Australian Hotelier May 2023

PROGRAM

Day One – Summit | Monday 24 July 2023

8:00am – 9:00am Breakfast masterclass TBA (additional registration required)

9:00am – 9:30am Registration and Showcase Networking

9:00am – 9:10am Welcome Address Vanessa Cavasinni, Australian Hotelier and Luke Butler, Hastings People

9:10am – 10:10am Keynote Address TBA

10:10am – 10:45am The Gaming and Wagering Environment (Bernie Hogan, QHA; Mark Sturdy, Entain Venues; Monique Bielanowski, Monandia Consulting)

10:45am – 11:15am Morning Tea and PLS Showcase Networking

11:15am – 11:45am Local and Global On-Premise Trends James Phillips, CGA Strategy

11:45am – 12:00pm The Pass App: Customising the Venue Experience Marianne Mewett, Australian Venue Co.

12:00pm – 12:45pm Data, Loyalty Management and the Customer Experience (Marianne Mewett, AVC)

12:45pm – 1:15pm The Economic Landscape (Paul Walton, ALH Hotels)

1:15pm – 1:30pm Pub Real Estate JLL Hotels & Hospitality

1:30pm – 2:30pm Lunch and Networking Showcase

2:30pm – 2:45pm Sustainability Practices in Pubs: The Kitchen and Beyond Nicola Palmer, Watervale Hotel

2:45pm – 3:15pm

What are you having? F&B Strategy (Rob Comiskey, Comiskey Group; Nicola Palmer, Watervale Hotel; Matthew Coorey, Boardwalk Tavern; Nick Wills, Tilley & Wills)

3:15pm – 3:45pm A People Business: Attracting Top Talent (Luke Butler, Hastings People; Paul Walton, ALH Hotels)

3:45pm – 4:00pm Presentation TBA

4:00pm – 4:30pm Live Music and Entertainment (Rob Comiskey, Comiskey Group)

*Program subject to change

Day Two – Hotel Study Tour | Tuesday 25 July 2023 (additional registration required)

9:30am Bus leaves from Eatons Hill Hotel

10:00am – 11:00am First pub tour

11:00am – 12:00pm Second pub tour 12:00pm – 1:30pm Third pub tour with lunch

2:00pm Bus returns to Eatons Hill Hotel

*Program subject to change

More information about the 2023 program will be available soon

SPONSORS:

A must-attend event for Australia’s leading pub operators and senior managers, the packed program features leading operators and industry experts who will provide practical business advice, introduce new commercial ideas and offer plenty of inspiration.

CONTENTS

WE ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au

Contents

SPECIAL FEATURES

12 Cover story: Better Beer’s Middy targets ‘conscious drinkers’ with its flavourpacked brew.

14 Training and HR: AVC targets gender parity through Bianca Dawson’s HerHospo program.

18 Screens and LED: There are so many ways for screens to be used in a pub, beyond the sports bar.

26 Op Tech: Can tools like ChatGPT take over menial tasks for your venue?

Venue Concept: advantage of a more liberal liquor license with its Victorian outpost.

REGULARS

6 News: What’s happening in pubs across Australia.

30 Design & Build: A first-of-its-kind smoking sports solution is unveiled at Matraville Hotel.

34 Tales from the Top: Jon Agdemis on working with partners and acquiring The Maybe Group.

Editor’s Note

I SPEAK to a lot of pub operators on a daily basis. Over the years, I’ve seen the general mood of the industry go through peaks and troughs, from everything from the buoyancy of a really vibrant and profitable sector, to the despair around covid lockdowns. If you’ve been in this game long enough, you’ve been through it all. Lately, the mood I’ve picked up on the most is one of dogged determination to find new solutions, explorev new ways of getting the most out of venues and enhancing the customer experience in the face of economic pressures. There’s some caution, but the outlook is still fairly positive.

As always, we’re doing our part to look for new solutions and ways of operating. In

this issue, you’ll find a piece on how new AI tool ChatGPT can be used to free up your staff from menial work (p 26). Screens have always been important in pubs, but we look at how many different ways they can be used throughout a venue (p 18). And with live sports being a huge factor in pub patronage, we check out the first smoking sports solution, debuted at Matraville Hotel. Have a look on p 30.

Cheers!

Vanessa Cavasinni, Editor E: vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PUBS ACROSS

Anna Moeller announced as new AHA|SA CEO

Following an exhaustive national recruitment process, Anna Moeller has been announced as the incoming CEO of AHA|SA –the first woman to take up the role in the organisation’s history.

Moeller, who is currently the state industry body’s deputy CEO and executive director of the industry harm minimisation agency, Gaming Care, will replace current CEO Ian Horne, who is retiring in July after 31 years in the role.

After a 10-week search involving an external recruiter and assessment of more than 80 quality applicants, including locally, interstate and overseas, it emerged the best person for the job was sitting in the office next to Horne.

Moeller is a qualified lawyer, and has been deputy CEO of AHA|SA for the last three years. She has an impressive CV of leadership roles, including at Bendigo Bank, Motor Trade Association of SA/NT and in the Local Government sector.

AHA|SA president David Basheer said Anna has proven to be an outstanding and highly respected member of the team, “providing our membership with significant leadership across liquor, gaming, and harm minimisation, as well as industrial and Government relations.”

“Anna will bring her unique leadership style to the role whilst preserving the values that have made the AHA|SA such a pivotal component of not just the tourism and hospitality sector in South Australia, but the business community in this State,” Basheer concluded.

