TSA Solutions and Inturea are organizing the fifth roundtable discussion on the restaurant industry's Shock Plan to discuss "Strategic Planning in Food and Beverage." The discussion will focus on understanding the best way to implement strategic planning and maximize its effectiveness for our business.
The debate will take place this Wednesday, May 12th at 5:00 PM and will be attended by:
Carlo Proverbio, F&B Consultant at Hotel Leading Consulting; José Contreras, General Manager of JCI Talent Search; Luis Manuel Rivera, CEO of PowerPeople; Ángelo Vassallo, F&B Director at Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I Hotel Barcelona.
The panel is moderated by Pablo Torres, Performance Consultant at TSA Solutions.
Palma de Mallorca, May 7, 2021 – Following the current situation, all companies in the sector have been forced to optimize their resources to get the most out of them. That's why, in the Shock Plan for Tourism, thanks to TSA Solutions and Inturea, we're bringing a debate with the sector's top professionals, who will help us better understand the importance of strategic planning in our food and beverage business.
The importance of strategic planning is fundamental to establishing an organization's direction, assessing where it is and where it's headed. Therefore, it establishes the mission, vision, values, long-term objectives, and the action plans that will be used to achieve them.
Beyond the above, strategic planning provides a realistic framework that allows leaders and members of the organization to understand and assess its current situation. Therefore, it helps align the work team and use a common language based on the same information. Likewise, a strategic plan establishes the responsibilities of each member of the organization, ensuring that each member's actions are focused on achieving goals of common interest.
THE FIGURE OF A F&B AND ITS IMPORTANCE
As time goes by, everything tends to evolve, and the role of F&B has been no exception. In recent years, this hotel role has become increasingly involved in the crucial aspects of tourism businesses, and the economic impact that a good Food and Beverage strategy can generate has been the reason for its current popularity.
The role of F&B manager is increasingly becoming more executive and strategy-driven. Currently, managers are expected to maximize the use of available resources at any given time, as well as create value propositions for the company's various stakeholders. Hotel chains are seeking a more empathetic profile not only with colleagues and customers, but also with suppliers, institutions, and other contact groups.
The current state of the tourism market has forced companies to refine their business models not only due to the global pandemic, but also due to the entry of new owners or competitors, as well as more professional operators who demand the optimization of all hotel chain activities. Added to this is the growing importance of hotel gastronomy, driven by the need to differentiate themselves and the growing importance of food in consumers' daily lives.
It is for this very reason that the F&B sector has become so important, and today it is fundamental to the positioning of the hotel brand, as well as an opportunity and a booking accelerator, being key in the purchasing decisions of many customers.
As we have seen, hotel gastronomy must be highly dynamic and adapt not only to the political, economic, social, and technological framework but also to emerging trends and fashions over time to help generate distinctive experiences that have a positive impact on the end consumer. This is why two of the new trends are closely related to the human factor and the customer experience.
From this stems the importance of F&B, talent management through a strong human factor in an industry characterized by labor intensity and added value. The importance of having a team of professionals who are not only highly qualified but also motivated, who feel like hosts at heart, are creative, and decisive on a daily basis. These values take on greater importance than technical knowledge, which, while essential, doesn't always make the difference.
HUMAN FACTOR AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
It's ironic that two of the market's trends are arriving just as the era of digitalization is in full swing, even more so considering that one currently cannot exist without the other. It's true, when analyzing the market, that there are a large number of people interested in isolated trips to locations where there is little human contact. But it's also true that human beings have a need to connect with others, and the fact that the majority of the world's population has had to remain in lockdown not only for economic reasons but also as a health precaution has generated a great need for socialization.
In relation to digitalization, hotel companies around the world have sought to optimize processes to save resources and become more efficient. But like everything, it doesn't always work, and this is the exemplary case of the Japanese accommodation Henn-na Hotel, which, after its innovative opening in 2015, decided four years later to get rid of more than half of its 243 robots due to complaints and suggestions from its guests, who needed more human contact in certain processes and situations.
It seems that the human factor and robotization will have to work together for many more years. While technological innovations should always be welcomed in every service provided, we must carefully study where the human component is most needed so as not to lose that warmth and impact with which we so identify.
