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AccorHotels F&B Academy
WATCH The video interview Biz Events Asia conducted at the F&B Academy at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20. Search for the video code below on our website.
VIDEO CODE: 4211
via www.bizeventsasia.com
Kerry Healy
WHY THE F&B FOCUS?
According to Nahai, F&B is the frontier of competition today and absolutely the single most important differentiator for their guests. Hotel guests are increasingly selecting hotels based on their bars’ and restaurants’ vibes and food quality. AccorHotels cares about their hotel owners and the latter select hotel management companies based on the ability to provide great F&B experiences. AccorHotels is at the forefront of that. It is probably the only company to have a CEO for F&B who sits on the executive committee. The company invested significantly in pure play F&B companies that own and operate nightclubs and top restaurants. Accorhotels invested in Potel et Chabot, France’s premier event company and caterer. F&B is critical and foundational to the AccorHotels business strategy. Moore advised that AccorHotels has achieved a lot in the first year since the acquisition of FRHI in terms of quality and standards. This helped change the mindset
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F&B FOR M&E
Kerry Healy, Vice President - Sales, Asia Pacific, presented at the Academy on the importance of F&B in the Meetings and Events (M&E) space for AccorHotels. She got the audience’s attention with one single slide that said “35 percent of Asia Pacific F&B revenue comes from M&E in 2016”. Healy proved the point that F&B is a critical component in creating the right delegate experience by sharing the conversations she had with delegates at the PCMA Global Professional Conference held in Bangkok earlier that week. The conversations affirmed Healy’s belief that while venues do not have control over the event content and learning journey designed by the event owner, venues have absolute control over what can enhance participants’ experience when they are at the venues.
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Amir Nahai & Nigel Moore
about AccorHotels as a hospitality company. The money involved in F&B is astronomical and the company has a lot of support for the F&B movement in taking it forward.
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The way AccorHotels should deliver creative F&B experiences in unconventional areas with the hotels makes a difference. Venues should also invest in softer touches like music and lighting and present the experience with the right ambience that would engage participants’ full senses . To lead the competition, hotels need to understand that if the participants are in for a three-day residential conference, they have the responsibility to make their catering breaks more interesting and engaging. The experiences should provide talking points and encourage quality business networking. If participants are happy, the hotels would have contributed greatly to the success of an event, which in turn will drive return business.
THE PULLMAN SHOWCASE
In that same week, Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach and the newly renovated Pullman Bangkok King Power invited Biz Events Asia to both hotels for a four-day business events experience showcase.
24/9/17 10:03 pm
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