With the announcement of her appointment, Moeller stated that she looked forward to her continued work with members, in her new capacity as CEO.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with all our members whether they be our larger operators, accommodation specialists or the backbone of our industry, our significant SME family-based pub sector,” Moeller stated.

“Hotels are a uniquely decentralised employment generator who both reflect and are at the heart of communities across the state.”

Moeller becomes the first female CEO of the organisation in its 153-year history. Women currently make up 62 per cent of South Australia’s hotel workforce. Moeller recently spoke to Australian Hotelier about how far the South Australian pub industry has evolved with its attitudes and opportunities for women, and how the advancement of women in the industry has been a focus of the AHA|SA for decades.

“I am very proud to be the first woman to head up the Association in over 150 years and with the support of the great team we have at the AHA, I look forward to building on Ian Horne’s remarkable legacy.”

Moeller will take up the role on 10 July.

Anna Moeller will be the first woman to lead AHA|SA

PUB LEADERS SUMMIT PROGRAM REVEALED

The first sessions and topics for the Pub Leaders Summit – to be held Monday 24 July at Eatons Hill Hotel – have been announced, with several leading industry operators and stakeholders taking on many topics that are front-of-mind for a lot of publicans right now.

Some of the most pressing topics will be discussed, with a morning session on gaming and wagering to tackle current and proposed regulations throughout the country, AML/CTF and responsible gaming strategy, as well as the tech helping pubs in their gaming rooms.

The current economic landscape – including cost-of-living pressures, mortgage rate hikes and inflation – will be put under the lens to see how it’s affecting pub operations, both from a customer-facing perspective, as well as hotel values, capex programs and more.

A key focus for many operators currently – data, loyalty management and the customer experience – will be a highlight of the day, with operators who have approached the usage of data differently sharing their insights into how to best capitalise on the immense amounts of data that pubs produce.

Other topics include evolving HR strategies, the focus on entertainment, F&B, as well as key local and global trends that

in the Summit.

have emerged in the beginning of the post-pandemic era.

Several big names have already been announced as part of the program, including Paul Walton, interim MD of ALH Hotels; Rob Comiskey, MD of Comiskey Group; Marianne Mewett, CXO of AVC; Bernie Hogan, CEO of Queensland Hotels Association; and Matt Coorey, director of Boardwalk Tavern. There are still plenty of names to be announced, as well as a few sessions, so keep an eye on the Pub Leaders Summit website for updates.

You can view the current program on page 3 of this issue of Australian Hotelier. Make sure to snag your earlybird tickets – with a saving of $100 – now!

Harness your cleaning power

(l-r) Paul Walton, ALH Hotels; Marianne Mewett, AVC; and Rob Comiskey, Comiskey Group will all take part

PUB DINING REMAINS RESILIENT AMID COST-OF-LIVING WORRIES

New data from ResDiary has shown that while fine-dining bookings have had significant drop off, pubs have seen no slow-down in dining bookings.

According to new data from ResDiary, there’s been nearly a 30 per cent (28%) decline in premium and fine dining venues since January 2022 – where spend averages higher than $80 per head.

Instead, diners are choosing mid-range venues such as pubs and cafes during these tougher economic times, now accounting for nearly half (48 per cent) of all bookings in Australia, up nearly 10 percent from a 37 per cent share of bookings in January 2022.

In an effort to understand the macro impact of inflation, interest rate increases and the general rising cost of living on the hospitality industry, ResDiary has mined the data on bookings since the beginning of 2022.

Stefan Overzier, APAC Head of Customer Service and Support, said the insights showed that people are still enjoying eating out, but are choosing casual over premium options.

“The data shows Australians still have the desire to head out and enjoy a good quality meal, however we can see people choosing mid-range options, and are experiencing ‘booker’s remorse’ for higher end venues as they cancel plans a higher percentage of the time. But it’s not all doom and gloom, your local pubs and cafes are the big winners with an increase in bookings overall.”

With consumers turning to pubs more frequently for their diningout experiences, the quality of food is more important than ever, suggests publican Chris Deale of inner-Sydney hotel Dove & Olive.

“This year’s trade is stronger than last year, we sell good quality pub food at reasonable prices. Being a mid-range venue gives us an advantage over some other hospitality venues as customers are seeking lower price meals.”

Price point has become a big factor in whether diners stick with a booking or not, as fine-dining venues saw an 88 per cent increase in cancellations between May (the start of interest rate rises) and

October 2022 (just prior to the Christmas season), compared to dining venues with a price point of $61-80. These venues had a significantly lower increase in cancellations of 13 per cent.

There’s also a clear correlation between interest rate increases and cancelled bookings, as Australians rein in discretionary spending.

Since May 2022, the RBA has increased the cash rate from a low of 0.1% to 3.6% to combat inflation. A month after the first interest rate rise in June, ResDiary’s data revealed there was a 9 per cent decrease in the number of bookings across most venue types.

With inflation reaching an all-time high of 7.8% in 2022, it is unsurprising to see a decrease in bookings from February 2022 to February 2023 across most venues. The only venue category not affected by interest rates? Pubs and cafes. Pub booking numbers remained steady throughout the second half of 2022 and into 2023 despite the economic crisis. Diners are still heading out, but preferring those venues with a lower price point of $21-$40 per head.

2023 Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship opens

Applications for the 2023 Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship have now opened. For the last decade, the Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship has been a springboard for the next generation of Australian hospitality workers aged between 22 and 35, offering a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to accelerate their development in their industry.

The scholarship prize is facilitated by Melbourne Food & Wine Festival through its hospitality networks, and the winner’s work experience will be tailored to their career interests within the industry, whether that’s farming, in the kitchen, in a brewery or vineyard, a managerial or a front-of-house role.

Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food + Drink Victoria said: “Good people are the most essential resource in Australian hospitality, and this scholarship is a way for the best of the new generation to fasttrack their path to becoming the leaders and the change-makers of tomorrow. Investing in the future today is the way

to keep hospitality strong and resilient, making the business better and making a positive contribution to our society.”

David Elia, CEO of Hostplus, said that the super fund was proud to have supported the scholarship for almost a decade.

“Hostplus has been proudly supporting the Hostplus Scholarship as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival since 2014. Never has this commitment been more important than it is now.

“It’s been so heartening to see the industry rebound in the last year and we recognise that nurturing future talent is critical to the industry’s continued growth and success.”

Elia continued: “As we emerge from an unprecedented period of challenge and change in the industry, we are more determined than ever to continue our unwavering support for the Hostplus Scholarship and the vital role it plays in shaping the future of hospitality.

“We are honoured to offer the Hostplus Scholarship to foster the skills

and experience of the most promising talent and build a more vibrant and prosperous industry.”

The 2022 winner, Sarah Cremona (pictured above) has just started at the newly-reopened Ritz Carlton as Chef de Partie, alongside 2018 Hostplus Scholarship alumni Kay-Lene Tan. As part of her Hostplus scholarship prize, Cremona will travel to New Zealand in May to stage with chef and MFWF alumnus Vaughan Williams at the highly regarded Amisfield, and plans to extend her trip to forage, spearfish, and hunt in New Zealand’s South Island. Cremona also hopes to utilise the training and professional development portion of her scholarship prize later in 2023, if she is successful in her application to MAD Academy in Copenhagen.

Applications for the 2023 scholarship are open now and further details on the criteria and prize can be found on the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website.

2022 Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship winner, Sarah Cremona (centre)

Better Beer targets the ‘conscious drinker’

Better Beer has launched Middy into the market with a 3% ABV, ensuring there’s no compromise on flavour with its sessionable beer.

BETTER BEER’S latest addition to its range of lagers – the mid-strength Middy with a 3% ABV – is already making waves, awarded a silver medal in the 2023 Royal Queensland Beer Awards.

The brand has been making a name for itself over the last year, having generated over $55 million in retail sales value and selling more than 10 million litres of beer in that time, making it one of the fastestgrowing beer brands in Australia. With a massive social media following of over 114,000 followers on Instagram, Better Beer is an incredibly popular alcohol brand throughout the country.

Better Beer’s decision to introduce Middy into the range was driven by the brand’s desire to cater to a growing market of beer drinkers who are looking for a loweralcohol option without sacrificing taste and quality.

“The mid- or low-strength alcohol market in Australia accounts for over 30 per cent of all beer sales. We definitely wanted exposure in this category as it is the one with the highest retention

of consumers, meaning Mid-Strength drinkers don’t venture out of that strength often,” explained Nick Cogger, CEO and co-founder of Better Beer.

While the trend towards mid-strength beer has been strong for some time in northern states with the likes of XXXX Gold, it has recently gained momentum further south in NSW and Victoria.

At Better Beer, sessionability is viewed as a flavour profile, with low- and midstrength beers tending towards lower IBUs. This is evident in Middy, a crisp and refreshing lager with a super clean finish. With each 355mL can clocking in at 0.8 standard drinks, containing zero sugar and only 0.7g carbs, Middy appeals to the conscious drinker on a variety of levels.

And at 3.0% ABV, it has a competitive edge over other midstrength beers which generally sit at 3.5% ABV.

“We have gone a step further with our mid and made it 3% ABV. Consumers are moving into zeroalcohol products more and more, and we have found that consumer purchasing habits don’t change between 3.5% and 3%,” suggested Cogger.

While Middy is a mid-strength beer appealing to the health-conscious drinker, it doesn’t compromise on flavour. In fact, it compares favourably with its fullstrength, Zero Carb counterpart.

“Our mid-strength has more body than our Zero Carb product, and we have done this to help carry the flavour with the reduced alcohol. Side by side, they are hard to tell apart with this modification to the base recipe,” stated Cogger.

Better Beer is keen to support pubs looking to stock Middy through internal and external messaging.

“As Better Beer plays in the mainstream/contemporary beer category and our competitors are the big two Japanese brewers, we need to be aggressive on pricing, venue marketing support and relationships with staff. We have also built Australia’s largest social media following with over 114,000 people. Letting them know what venues have Better Beer on tap will be a focus heading into this footy finals season.”

If you’re interested in stocking Middy at your venue, contact Mighty Craft at sales@mightycraft.com.au or call 03 9811 6827.

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Aiming for gender parity

Bianca Dawson has brought the HerHospo program to Australian Venue Co, to seek

By Caoimhe Hanrahan-Lawrence.

BIANCA DAWSON, Australian Venue Co’s (AVC) chief training and development officer, has pioneered HerHospo, a program promoting gender equality across all levels of AVC. It falls under AVC’s broader diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. HerHospo originated when Dawson was at Melbourne’s Sand Hill Road. Upon joining AVC in 2022, one of Dawson’s goals was to bring HerHospo over to AVC, with the enthusiastic support of the existing executive team.

HerHospo is built around three pillars: empower, educate, and inspire. The program consists of regular events, workshops, forums, and a mentoring program.

“It’s really about building a supportive, safe and inspiring community,” Dawson emphasised.

The program is open to all female-identifying employees of AVC. Though some events are capped

due to capacity, any woman at AVC is welcome to attend and to participate in the mentoring program.

