IHI 2020 Annual Report by Irish Hospitality Institute

ANNUAL REPORT 2020

Limerick Boardwalk

IHI PATRONS

Thank you for your continued support, commitment and dedication to the IHI.

TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Address

IHI Board Members 2020-2021

History of the IHI

IHI National Hospitality Business Management Game & Student Seminar

2020 Events

IHI's Hospitality & Tourism Professionals Day

NEO Report

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS 2020 was a year like no other. Our world, not just alone our hospitality world became a very different place from what we know and love best. Our hospitality world faced long periods of full closure and as I write this report the industry reopens only today after an 18-month period of lockdown. The constraint of working virtually forced us as a board, to think outside the box and work to engage and support members at every level. Our main goal was to support you, our members at either Fellow, Member, or Associate level at a practical level through what has been a very tough time for our industry. Consequently, our events took a very different shape and form and as the year went on we like everyone else became surprised at our own agility and ability to adapt. Engaging online was the path that we felt could serve our industry and our members best at this time. Early in 2020, we commenced a series of webinars free to members and nonmembers alike and in doing so offered support and engagement to our industry colleagues. Virtual coffee mornings among member cohorts became a place where confidences were shared, and problems could be solved. From what we hear and understand, our online webinars, virtual coffee mornings and shared learning programmes have struck a chord and we plan to continue a strong level of online engagement for the foreseeable future even as our recovery begins apace this month. 2020 was the year Irish Hospitality & Tourism Professionals Day had a very successful launch in the pandemic on the date we would normally hold our Founders Banquet and Awards ceremony. This attracted over 1000 online attendees across both sessions on the day and since then there have been many downloads of the content that was shared on this day. Of note, all our online work is now housed in an online library and is free to access by all. We find that many people cannot attend an event on the day and so prefer to consume the learning content in their own time and place. This is free of charge to all members. It is now envisaged that this daytime IHIHTP Day event and content forum will now become an annual event for the Institute due to its success as a learning and engaging event. Earlier this year the National Executive team managed against all the odds to host the IHI National Hospitality Business Management Game online for the first time. This was some feat and instead of the event taking place in a centralised location over 2 days, it took place remotely for all participants over a period of a week. This event went without a hitch and huge credit is due to Tina and Cynthia along with our events committee who managed this transition online for this event very well. 4

Work of the Board The Institute was founded in 1966 by some very forward-thinking hoteliers who had the wonderful foresight and the initiative to set up our Institute. Our constitution had not been reviewed since 1966. In 2021 the board set itself some very ambitious tasks around strengthening the governance framework of the Institute including a review of the founding Constitution of the Institute. The aim and objective of this work was to strengthen and support the Institute in its current iteration and as much as possible to provide a future proof governance framework for the Institute. In 2020-2021 the board undertook a complete review of our Articles and Memorandum to ensure that our foundation paperwork is most current and agile to support the board and the Executive Office of the Institute for the future. This critical work has been delivered over the past year by the board and the hardworking Executive of NEO Tina Maree and Cynthia O’Neill.

Forward look As a membership-based body, our income is very dependent on two main income streams Membership (at all levels) and Event income. In early 2021 we commenced work to diversify our income streams and so allow for a more sustainable future for the Institute. This work is very much a work in progress, but we believe that this work is very worthwhile and will be beneficial for the Institute in the longer term. We have struggled as you would expect to maintain our level of paid membership in 2020. However, we believe that we have been a forum for connection and engagement across the industry in 2020 and so we are hopeful that when the industry recovers many of our members will return and we also expect there will be interest from new members. We count ourselves very fortunate to continue to enjoy the financial support of many companies and organisations whom we count among our Patron and Business Partner base. They include our valued Patrons; The Guinness Storehouse, Aramark, Crystal Air, Mitsubishi Electric, The Restaurants Association of Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions, Irish Times, Net Affinity, Tierney’s, Broadline Group, Vamoos and TU Dublin as well as our Business Partners whose services you are encouraged to support. 5

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our National Executive team, National Executive Officer Tina Maree MIHI and Cynthia O’Neill, Membership Events Executive for their hard work and commitment to the Institute. On behalf of you the membership body I would like to thank the Board 2020-2021 for their time, commitment, and energy to all the work that was undertaken in the year. I believe all the work completed has strengthened and will continue to strengthen the work and profile of the Institute for the future. I wish all Patrons, Business Partners, Fellows, Student Members all the very best in 2021 and thank you most sincerely for your friendship, membership, and support throughout 2020. On a personal note we missed meeting you, our members and industry friends and colleagues over the past two years. As our recovery commences, we look forward to the day that we can regroup over a glass of wine or a cup of tea and enjoy the wonderful industry connection that the Irish Hospitality Institute is renowned for! That day will be with us shortly, until then I wish you all a safe and sustainable recovery and thank you most sincerely for your friendship, membership, and support throughout 2020.

