Conference and Banqueting Industry in the UK - Assignment Example

Conferencing and banqueting industry 1 Size and scope of conference and banqueting industry in UK With the competition in the conventional hospitality activities, the UK has played a huge role in the promotion of the banqueting and conferencing services. Displaying the local culture, such as food, music, fashion design and general entertainment has become vital in reviving tourism, and generating income for the country. The conferencing services have ensured that the UK is able to host numerous international meetings, hence being able to gain a competitive edge in the hospitality industry. In the UK, the main target has been the corporate conferences and meetings. With the refurbishment of hotels, and technological advancement, the conference industry in UK has attracted huge clients, that the country has been remained in the top 10 globally. Current growth statistics According to the ConfenceNews (2015), the conferencing and banqueting industry in the UK has grown by 33% as of January 2015. The growth led to an increase of 680,000 new business visits to the United Kingdom. The statistics also indicated that since 2014, the growth of the conference industry is approximately 8% translating to 8.54 million business visits in 2015. The robust growth of the conferencing and banqueting industry in the United Kingdom has been attributed to effective marketing and technological development. With this development, the conferencing and banqueting industry has contributed significantly to economic growth, hence assisting in the improvement of services to the citizens. Further, the industry has provided employment opportunities, hence assisting in solving the unemployment challenge. It has also led to refurbishment and construction of transport and communication networks to avoid congestion. With an effective transportation network, the country has ensured that customers can move from point to point within a short time. The country has also experienced political stability, technological advancement and beefed up security. All these factors explain why the company has become a major destination for conference and banqueting services. 1.2 Factors influencing development The development of the banqueting and conference in the UK has been attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, the hospitality industry, through the support of the government, has been able to refurbish and construct new facilities that host visitors. The refurbishment also includes the need to ensure that automation becomes a key component. For instance, most of the venues are able to offer video conferencing services, free WI-FI and other technology solutions that enhance communication. The hotels also provide state-of-the-art services that meet customer’s expectation. With a qualified and experienced workforce, the conference industry in the UK has been able to be accommodative to all cultures from different parts of the world. Many hotels are familiar with international cuisine, hence being able to provide any kind of food that will be required. The UK conferencing and banqueting industry success has also been attributed to the effective leadership in many organizations. Managers foster teamwork and ensure that a favorable working condition for employees is provided. This ensures that employees are motivated, hence providing quality services to customers. The marketing strategies have also assisted in creating awareness about the conferences and banqueting industry in the UK. The hospitality industry has allocated more resources towards the industry, hence providing more information to target customers. The development has also been attributed to the current developments in transportation and communication network in the UK. For instance, the country has ensured that the issue of traffic congestion, which discourages international conferencing, is addressed. The country has the most advanced railway network, which has assisted in provision of alternative transport to avoid traffic congestion on roads. The expanded air transport has the capacity to handle millions of passengers visiting the country annually. Further, there has been an increase in the number of hotels and accommodation to respond to the current demand. As a result, the UK has become a major attraction for conferences. Critically assess the key strategic and operational issues involved in effective management of a conference and banqueting industry The main strategies are geared towards the improvement of services in order to attract and create customer loyalty. In this case, one of the strategies is to employ effective marketing strategies. This may include the advertising that is done through different media, such as the social media. Advertisement assists in creating awareness to the target customers, and providing them with sufficient information. This ensures that customers are able to make informed decision prior to visiting the hotel. It is also imperative to ensure that the organization will be able to provide high quality services that meet the expectation of the customers. This is enhanced through the presence of qualified employees that are able to provide exceptional services. The hospitality industry ensures that the employees are well trained and equipped with relevant skills to handle customers. Further, specialization and division of labour is employed. This ensures that employees work in an area where they are best suited, hence being able to increase the level of productivity. The other strategy that has been applied in the conferencing and banqueting industry is pricing. With the increasing completion in the industry, it is necessary to