“We’re really proud that we’ve built the program to a point where people are really keen to get their tickets to come along to particular events or to see particular speakers,” Dawson said.

HerHospo is working to present a full suite of events for the 2023-2024 financial year.

“We’re working with some incredible guest speakers, female farmers, female distillers, brewers, winemakers. In the education piece, we’re working really closely with Minus 18, as well as creating a lot of our own internal programs,” Dawson described. “We’re going to do some work with AFLW and look at some incredibly empowering women across different industries. There’s a range of events coming over the next 12 months which we’re really excited about.”

out the next generation of female-identifying leaders.

Above: HerHospo will host a range of events across the country in the next 12 months

Developing female leaders

The goals of HerHospo are strongly grounded in data about gender parity within AVC. Obtaining data about gender differences in areas such as staff retention, new hires, and leadership roles allows AVC to determine areas that need attention and to quantifiably measure the program’s success.

“One area we’re really focused on is getting our gender numbers up in our kitchens because we really see that that’s the biggest gap that we have,” Dawson said. “But if we can get our chefs to speak with female farmers or to meet with female cheese makers… They’re obviously incredibly empowering women, but also on the flip side, it’s part of their passion. They’re passionate about food. They can really connect to it.”

HerHospo is also focused on fostering female leaders. Though there are more female duty managers than male duty managers at AVC, women are significantly underrepresented in the higher levels of leadership. The mentoring program is designed to help women reach the leadership roles that they are striving for.

“Leadership is a big focus for us in terms of our female-identifying mentees. It really depends on the area they’re interested in,” Dawson said, “For venue staff, if they want to move into head office roles, we can look at creating their own training path and mentoring them to be able to get there.”

However, even with training and mentoring, some women don’t feel capable of taking on

the roles. Events and panel discussions are important in empowering women to actually reach for leadership positions.

“At our HerHospo events, the question I get asked most is how I was the CEO and a mother at the same time. That’s what people want to know because they’re saying, ‘How does that work? I feel like I can’t work in hospo anymore, because if I want to eventually have kids – even if that’s in five or 10 years’ time – I need to now start finding my path to a more balanced lifestyle,’” Dawson said.

Flexible working has proven important to address these concerns, with AVC introducing an option for a four-day work week.

“Whilst the industry has changed, and we no longer have everybody working Tuesday to Saturday doubles, I also think that we’ve got a long way to go,” Dawson continued. “We’re really looking at that flexible work arrangement and what that looks like. It’s not just people who have kids. People have different needs now than they did 20 years ago. Our business has changed and the industry has changed.”

Scaling up

HerHospo began at Sand Hill Road, a Melbourne-based pub group. At Sand Hill Road, with nine venues in total, Dawson was very in touch with all areas of the business.

“I was in the venues all the time and I knew the people. I could build a program easily and build Melbourne-based events,” she explained.

Leadership is a big focus for us in terms of our female-identifying mentees.

Bianca Dawson

The HerHospo program is available to all female-identifying AVC employees

When bringing HerHospo to AVC, the main consideration was scale. AVC employs over 8000 people across the country, as well as in several New Zealand venues. It is a challenge to make all staff feel represented and welcome in the program.

HerHospo’s International Women’s Day launch was a hybrid event, with local lunches for female employees as well as a satellite panel discussion. Another part of connecting venues is the introduction of the new senior operations manager role, which oversees four to five venues in the same area.

Dawson expressed that she wants HerHospo to foster change within the hospitality industry.

“The scale is 100 pre cent the challenge, but it is just so powerful as well. It really allows us to be able to reach such a broad market,” she enthused.

An employer of choice

Dawson is enthusiastic about the benefits of a program such as HerHospo. She believes that business owners have reassessed the importance of their workforce over the pandemic.

“If there’s one positive that’s come out of covid, it’s that the hospitality industry has had to wake up and realise that people have always been our most important resource,” Dawson said.

Considering the labour crisis currently facing the hospitality industry, it is a great boon to be an employer of choice. Equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives are key in encouraging new workers to enter the hospitality industry and retaining existing staff. As such, investing in training is more important than ever.

“We have a workforce of people who have never had an experience in hospitality before. There’s benefits to that as well – it means that we can now hire on value alignment and we can hire on personality, but most people need to be trained. We need to invest in training. The old days of getting somebody in for a trial on a Saturday night and just throwing them in the deep end, it just doesn’t work when these people have had no exposure to hospitality at all,” Dawson explained.

Alongside HerHospo, AVC is in the initial stages of creating programs for LGBTQI and First Nations staff as part of the Diversity Equity Inclusion initiative. AVC has been working with LGBTQI advocacy group Minus 18 and internal committees to support LGBTQI staff, and is investigating pre-employment programs for First Nations communities.

“For me, I think it’s really about creating a stronger, more productive, more motivated workforce, and really being an employer of choice,” Dawson concluded.

We’re really looking at that flexible work arrangement and what that looks like. It’s not just people who have kids. People have different needs now than they did 20 years ago.

Bianca Dawson

AVC launched the HerHospo program earlier this year with IWD events across the country

A view to a thrill

Screens are a constant part of our daily lives, and venue operators are using them in creative ways to improve guest experience. By Seamus May.

PICTURE A screen in a hospitality setting, and you’re probably thinking of a TV with the sound off, showing sport to a crowded huddle of guests, possibly in a cordoned-off sports bar.

But the use of screens in the Australian on-premise is evolving. From large esports arenas, to external advertising, to moveable elements of musical performance – operators are finding innovative methods for using electronic displays to attract, engage and retain customers.