IHI BOARD MEMBERS 2020-2021

President: Oonagh Cremins FIHI Deputy President: Brian Bowler FIHI Company Secretary: Charlie Sheil FIHI

Frank Byrne MIHI Noel Cafferkey MIHI Dominic Dillane FIHI Stephen Hanna FIHI Ciara DrohanMIHI Russell Hadley MIHI Murieann King MIHI Detta Melia FIHI Daragh O'Neill FIHI Sharon Power Cowley MIHI Phillip Smyth FIHI Edward Stephenson FIHI Tara MeehanMIH

The Innovate Room The Montenotte Hotel The Marker Hotel

Olympia Capital Investments Action Recruitment TU Dublin The Camden Court Hotel The Cliff at Lyons The Mayson, Dublin The Croke Park TU Dublin The Talbot Hotel Stillorgan Netaffinity Shannon College of Hotel Management The Herbert Park Hotel The Mespil Hotel

Chair of the College of Fellows Martin Cassidy FIHI

History of the IHI In a developing hotel industry in 1966, a group of young managers known anecdotally as the “Young Tigers “- students of either Lausanne or Shannon College of Hotel Management believed that they were neither receiving the living conditions or the professional recognition that their education deserved and so they came together initially to form the Hotel and Restaurant Management Association. The HRMA had a brief but active life and it led some leading members to believe that a better road forward might be through establishing a professional institute for hotel and catering managers. They formalised this in September of that same year by visiting the offices of Arthur Cox and meeting with Daniel J O’Connor (solicitor), to sign the Memorandum of Association of the Irish Hotel and Catering Institute, now the Irish Hospitality Institute. Roll on 55 years IHI as the professional body for industry plays a key role in the promotion and professional development within the sector Irelands most diverse, vibrant, and indigenous area of employment.

Irish Hotel & Catering Institute First Council Members

Bottom left: Matt Ryan, Winifred Bouchier Hayes, WJ Kelly, Mary Davis, Harry Toner Top left: Eoin Dillon, Hector Fabron, Micheal Vaughan, Dermot Mooney, John Costelloe, John Bourke, Jorgen E Blum, David Adare Fitzgerald and Noel Duff.

IHI NATIONAL HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT GAME 2020 A team of 5 students representing TU Dublin School of Hospitality Management & Tourism were selected as the outright winners of the 35th IHI National Hospitality Business Management Game 2020 at the Clayton Hotel, Dublin Airport. The winning team scored top marks in the competition that attracted six teams representing, Shannon College of Hotel Management, Galway & Mayo Institute of Technology, TU Dublin School of Hospitality Management & Tourism, Dundalk Institute of Technology, and the Institute of Technology Tralee. 1st 2nd 3rd

Amie Kinsella, Charbel Yazbeck, Sarah Kenny, Dylan Leon and Ina Bivol Clayton Hotel, Dublin Airport 2nd March 2020

TU Dublin School of Hospitality Management & Tourism Shannon College of Hotel Management Dundalk Institute of Technology Dundalk

The Game supported by Dalata Hotel Group Fáilte Ireland and the Russell Partnership saw the teams complete 3 Challenges that tested the Students, business acumen, and management skills in the areas of Business Development strategy, Revenue management, and Human Resource management.

IHI STUDENT SEMINAR FRAME, BUILD, DEVELOP Pursuing a Path to a Career in Hospitality & Tourism The IHI National Hospitality Business Management Game was followed by our annual student webinar. The seminar chaired by Aine Doyle MIHI, Group Learning & Development Manager at Dalata Hotel Group, was attended by some 130 students from both TU Dublin City and Tallaght campuses. During the seminar students from both, the Game and Seminar had the opportunity to network with IHI Members in attendance. Aine Doyle

Speakers included Brian Farrell , Financial Controller at Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Alan Buckley, GM at Jurys Inn Parnell Street, Amanda O'Donovan, Group Director of Revenue at Trigon Hotels, Paul Hayden, Head of Tourism Careers at Fáilte Ireland, Keith O'Sullivan, Masterchefs Ireland, Charlene McGovern, Client Experience Manager at Netaffinity, Andre Claro Assistant HR Manager at The Marker.

