From left to right: Craig Hawtin-Butcher (Australian Hotelier), John Musca (JLL), Stewart McCallum (EY), Stephen Hunt (multi-venue owner), Craig Shearer (Open Arms Hospitality) and Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co)
PUB LEADERS SUMMIT
PUB LEADERS SUMMIT 2019 HAILED A SUCCESS FROM GAMING AND PROPERTY TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE, CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER REVEALS THE KEY POINTS FROM OUR KEY ONE-DAY SUMMIT IN MELBOURNE. PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK AVELLINO
Keynote speaker Chris Helder
P
ub Leaders Summit 2019 drew to a successful close on Monday 20 May at the MCEC in Melbourne. Over 200 attendees heard from 26 different speakers, ranging from AHA Vic President David Canny and VCGLR regulator John Curran to the CEOs of Sand Hill Road and Australian Venue Co along with food and beverage specialists including wine expert Matt Skinner and expert single-site operators from across Australia, including those from the Rose and Crown, WA and Carringbush Hotel, Melbourne. The program of the one-day event curated and hosted by Australian Hotelier, was fit to bursting with speakers and panelists worth listening to, across an array of complex subject areas. During the day, our audience heard from motivational speaker Chris Helder about the power of holding a ‘useful belief’ - providing a powerful motivation from outside the hotel industry to encourage delegates to celebrate the now and think in the present to make positive changes. Getting behind the key stories affecting hoteliers right now, Paul Waterson of Australian Venue Co sat on the same panel as Craig Shearer of Open Arms Hospitality, having only recently transacted the Riverland in Brisbane between one another. Steve Jeffares of Stomping Ground discussed the rise of fruit sours drawing more women into the beer market – timely given his GABS beer festival had just taken place in Melbourne the day before. We looked at the vital importance of supporting pub success through live sport, music and entertainment, along with the supportive role that state government and arts organisations can play, including Music Victoria who were represented on a panel by their CEO Patrick Donovan. We also took the time to look back at the past year through the eyes of a number of operators, particularly those celebrating their first
8 | JUNE 2019 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
(Left) Jackie Booth (Zagame's) (Left) Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co) and MC Kent Anderson and Lawrence Dowd (Colonial Leisure Group) AHA Vic president David Canny
Dan Viney, CEO Sand Hill Road