these experts as they discuss the lightness of being by creating sanctuaries in this era of hybrid existence
Moderator:
Bilala Mabasa, Founder, Cocoon Lifestyle
Panelists:
Donald Nxumalo, Founder, Donald Nxumalo Interior Design
Maira Koutsoudakis, Chief Executive Officer, Life Group
Day 2: Friday, 20 May 2022
10:00 – 10:30
Registration and Networking
10:50 – 11:30
Fireside chat: F&B Stakeholders – Are you geared up for better, faster, responsive restaurant planning, design and operations to take advantage of what the future of restaurants may look like?
How dining evolves from here depends on rethinking economics and tweaking business models and innovations. Join this discussion and hear from design and culinary experts as they candidly discuss key learnings from last year.
- Where are menu’s heading in 2022? Can restaurants reflect ‘farm to fork’ in their menu’s and prices?
- How can we anticipate consumer eating behaviour, preferences and spending changes? How will these influence tomorrow’s restaurants & bars?
- What is next for restaurant design? Are modular and aspirational café’s the latest craze or a lucrative business strategy?
- Overcoming disruption to your supply chain – how to guarantee fresh ingredients and quality
- What will stay (and what won’t) by the end of this year?
Moderator
James Khoza, Executive Chef, Tsogo Sun
In conversation with
Sakhumzi Maqubela, Owner, Sakhumzi Restaurant
Miles Kubheka, Food Entrepreneur
Thuli Mahlangu, Designer Director, Zing Design
11:30 – 12:30
Panel discussion: Design as a way of life: Being a creative is not one dimensional (Design Joburg Session)
The panel discuss their individual hybrid ways of life and how they live their brands by applying their creativity to different outlets.
Speakers:
Trevor Stuurman, Photographer
Rich Mnisi, Fashion Designer
12:30 – 12:45
Keynote: Unearthing opportunities
Speaker:
Jabulani Debedu, Senior Consultant, BDO South Africa
12:45 – 13:30
Panel discussion: The heartbeat of Africa – The future of township hospitality
-
- What does premiumisation mean for township hospitality?
- Home kitchens – is this trend here to stay?
- Is ‘container space restaurants’ the latest craze or a lucrative business strategy?
- Staying compliant – tourism grading and licenses
- Taking advantage of marketing and collaboration
- Safeguarding township tourism – Lessons learned during COVID and what are we doing for 2022/3?
Moderator:
Miller Matola, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Milvest
Panelists:
Stephen Pearce, Chief Director: International Tourism
Management, Department of Tourism
Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer, South African Tourism (SAT)
Jabulani Debedu, Senior Consultant, BDO South Africa
Bheki Twala, Founder & President, Township Economy Chamber of Commerce & Industries in Africa
Wendy Alberts, Chief Executive Officer, Restaurant Association of SA (RASA)
13:30 – 14:30
Panel discussion: Designers in conversation – The experts and the emerging (Design Joburg Session)
Join this panel of established and emerging interior designers and hear how they share their expertise and discuss collaborations.
Moderator:
Nthabi Taukobong, Founder, Ditau Interiors
Speakers:
Tessa Proudfoot, Founder, Tessa Proudfoot & Associates Interior Design
Kulani Keagile, Emerging Interior Designer
Trevor Sibanda, Lecturer, Department of Interior Design, University of Johannesburg
14:30 – 15:30
Fireside chat: Accelerating recovery, loyalty and revenue – Keeping your guests at the heart of your business
With margins tightening across the market, savvy hotel operators are analysing and rethinking all aspects of their operations to identify new efficiencies. What are areas for improvements and what are the most impressive new innovations driving return and value on investment. Join this discussion and uncover the latest trends, market analysis, forecasts and realities how to recalibrate your revenue management strategy.
- From mobility to speed – what do your guests expect and how will this evolve
- A cyclical journey – enhancing your guests journey and adapting to emerging trends
- Creating the ultimate hotel experience – creating customer engagement and loyalty through data and technology
- Investing in technology with a clear goal in mind – ensuring ROI for the business
- Data is the new oil – harnessing the power of data to improve profitability and engagement
- Investing in staff – keeping employees trained to champion corporate goals and deliver seamless services
- Efficient use of online booking platforms, aggregators and fluid rates to maximise bookings
Moderator:
Nick Kleynhans, Head of Partnerships, RoomRaccoon South Africa
Panelists:
Shaun Wheeler, General Manager, Radisson Hotel Group
Adrian Landry, General Manager, The Leonardo South Africa
Christelle Carstens, Group Rooms Operations Manager, Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts
14:30 – 15:30
Biophilic Architecture (Design Joburg Session)
Join this discussion on the biophilic architecture movement as well as presentations on projects that optimise this design movement.
Moderator:
Graham Wood, Editor, Leading Architecture
Speakers:
Chris Bakker, GASS Architectural Studio
Gillian Holl, Veld Architects
Peter Rich, Peter Rich Architects
Day 3: Saturday, 21 May 2022
10:00 – 10:30
Registration and Networking
10:30 – 11:30
Fireside Chat: Future planning: Designing spaces for tomorrow’s guest
The impact of COVID-19 will stay with us for years to come, so it’s no surprise that the way we design ‘multifunctional spaces’ must change too. So, in addition to creating areas with contactless technology in mind, flexibility – moveable furniture, indoor/outdoor space, multi-function venues – is also top of the agenda with brands focusing less on their interior offering and more on exterior spaces. Join our ‘Service Design Thinking’ discussion hosted by the IID curated for architects and designers and gain insights and strategies how to map your service design to create cohesive workflow, optimal efficiency and quality experiences for your guests.
- Latest trends and room choices of guests
- Are larger rooms a deal breaker?
- Does average length of stay impact future planning?
Moderator:
Maria Day, Chief Operating Officer, African Institute of the Interior Design Professional (IID)
Panelists:
Dorothy Van’T Riet, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Dorothy Van’T Riet Design & Décor Consultant
Audi Snÿman, Managing Member, Audi Snÿman Interior Design
Thuli Mahlangu, Design Director, Zing Design
Sean Gotkin, Vice President Business Development, All Office
11:30 – 12:30
Panel discussion: The relationship between fashion and interior design (Design Joburg Session)
A dynamic discussion between an interior designer and fashion expert about the relationship between these two creative disciplines
Speakers:
Bilala Mabussa, Founder, Cocoon Lifestyle
Sir Abner, Founder, Application Form
12:30 – 13:30
Presentation: Sustainable hospitality – What, why and how – Nice to have, or essential for the future of your hotel?
The pandemic has given our industry time to reflect and research. There has been a phenomenal global, increase in awareness and action towards more sustainable operations. It has been reported that todays and tomorrow’s travelers are among the most powerful and influential customer ever. No matter the scale of your operation, making sustainability a key aspect of your brand management throughout your value chain is imperative. Get the latest why, what, and how to meet new hospitality ESG standards. Learn how easy it is to overhaul your procurement practices and your choice of suppliers. Join this session and hear first-hand from Lorrain Jenks as she discusses the latest trends, the fundamental principles of sustainable, circular, regenerative practices and leave feeling informed and inspired.
Speakers:
Lorraine Jenks, Founder and Chief Executive, Hotelstuff/Greenstuff
Alexa-Rae Hicks, ESG Project Manager, Moore Global