ensure that the organization is able to reduce the charges to attract more customers, and gain a competitive edge in the market. This plays an imperative role in ensuring that an organization is able to generate more revenue. Technological advancement has also become one of the major strategies that have been used in the conference and banqueting industry. The main goal has been to ensure that an organization is able to become more efficient and effective through automation. This factors, coupled with effective leadership and employee motivation assists in increasing productivity in the conferencing and banqueting industry. Performance and quality review techniques The success of the conferencing and banqueting industry is largely determined by the level of quality of services. Organizations that provide high qualities are more likely to attract more customers. In this sense, it is vital that management ensure that high quality services are provided by an organization. In this sense, supervision is important in quality management. It ensures that operations are performed according to the set procedures. For instance, food is prepared within the required standards, hence meeting the tastes and preferences of the customers. In much organization, the total quality management departments have been established. Their main aim is to focus on general improvement of services. This may include automation of most operations, and training employees. In some cases, the customer evaluation of services provided can form the basis of quality improvement. For instance, this can be achieved through acting on the recommendations provide by the customers. Finally, effective leadership plays a vital role in improvement of services through creativity and innovation. Through monitoring and evaluation, management is able to identify weakness and strengths within the organization. This information can assist in improvement of services. Task 1 1.1 Maximizing Revenue in Ritz Carlton Powerscourt The nature of conference and banqueting in Ritz Carlton Powerscourt has improved in terms of attracting customers, and generating more revenue for the company. However, a lot need to be done to ensure that the facility reduces cost of production, and makes more profits. Several factors including pricing, quality assurance, effective leadership, communication, and improving entertainment services will play a huge role in enhancing the competitive advantage of the facility. With the increased number of hotels and other institutions offering similar services, customers have a higher bargaining power. They are more likely to visit facilities that are more affordable. Reducing the cost of services will attract more customers, which will increase the revenue. The quality of food and services need to be improved to international standards. This will include ensuring that high standards of hygiene have been observed. Employing professionals in the industry will ensure that they will be able to provide great delicacies that are beyond the client’s expectations. The improvement of the general services may include embracing technology to allow for video conferencing, especially for some people who may not be able to travel. In terms of entertainment, the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt needs to ensure that customers get a variety of entertainment, but which are unique. Providing entertainments that customers are used to in their home country will not help in fostering customer loyalty. Enhancing effecting leadership will also assist in the general operation within the organization. The leader should ensure that employees are motivated, though provision of incentives, improved salaries and wages and creating a favorable working condition. Finally, the leaders should ensure that they provide customers with a platform in which they can communicate with the management. This will ensure that they are able to give their feedback, and rate the level of services provided by the company. Through communication, strong bonds can be formed with the customers, which play an imperative role in fostering customer loyalty. The hotel management will also know what needs to be improved to make the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt more attractive. All these factors will assist in increasing revenue in the organization. 1.2 factors influencing the development and issues of effective management of conference and banqueting events The effective management of the conference and banqueting events depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the management must keep on being innovating and creative in order to provide clients with high quality services that are unrivalled. To achieve this, the management should always be on the lookout for any development in in the industry that can make the clients feel more comfortable. For instance, the technological advancement in the conferencing industry is one of the greatest developments that managers should keep on investing in. this enhances communication between the management and potential customers. Secondly, the management ought to ensure that relevant information concerning conferencing and banqueting events is provided to customers. Customers need to know the new rates and any new developments in order to make wise decisions. This should be done though continuous advertisement campaigns, which will enhance increased awareness, and attract more customers. Thirdly, management ought to ensure that high quality services are ensured at all times. This can be achieved through ensuring that employees remain effective in their work, through proper training and motivation. Finally, the management should seek to gain a competitive edge over