A FORTRESS OF ENTERTAINMENT

One venue that demonstrates the limitless potential of screens to improve the consumer experience is Fortress Sydney, a gigantic, recently-opened video game and esports location that includes two hospitality areas. Screens are everywhere in the venue, which takes up nearly 3,000 square metres, and boasts a 200-seat esports arena; PC suites containing highperformance PCs; VIP gaming booths and games console rooms. One thing it lacks is a traditional pokies area – this is ‘gaming’ of a very different kind.

In the hospitality sections of Fortress Sydney – which include The Tavern, a fantasy-themed pub; and 2315, a cyberpunk bar – screens are used to enrich the concept and provide guests with an immersive experience.

Kate Sheahan, marketing and communications manager at Fortress Sydney, explains the myriad ways that the venue uses screens in its hospitality areas.

“We use display screens in The Tavern for a range of things. Typically, patrons can see a rotating schedule of content that highlights upcoming Fortress events and offerings (like our Board Game Wednesdays or Dungeons & Flagons),” Sheahan says.

The Tavern also contains a fireplace featuring a small electronic screen showing roaring flames. This installation helps to further the medieval fantasy theme, while remaining in touch with its overarching video game and technology concept.

“Our pixel fireplace - a favourite among customers - is made possible by housing a digital screen in a large fireplace mantle and is a very immersive piece,” Sheahan continues.

She also explains how screens are used to improve traditional fixtures of pub entertainment.

“During our popular Monday night Tavern Trivia, these screens are used throughout so customers can participate in the fun, no matter how far away they are from our host,” the marketing manager adds.

“Whether we’re using screens to showcase the latest talent or gameplay, or to educate guests, our priority is always guest experience.”

Of course, the use of screens on such a large scale and in such a complex manner requires

SCREENS AND LED

close collaboration with technology organisations on supply, install and continued operation.

Christopher Stewart, production and broadcast manager at Fortress Australia, shed more light on the venue’s partnerships with electronics suppliers.

“We have a close relationship with the manufacturer of the equipment - Samsung - who supported us throughout the entire process,” Stewart explained.

“They provided their expert opinion on design/use-case and provided on-site technical support whenever needed.”

Sheahan concludes by summarising the overall importance of screens to the venue.

“Our digital screens are a core feature in our entertainment offerings and allow us to be a versatile, tech-capable venue,” she says.

“The aforementioned Tavern Trivia utilises digital screens to integrate a typical trivia format with more modern elements to create a multimedia event with visual and interactive clues. Large group bookings in our coveted VIP Booths can also stay connected via the dual digital screens. The exterior screen, which mirrors the gameplay from within the booth, ensures that groups stay linked and entertained - even if they’re not holding a controller.”

https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/esports/australia

Market research organisation, Statista, tips revenue in the esports Australia market to hit US$17.92m, almost AU$27m, in 2023.

Whether we’re using screens to showcase the latest talent or gameplay, or to educate guests, our priority is always guest experience.

Kate Sheahan, Fortress

Retail Reception at Fortress Melbourne

The Tavern Fireplace at Fortress Sydney creates ambience

NYE at Alienware Arena , Fortress Melbourne

ENDEAVOURING TO CHANGE THE INDUSTRY

Three million dollars has been invested into Fortress Australia by Endeavour Group’s digital wing, endeavourX, with the company identifying the screen-reliant sectors of esports and video games entertainment as a significant area of growth for hospitality.

The upsides appear plentiful. Market research organisation, Statista, tips revenue in the esports Australia market to hit US$17.92m, almost AU$27m, in 2023. Fortress states that its Melbourne venue attracted foot traffic of more than 350,000 in 2022, and tellingly, had a digital audience of over 120,000.

Video gaming venues, with their immersive usage of screens, also offer a diversification of the drinking age audience mix for traditional hospitality groups. Fortress says that 85 per cent of its audience are aged between 18-32, with less than two per cent aged under 18.

For Endeavour’s ALH Hotels group, the investment into Fortress is part of a wider drive to digitise the company’s holdings - including through the improved use of display technology within venues.

Jarrod Holt, general manager – commercial for ALH Hotels, provides further detail.

“Across our ALH Hotels, we are making a series of technological investments aimed at offering our guests industry-leading digital experiences, and we want to make sure the physical aspects of our venues match this.

“So to complement the digital journey, we’re also going to be concentrating further on our hotel capital investment,” Holt continues.

“Over the last 12 months we’ve completed 50 renewals and you’ll see even more this year as we place guests at the centre of format innovation and design.”

One of these renewals is at the large-format Queensland pub, the Blue Mountain Hotel, which now features a screen array above the bar, meaning that guests can continue to view while queuing to order drinks and food.

For Holt, the entertainment offer is a crucial part of ALH Hotels’ holistic guest experience.

“We have a well-rounded focus on food, beverage, gaming and entertainment - all of these factors combined make for the greatest pub experiences.”

And suppliers, including those in the technology and AV industries, are a key aspect of this future planning.

“We want our suppliers to be a part of all of this. We want them to be across our vision and to connect with us on ways we can partner together to bring it all to life,” Holt concludes.

Screens above the bar at Blue Mountain Hotel

PUTTING ON A SHOW

More traditional entertainment is also resurgent, as the impact of the pandemic retreats from view. This revival is demonstrated by the recent reopening of legendary live music venue, Selina’s, attached to the Coogee Bay Hotel in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The venue contains scalable capacity, meaning it can contain as many as 1,750 guests for larger shows, or as few as 400 for more intimate gigs. New flooring has been installed, alongside improved access and branded design installations. Moreover, AV equipment has also been given a refresh, with the owners now describing the venue’s gear as ‘concert-level’.