Andre Claro

Our fantastic guest speakers shared their experiences and knowledge on how they built and continue to develop their hospitality and tourism careers.

STHGILHGIH

Alan Buckley, Amanda O'Donovan and Brian Farrell

9102

Charlene McGovern

2020

EVENTS With 2020 being a year like no other, the IHI found itself having to quickly adapt to the environment and circumstances we found ourselves in. We had to create new ways of engaging and networking with our members and although we were fortunate to host one breakfast seminar in March, 'Leading Your HR Strategy in The Hospitality Industry in Challenging Times' with guest speaker Caroline McEnery, we were unable to host any other physical events for the remainder of 2020. This however would not break our spirits, as we were determined to continue to deliver professional development, networking opportunities, and management development & training initiatives.

The IHI had previously considered webinars as a means of engaging with our members and delivering relevant information so this was the logical step forward. Our first series of webinars, 'The Restart Series', was a huge success. Our first guest speaker was Kathleen Linehan MIHI, Strategic Director of Human Resources at Trigon Hotels, whose topic was 'Staying Connected'. Kathleen shared insights on how to keep teams connected during the first lockdown.

Following on from Kathleen, Co-founders of Core Optimisation, Caroline Dunlea MIHI and David Brett MIHI gave attendees plenty of insights on how to 'Re-launch Digital Marketing'.

Next up was Helen O'Leary MIHI from The Innovate Room, who shared her thoughts on "Preparing for our new normal: Reimagining our sales landscape and preparing now for the future".

After some great direction and from our brilliant guest speakers, we invited Richard Burke, Managing Director of Resilience Matters to deliver a one-day programme that focused on mental health, improving well-being and how to develop coping mechanisms during the difficult time of the lockdown.

As the pathway to re-opening was still unclear, it was evident guidance was required for HR Managers from someone who has spent their entire career in hotel management. Dawn Wynn MIHI, Head of Human Resources at Dalata Hotel Group gave us great insights on 'HR Planning for the Future'.

With the re-opening of the industry in our sights, Karen Healy MIHI, Learning & Development Consultant with Meraki, shared her knowledge on 'Navigating the New Reality'.

Next up was the dynamic duo from IHI Business Partners Great Place to Work; Cathal Divilly and Fania Stoney. Cathal and Fania spoke to attendees about 'Preparing Our People Leaders & Managers'.

Wrapping up the Restart Series was IHI Honorary Fellow and Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons, who gave an overview of the situation and some hope for a positive summer with staycations in high demand. 12

Next, we launched 'The Next Phase Series' which allowed guest speakers to deliver practical advice on what steps to take in the re-opening process as we were all quite hopeful that Covid would soon be only a distant memory. First up was Maurice Bergin FIHI, Managing Director of Green Hospitality, who shared his hopes and advice for Sustainability Post Covid-19.

Following on from Maurice, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Great National Hotels & Resorts, David Collins MIHI who spoke to attendees about 'Lessons Learned from the 2008 Recession and provided a blueprint for recovery.

The very talented trio from Netaffinity, our Patron were next to share their vision on 'Looking Ahead' and what the latest trends were telling us about the market at that time.

STHGILHGIH

Lastly, wrapping up the Next Phase series was Marc Thornton FIHI, DTA Marketing. Marc's session 'Customer Care in the New Era' gave us great suggestions and advise on welcoming back guests.

9102

As the summer wrapped up and we once again found ourselves in another lockdown, we kicked off 'The Autumn Series'. Opening the series was Sarah Duignan. Sarah is STR’s Director of Client Relationships and provided us with an overview of the market performance and trends for the remainder of Autumn 2020 and what was anticipated for 2021. As people were really beginning to feel the strain of the lockdowns, we asked Avril Mansworth of Human Reasons, to share with us her thoughts. Avril and guest contributor Sara OHea spoke to attendees about the importance of identifying stress, coping with a changing environment and creating a support network. This would be the end of our 2020 Webinar Series, but we were far from done as our first ever IHI Hospitality & Tourism Professionals Day planning was well underway.

IHI

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM PROFESSIONALS DAY The first annual IHI Hospitality & Tourism Professionals Day was launched on Thursday, 26th of November and we were absolutely delighted with its success. The event provided a platform for people in the industry to discuss the critical issues facing the industry, such as the retention of talent, rebuilding business, and it also focused on the international megatrends that will define the sector in the future. The aim was to provide support and solidarity at a critical time for the hospitality and tourism industry.