its competitors through pricing strategies. Lowing the cost of services will attract and retain more customers. These factors will ensure that the company is able to generate more revenue for the company. Task 2 2.1 Strategic and operational issues The strategy applied by the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt management involved ensuring that the clients were given the best services. For instance, there were different forms of entertainment such as music, which kept the attendants entertained. Further, the management ensured that the clients were treated with the local delicacies, which is a unique strategy of attracting guests. The Ritz Carlton Powerscourt management is also effective in a number of ways. Firstly, the management has ensured that employees are qualified, skilled and experienced at what they do. This has been demonstrated by fact that everything was well executed to satisfaction of the guests and the management. While there is still a lot to be done to generate more revenue from the institution, the management has ensured that quality of services is not compromised. On the operational issues, the management has sought to cut down the cost of production and maximize the profits. This has been done by ensuring that a lean workforce is employed. The resources available are used maximally, a situation that ensures that there is no wastage. Further, the management has ensured that Ritz Carlton Powerscourt is well equipped with necessary infrastructure, such as technology that has made communication with the customers easier. The use of technology has also ensured that the company becomes more efficient and effective in its operations. If these developments are enhanced, the company will continue attracting and retaining more customers. 2.2 Techniques to be used by Ritz Carlton Powerscourt to maintain quality Quality management is one of the main factors that have been able to attract and retain customers. To ensure that this is achieved, it is imperative that the management ensures that a total quality management (TQM) department is empowered to become more effective and efficient in its work. The management ought to take the issue of quality of food and the general services, such as communication of customers seriously. With this in mind, it is vital that monitoring of services such as how is prepared is done more frequently. This will assist in correcting any mistakes before they can be noted by the customers. Supervision of employees, especially the new ones is of great importance. This will ensure that they are guided in the right way to ensure that they are able to provide the state of the art services. The improvement of services can also be done through automation. The management need to ensure that most of the services are done through the application of existing technology. This assists in enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. Further, the management needs to train and equip employees with the best strategies to deal with customers efficiently. This can be achieved through seminars organized by the organization, where experienced speakers are invited to impart knowledge. Improvement of the leadership styles is also imperative. it ensures that the management remains creative and innovating in dealing with different challenges in the hospitality industry. Effective leadership will foster teamwork and create a favorable environment for both customers and clients. All these factors, coupled with high levels of hygiene will play a huge role in ensuring that the organization becomes more attractive to customers. Task 3 understanding food production 3.1 Opinion on suitability of a range of food production systems and styles The centralized food production system will be one of the best, especially when the guests are within the institution. It is also the most efficient when the organization is hosting many customers. In this system, there is a central kitchen where all the production of food takes place. The chief chef has the authority and plays the supervisory role in ensuring that all rules are followed in the preparation of food. The prepared food is then served and delivered to guests in their respective places. However, buffet services can also be provided to ensure that clients serve what is appropriate to them. The central system of food production is cost effective and assists reduction of some problem that may arise when a live kitchen is used. In this kind of kitchen, the clients are able to see anything that happens in the preparation of food. Any mistakes can be noted, and used to rate the organization negatively. The central hotel is also more effective in terms of ensuring that high levels of hygiene are taken into consideration. 3.2 Factors to consider when organizing an off-site conference The off-site conference is sometimes imperative when there is a need to change the environment, or address certain challenges, such as that of space. However, when providing an off-site conferencing, a number of factors need to be taken into consideration. For instance, the security of the site needs to be enhanced. Currently, the hospitality industry has been affected by terrorism. Such threats have forced many organizations to allocate more funds towards beefing security. The clients want to feel safe, and it is the duty of the management to collaborate with security apparatus in the region to enhance safety. Secondly, the accessibility of the location is also vital. To facilitate this, the management can provide free transport services to customers. The road networks need to be in good condition especially when the conference location is far off. Further, the management need to be careful about the traffic congestion, as this, may discourage many clients. Thirdly, social amenities such as washrooms and health facilities need to be present. There should be ambulance within the area in order to respond any health emergency. For instance, food poisoning is a common problem that may occur when food is served in the open. The management should have trained personnel who can provide first aid before taking the sick to the nearest health care facilities. There is a need to ensure that all the required equipment, such as the public address is available. Finally, it is vital to ensure that high level of hygiene is ensured to prevent major health complications. 