As part of this renovation, a large, mobile LED screen has been placed behind the venue’s storied stage, which has hosted everyone from INXS and Nirvana, to modern day acts Ocean Alley and Hockey Dad.

David Gregory, general manager of the Coogee Bay Hotel, commented on the important role that the LED screen will play for the venue, guests and performers.

“The LED screen can provide a high-quality visual experience for guests, the screen can offer a vivid and immersive viewing experience that enhances the overall entertainment value,” Gregory said.

“[The screen] allows Coogee Bay Hotel to continue its vision of being a leader in the entertainment industry. Visual and sound quality is vital for the ambiance of any successful entertainment offering.”

The large-scale display added to the Selina’s refurb is also mobile, allowing it to be placed in different areas of the stage, or indeed, different parts of the venue. For Gregory, this ability to change placement is a key thing for operators to consider when installing displays in their venues.

“Consider accessibility and movement of the LED screen. If you can have your screen on wheels to be easily moved, it makes its use more versatile,” Gregory explained.

The GM also outlined how he envisaged performers engaging with the screen, and how it helped provide a more enticing prospect for other bookings, including corporate clients.

“The LED screen can showcase visually stunning content on the screen, such as custom graphics, videos, or live feeds. Guests are drawn to the screen, creating a sense of excitement and energy,” Gregory continued.

“All external suppliers, live acts, corporate events have access to a simple-to-use system which brings visual and auditory enhancements to their events.”

Across our ALH Hotels, we are making a series of technological investments aimed at offering our guests industryleading digital experiences, and we want to make sure the physical aspects of our venues match this.

Jarrod Holt, ALH Hotels

The AV experience at concerts held at Selina’s

SUCCEEDING THROUGH SPORT

Although diverse and increasingly sophisticated entertainment offerings are on the rise around Australia, the tried-and-true big sports screen retains its appeal.

Recent statistics published in CGA by NIQ’s On Premise Sports Report found that 18 per cent of Australian consumers visit the on-premise to watch televised sporting events.

The same data highlighted the importance of those visitors who watch sport in hospitality venues, stating that they are ‘visiting more often than the average consumer, with both a higher average income and higher spend when out-of-home.’

Beyond Selina’s, the Coogee Bay Hotel boasts screens in other areas, which the venue uses to deliver different entertainment and viewing experiences to customers.

“We have an array of LED screens in the venue, from our sports bar to our garden bar, where we display key sporting events and tournaments,” the GM explained.

For Gregory, the screen array helps to retain customers in the venue, which in turn puts more money behind the bar.

“Once guests are at the venue, LED screens can be used to showcase live events, be it sporting, or

alternate entertainment, which can keep guests engaged and entertained for longer periods,” Gregory said.

All in all, the screens are an aspect of Coogee Bay Hotel and Selina’s that contributes to a more compelling hospitality offering.

“While LED screens may not be the only factor that attracts and retains guests, they can undoubtedly contribute to a venue’s success by creating a visually appealing and engaging experience for visitors,” Gregory concluded.

Warren Livingstone, founder of Highclere Hospitality, is something of a sporting specialist. The former president of Balmain Rugby Club (which he re-established in 2004) also set up a sports travel agency, Fanatics, before moving into hospitality.

Recently, Highclere purchased the Australian Hotel in McGraths Hill, a significant 6000 square metre venue that Livingstone believes has the potential “to be a super-pub.”

There’s a large outdoor screen in place in the Australian Hotel’s newly renovated beer garden, and Livingstone explained how he saw this display as offering a unique selling point to the venue.

“We saw it as an opportunity to have a point of focus for big event days,” Livingstone commented.

Visual and sound quality is vital for the ambiance of any successful entertainment offering.

David Gregory, Coogee Bay Hotel

Live sports draw a crowd at Coogee Bay Hotel. Image: Facebook

This being said, the Highclere founder does not think such an approach is suitable for every venue.

“We wouldn’t do it at all our pubs because they all attract a different style of clientele, but I think in these big-format pubs with a large beer garden that they [big screens] work well,” Livingstone said.

And while Livingstone stated that the initial guest response to the screen has been “very strong”, he also acknowledged that careful consideration to the overall business mix of the venue is important for managers and operators.

“It hasn’t all been positive, with some people wanting areas away from the screen and sound - so that’s a balancing act,” Livingstone continued.

“The key is to make sure it’s not the only part of [the entertainment offering] as it dominates the landscape, so you need to make sure you have the sound correct for live games, and then good music when it’s replays.”

Although this particular placement is a more conventional deployment of a large screen, Livingstone is using displays in alternative ways at other venues.

The Rose & Crown Hotel in Parramatta, also owned

by Highclere, boasts a large outdoor advertising screen, which the group has enhanced in the hopes of attracting greater trade – much like how Fortress is using reception area screens in a very different kind of venue.

“We have recently upgraded that, so we are crossing our fingers it helps bring people in. Stay tuned,” Livingstone concluded.

THE FULL PICTURE

Gone are the days when a screen in a pub or venue meant a boxy TV perched above the bar to show the cricket. LED screens and signs are now used in inventive ways across the hospitality industry, as the technological revolution continues apace. Venues of all kinds – from mega pubs and multi-offering entertainment centres, to smaller traditional hotels –are taking note.