The event, which was hosted by IHI President Oonagh Cremins FIHI welcomed a virtual gathering of just under 1000 hospitality and tourism professionals. The day began with a series of videos being shared across the IHI's social media channels. The videos focused on how 'It is our people that make Irish Tourism & Hospitality world-renowned'. Videos were shared throughout the day and were so well received, that the #ihihtpday was trending at No.2 on Twitter for the day. The event's first session, 'Leadership Through an Unstable Landscape', welcomed panelists; Jenny De Saulles, Director of Sector Development at Fáilte Ireland, Pól Ó Conghaile, Travel Editor, for the Irish Independent, Ruth Andrews, Chair of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation and Brian Bowler FIHI, General Manager at The Montenottte Hotel and IHI Deputy President. Travel writer Pól Ó Conghaile gave some great insights and said Ireland could lead the way internationally in a great reset to a new type of tourism, where safety, experience, community and sustainability are all at the fore.

STHGILHGIH 9102

The afternoon session, “What Next for Tourism & Hospitality Professionals - The Re-build", included panelists; Valentina Doorly, Director of Future Cube, Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of The Irish Hotels Federation, Adrian Cummins FIHI CEO of The Restaurants Association of Ireland, Paul Hayden, Head of Tourism Careers & Food at Fáilte Ireland and Deirdre Buckley MIHI, Director HR & Training at the iNua Collection. Futurist Valentina Doorly said the industry had not been confronted with a challenge of such proportion since WWII. She said recovery will happen in three chapters, with eager travelers making up for lost time as early as summer 2021. Adrian Cummins said, “Tourism will never be taken for granted again. It took a crisis for everyone to appreciate its true value”. Paul Hayden spoke about the worrying impact that Covid19 had on the sector in terms of recruitment. He said it was imperative to rebuild trust around the industry to attract and retain talent and to make it an attractive career path for students. All of the speakers agreed that Ireland is well-positioned to meet international consumer expectations when travel resumes, as the country has built a reputation for vast and unspoiled outdoor spaces, for caring and compassionate people, and for safety, all of which are expected to play a greater role in travel decision making.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins also gave a heartfelt address, saying “the sector has made some of the greatest sacrifices during the pandemic”. He thanked everyone for their “generous contribution to the very survival of our society” and said “a country is built on how authentic it’s hospitality is.” The President’s main message, which paralleled the overall sentiment of the event, was that “We are more effective together” and the efforts by everyone in the industry show “an enormous collective will” to ensure “we can navigate our way safely towards a positive and brighter future”.

NEO

REPORT

Echoing the President, 2020 certainly was a year like no other. None of us could have imaged back in January the impact Covid-19 would have on our industry and our people. At the commencement of the lockdown in March, we very quickly recognised from the level of emails and calls, our member's and partners need for support, guidance, information, training, but most importantly the need to stay connected in what was a very disconnected time for us all. IHI joins the virtual world Like all organisations, we needed to think quickly to re-adapt our business model for seminars and events and in doing so, we took IHI online for the first time in 55 years and launched the IHI Webinar Series. The objective of the webinars was to deliver informative on-topic subjects. Since March last year, we have supported in excess of 3,000 delegates and we will continue to provide our webinar series to both IHI and non-IHI Members until such time as the industry is back on its feet. For the IHI, this has proven to be a hugely successful method of communication, enabling members right across the country to participate. Looking forward to a return to physical events, we plan (where possible) to provide a hybrid experience to enable all members to participate irrespective of location. Our sincere thanks to all of our Members who participated as a speaker, your input was invaluable. I would like to acknowledge the support of our Membership and Events committee, Daragh O'Neill, Muireann King, Russell Hadley & Noel Cafferkey for their commitment and support.

Executive Leadership Executive Team Builds Supervisory Management Skills Customer Care First aid for Mental Health 17

TROPER

Continuous Professional Development Throughout 2020 we hosted a total of eight training programmes attended by some 213 delegates. Funding for the programmes was supported in partnership with the Restaurant and Hospitality Skillnet. With the exception of First Aid for Mental Health, programmes were delivered by industry specialist trainers and IHI Members. The programmes delivered were:

OEN

Coffee & Conversation In addition to the webinars, we also hosted Coffee & Conversation mornings across all management groups and this proved to be a very valuable networking and learning opportunity for our members. Our plans going forward will be to continue to host these meetings on a regular basis.