3.3 key menu-planning considerations In making a decision about the kind of foods to be provided, a number of factors are considered to ensure that the menu meets the tastes and preferences of all attendants. The following are the key menu planning considerations: Understand the profile of the guests The management should seek to understand the profile of the guests, in terms of age to determine the kind of food to be served. The older generation will require more healthy foods, that are also milder. The younger generation may consume spicier foods, while those concerned about their health will require seafood, or vegetables and fruits. Cultural factors This has to do with understanding the values, norms and the beliefs of the target customers. Religious beliefs of the customers should be taken into consideration. For instance, Muslims do not eat pork, and majority of Hindus will not eat beef. This is attributed to their faith. For this reason, it will be imperative that the management seeks to have more information about the target customers in order to avoid such mistakes that may lead to negative evaluation of an institution. Number of guests It is imperative to know the number of people who will be attending the function. This will assist in planning about the amount of food that will be prepared to avoid wastage. It will also help the management plan on the amount of labour that will be required to complete all the tasks available. Health considerations The goal will be to consider the health issues of the target customers. For instance, it will be imperative to establish if any of the guests have allergic reactions to certain foods, or has dietary restrictions. The management should seek to address these special needs before the preparation of food. 4. Assess ergonomic consideration for conference and banqueting Ergonomics is concerned with the creation of a favorable working condition that ensures that effective and efficiency of employees is enhanced. To facilitate this, the management ensures that it provides the equipment, and technology that is user-friendly. In the conferencing and banqueting industry, the success is determined by how efficient and effective customers become. This means that the management should enhance motivation of employees. The physical ergonomics, for instance, is concerned with providing employees with equipment that meets international standards to avoid causing injuries. The chairs must be designed in a way that they will not affect their spinal cord. In the place of work, safety measures should be taken. For instance, the use of gloves, and other protective clothing will ensure that employees remain safe. In the kitchen, employees should have shelved coats, and shoes that are designed to avoid slip. In terms of psychological ergonomics, it will be imperative that management provides a favorable working condition. This includes the design of work, and ensuring that there are enough employees. Fatigue of employees has been associated with low productivity. This can lead to huge losses in the hospitality industry. The goal should be to employ enough employees, who can work in shifts to ensure that they remain productive, and get enough time to rest. On the other hand, it is imperative to ensure teamwork is fostered. This ensures that the organization benefits from synergy that is created though interaction. Enhancing the communication between the management and the employees will also ensure that employees remain motivated. This owes to the fact that they are given an opportunity to express their feelings, and make any contributions. Further, it is vital to ensure that employees are involved in major decision-making of in the organization. Finally, owing to the nature of the work, it is imperative to ensure that an organization increases salaries and wages for employees. All these factors will assist in reducing employee turnover, and foster production. References Alvin R. Tilley & Henry Dreyfuss Associates ( 2002), The Measure of Man & Woman: Human Factors in Design A human factors design manual. ConferenceNews (2015), UK business visits hit record 680,000, retrieved from http://www.conference-news.co.uk/news/2015/03/27/UK-business-visits-hit-record-680000/8242 on March 29, 2015 Malakooti, Behnam (2013). Operations and Production Systems with Multiple Objectives. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-58537-5. Shewhart, Walter A. (2000). Economic control of quality of manufactured product. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. pp. 501 p. Stanton, N.; Salmon, P., Walker G., Baber, C., Jenkins, D. (2005). Human Factors Methods; A Practical Guide For Engineering and Design. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7546-4661-0. Valerie J Gawron (2000), Human Performance Measures Handbook Lawrence Erlbaum Associates - A useful summary of human performance measures. Wickens and Hollands (2000). Engineering Psychology and Human Performance. Discusses memory, attention, decision making, stress and human error, among other topics Read More