And operators can be sure that as consumers grow more used to digital offerings, they will increasingly expect to see digital menus, signposts, and entertainment screens in venues. These displays won’t be right for every location, but for those suitable pubs, the benefits of high-quality visual equipment is clear to see – in high definition.

below: The newly installed outdoor screen at The Australian Hotel, McGraths Hill

WEDNESDAY 25 OCTOBER 2023

THE STAR EVENT CENTRE SYDNEY

Conversations with your computer

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) has been a hot topic of late, with many people concerned about potential job losses. Others are more optimistic. AI has the potential to streamline the work day, completing menial tasks and increasing efficiency. In fact, Christopher Pissarides, a professor at the London School of Economics, believes that AI programs could lead to a 4-day work week.

As a service industry, hospitality is incredibly unlikely to face job losses due to AI. For an industry with human interaction at its core, AI may seem irrelevant. However, there are a number of innovative uses and surprising benefits that AI can have to your business. Annette Verhoeff, former pub operator and founder of business consulting firm Thrive Hospitality, is already helping her clients to use AI in their businesses.

The wide world of AI

AI refers to a computer program or machine that is able to problem-solve.

They are often capable of machine learning, wherein the program can change its actions based on its past experience, essentially “learning” from its mistakes. Currently in the spotlight are chatbots, or Large Language Models (LLMs). LLMs such as ChatGPT can respond to prompts and produce human-like text.

“Think of it like a personal assistant that does everything except fetch your coffee… yet,” joked Verhoeff.

ChatGPT is much more advanced than the chatbots of old, which provided prewritten answers in response to keywords. LLMs work on a conversational model, ‘remembering’ the previous information you have given earlier in the conversation. ChatGPT responds to corrections and can revise what it has previously written. It also has capacity to handle a large volume of users, so you can use ChatGPT to interface with multiple people at once.

“What it’s doing is making Artificial Intelligence more accessible to ordinary people,” Verhoeff said of ChatGPT.

Currently, there are two versions of ChatGPT. GPT-3.5 is free to use via the web app. GPT-4 is the updated paid version, which can produce code and respond to images. Both versions can be integrated into your website, although this does require some coding knowledge and an OpenAI API key subscription.

As AI technology is constantly evolving, it is important to keep abreast of changes and innovations in the space. Booking platform OpenTable is also integrating with ChatGPT, which uses machine learning to recommend restaurants and find users the seats and booking times most suited to them. Similarly, Microsoft has added AI to its Edge browser, called Bing Chat. This allows users to input very specific searches and receive recommendations from the AI, so now is the time to update your business listings on Bing. Microsoft is planning to integrate their chatbot into Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Outlook, making AI more accessible than ever.

Is

SOUNDING AUTHENTIC WITH CHATGPT

Annette Verhoeff shared her four-step guide to training ChatGPT to produce content personalised to your business

1. What: Tell the AI about your venue – location, menu, offerings, events.

2. Why: Tell it about the purpose and values of your business.

3. Who: Describe your customer base.

4. How: Talk about how the business runs – the way you interact with customers, who you team are, the atmosphere of your venue, your venue’s history.

Why work with robots?

Almost any writing you need to do can be completed with the assistance of ChatGPT, such as writing SEO-rich content for your website or social media channels. It can also generate employee manuals, job postings, task lists, or interview questions. Chatbots can take care of repetitive communication tasks like answering common customer questions. This saves you and your staff from menial tasks and frees up time for more important duties.

The best news for hospitality professioanls is that the only skills you really need to use ChatGPT are strong communications skills.

“If the quality of what you’re putting in is good, then you’re getting good stuff back from it,” Verhoeff advised.

Rather than replacing creative labour, Verhoeff argues that LLMs like ChatGPT give you time for more complex planning.

“What it’s actually doing is freeing up my time to be more creative about where I want the business to go. I’m freed up with that strategy and innovation thinking rather than writing proposals or writing training resources,” she said.

Learning the code

To get the best results from ChatGPT, it is important to refine the prompts you are feeding into the program. You can even ask ChatGPT to give you feedback on the quality of your prompts. There are multiple resources on writing effective prompts, but essentially they should be clear, focused, and relevant.

“It is all about using the right prompts to get ChatGPT to give you the right response, but you don’t have to be that highly trained in it. The trick is to keep conversing with the model until you get the result that you want,” explained Verhoeff.

Just like a human being, ChatGPT improves through constructive feedback. If the program produces something you don’t like, try explaining what you would like it to change. As economy of language is important for effective communication with ChatGPT, you don’t need to worry about politeness.

“Unlike an employee, you can give it really harsh feedback and get it to improve, and it’s not going to take offence,” said Verhoeff.

With some training, ChatGPT can be customised to reflect your business’ unique voice and tone. One method of this is to ask ChatGPT to analyse a sample of your writing to determine the tone you are already using in your business. You can also tell ChatGPT about your business’s goals and values. With the program dealing with time-consuming and repetitive tasks, you can spend your time defining these values and goals instead.

The program has been trained to deny inappropriate requests, meaning that ChatGPT is less likely to produce offensive or inappropriate material. However, it can generate inaccurate information, so it is important to check the accuracy of any AIgenerated text. It is also best practice not to provide ChatGPT with any confidential information, as the program will retain this and may provide it to other users.

With the explosion of new technologies, it is often difficult to determine whether something is genuinely useful or just a fad. Of course, there is also the effort of learning to use these new technologies. Luckily, ChatGPT and similar programs are remarkably simple to use and can improve your business with a little experimentation and creative thinking.

What it’s actually doing is freeing up my time to be more creative about where I want the business to go.

Annette Verhoeff, Thrive Hospitality

On and off (premise)

ODD CULTURE’S new Victorian outpost is located inside the original Fitzroy Post Office (most recently an MP’s office) and will offer a bar and bottleshop rolled into one.