Learning does not stop with the completion of formal qualifications as knowledge can quickly become outdated, particularly in the areas of technology and legislation, hence the need for CPD. IHI will continue to develop a CPD offering, if you have a particular training need or would like us to host a particular programme please don't hesitate to reach out tina.maree@ihi.ie Membership Focus & Events 2020 was a challenging year for membership and events, Income overall for 2020 was down on 2019 by €128k. This was attributed to the cancellation of monthly events and the IHI Founders Banquet and Hospitality Management Awards. Membership subscriptions for 2020 fell by 18% v 2019 subscriptions representing an income decrease of €9,534. Overall by year-end with members lost and members gained the overall Member deficit was 10 with membership debtors as of 31.12.2020 of €7,448 with a commitment to pay in early 2021.

% Mix of Revenue 2020 v 2019 60% 57%

35%

36% 13%

2020

Pa rt ne rs

Ev en ts

Bu si ne ss

2019

M em be rs hi p

14%

17%

Pa tr on

19%

Ac ad em ic

20%

Pa rt ne rs hi p

40%

On a positive note, new Membership growth continued slowly during the year with 37 new members joining. This growth was attributed to the success of the IHI Webinar series, social media engagement and the need for industry professionals to stay connected and engaged during this difficult period. Throughout the year, we continued where possible to reduce expenditure and to build additional revenue streams. This determination enabled us to deliver a small surplus for 2020 of €21k. IHI Patrons & Business Partners The support and commitment by IHI Patrons and Business Partners throughout the year has been exceptional and for that, we are extremely grateful.

Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group (COG) An Overview The Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group (COG) supports sustainable employment in the Irish Tourism and Hospitality Sector and was formed in March 2016 following a recommendation from the 2015 Expert Group on Future Skills Needs Report. COG works on a collaborative basis and includes industry representative bodies, education and training providers, state agencies, and government departments. It provides a forum for practical action and collaboration to address the skills needs of the Tourism and Hospitality Sector in Ireland. COG works to coordinate the relevant bodies to agree and implement a work programme to address current and future labour supply and skills in the tourism and hospitality sector. IHI Leads Research - “Develop Supervisor and Management Skill Training Through Accessible Platforms”. The IHI in conjunction with industry partners led the research and review on the availability of part-time programmes to up-skill Supervisors and Managers and the preferred delivery of training for employers. This research identified there was a strong need for upskilling in this area and the preferred method for training was: Online, distance learning Short modular-based programs ideally certified Partime - One day online/inhouse or external The skill gap analysis identified training was required in the areas of people management and legislation, financial management, leadership, and delegation. This research formed part of a successful application by TU Dublin School of Hospitality Management & Tourism to the Human Capital Initiative to seeking funding to address these skills needs. I am delighted to confirm programme development is underway and we anticipate the delivery of modular-based/online/one day per week accredited programmes to be delivered by TU Dublin, School of Hospitality Management & Tourism, City Campus in 2021. For more information about available training programmes or if you have a specific training need, you would like addressed please don't hesitate to contact me at tina.maree@ihi.ie Industry Representation Over the past 12 months, IHI continued to represent professional development on the following steering groups and panel reviews: The Commis Chef Apprenticeship: Steering group chaired by IHF Chef de Partie Apprenticeship: Steering Group Chaired by RAI QQI: program review on the Principles for Professional Engagements with Education Providers, including Programme Validation, Professional Accreditation, and Approval UCD and TU Dublin - New program development for Transversal Skills programme review board. 19

Professional Development - Professional Recognition MIHI Since our foundation in 1966, the Irish Hospitality Institute has promoted professional and management development through the organisation of seminars, conferences, networking opportunities, the facilitation and promotion of various management development and training initiatives. Membership of the industry’s professional body promotes the deserved recognition of an individual’s qualifications and experience. Now more than ever, recognition is key to the retention of team members. Member participation and the promotion of IHI within member teams and colleagues cannot be understated for the continued growth and development of our Institute. At this time I would like to recognise the commitment and dedication of our President Oonagh Cremins FIHI and the IHI Board Members throughout the past two years, our sincere thanks. A special word of thanks also to Charlie Sheil FIHI, Company Secretary, for his support and guidance through this difficult period. And finally to you our Members, Patrons, and Business Partners for your input and support throughout - Thank You.

IHI BUSINESS PARTNERS We would like to thank our business partners for the continued support throughout the year.