The venue, which is slated to openthis month, is located on the famous Fitzroy food and drink strip of Brunswick Street. Odd Culture CEO, James Thorpe says the new venue is fulfilling a long-term ambition of the group.

“We see that area there in Fitzroy as being a spiritual home of Odd Culture,” Thorpe says.

By Seamus May.

“When we were coming up with the original concept for the bar and restaurant in Newtown, it was borne out of a trip to visit the grand old breweries of Belgium, and to explore this theme of the intersection between craft beer and natural wine along the theme of fermentation.”

Odd Culture also took inspiration from closer to home too, as the CEO explains.

“We were also inspired by the many, many

drinking bottle shops in Melbourne, which is something that we don’t have up in Sydney.”

The group had attempted to recreate something like this with the initial Newtown location, but were scuppered by local licensing laws. In this regard then, the Odd Culture concept is ‘coming home’ with the Melbourne venue.

“In Victoria, the standard liquor licence you get out of the box allows you to have an integrated onpremise space,” Thorpe states.

“So when the opportunity came up to tackle the project of building an Odd Culture in Fitzroy, we jumped at it.”

The process began about 18 months ago, including design, construction and council approvals.

“We found out [the building] it was an MP’s office… And so it was fitted with a drop popcorn ceiling, and all the windows were blacked out. When we demolished the space, we revealed these really beautiful high ceilings and heritage features.”

Previously, Thorpe has handled much of the design of his venues himself, but for this location, he and his team enlisted the services of Melbournebased interior design and architecture firm, Spaces.

“[They] have basically taken what we did in Newtown and tried to recreate it as much as possible,” Thorpe says.

Odd Culture Group is taking its eponymous venue concept down to Melbourne, and making the most out of a more liberal liquor license.

(l-r) Odd Culture creative director Nick Zavadszky, CEO James Thorpe, and Fitzroy venue manager Gerry Nass outside the Melbourne venue

“Venues evolve over time, so we’re trying to capture the most recent essence of what Odd Culture is in the design of the space down there.”

Nevertheless, there will be some Melbourne-specific features to the new operation, particularly with the food and drink offering.

Local flair

“There is sort of a new flair running through the venue,” the CEO explains.

“We don’t have a gigantic kitchen. That said, James McDonald, our executive chef has put together a menu of fan favourites from Newtown – chicken liver pate with the miso caramel sauce and the house-made potato chips, that’s going to be on down there.

“We’re definitely going to be working with a lot of local suppliers –Meatsmith is probably the main one. James Mac [McDonald], earlier in his career, opened the original Meatsmith in Fitzroy, so that was a natural relationship to kind of pursue with this project.”

Victorian wines will also have a strong representation at the venue, which retains the same focus on fermented beverages as Odd Culture Newtown. Group Beverage Manager, Jordan Blackman, is developing the drinks menu, which is still in the works, and there will be some cocktails on offer too.

“It’s yet to be determined, but it will be really similar to what’s in Newtown – like the same 12 taps, same backbar, it’s going to look almost identical.”

Odd Culture Fitzroy will have “a really well curated beer list, that is curated by style constantly,” according to James.

“We don’t do tap showcases of producers or anything like that, we try to take a new approach to the whole thing.”

Approachability is also high on the agenda for the bar.

“Anyone can go in there and feel like they can get something that they are looking for, and not feel stupid if they don’t know everything about beer or wine.”

Melbourne local Gerry Nass, previous owner and operator of the Beresford (prior to its Merivale days) and the Robbie Burns Hotel in Collingwood, will be the new venue’s GM.

Odd Culture now operates a portfolio of venues including the Oxford Tavern, the Old Fitzroy Hotel, the Duke of Enmore, Odd Culture Newtown and the Odd Culture Bottleshop. Pleasure Club, a late-night, live music basement bar in Newtown is also set to open this winter. Fitzroy is the group’s first interstate venue, and James suggests that it might not be the last.

“Never say never, right? We’ve never set out to be the biggest hospitality group in the world or anything like that, we just kind of pursue interesting venues.

“So I mean, if the opportunity came up, and it made sense to definitely look at that [we would]. But we’ve got enough in the pipeline right at this moment. Not for a little while.”

This piece was first published online by our sister publication, Bars and Clubs. Subscribe to its newsletter at www.barsclubs.com.au

Odd Culture Newtown

Indoor outdoor

THE MATRAVILLE Hotel, owned by Matthew Rissman and his family, last had an upgrade to its gaming room and front bar several years ago. But Rissman felt it was time for other parts of the pub – namely the sports bar and the bistro – to have an overhaul to reinvigorate their operations.

Rissman turned to Paul Kelly Design, the design firm that had completed the pub’s previous renovations, as well as the complete overhaul of the family’s other pub, Punchbowl Hotel. The brief was to create a fresh sports entertainment concept for its clientele – which is already heavily sportsfocused – as well as modernise the bistro.

A smoking sports solution

Matraville Hotel attracts a lot of sports fans, and a significant make-up of that particular crowd at Matraville Hotel is smoking drinkers. As such, Paul Kelly came up with a brand new concept that allowed smokers to continue watching and punting

on sport, without having to duck out for a smoke break. The new concept is basically a big indoor sports area that is fully ventilated and lit to give you the impression of being outdoors. In other words, a full smoking solution aimed at the punter.

“It was a bit of a change from a usual sports concept. Basically, it’s the same principles of a smoking gaming room, except it’s smoking sports,” explains Paul Kelly.

“So we’ve got a huge covered area that you can operate under acoustically, with high bar seating areas, watching roughly seven different screens, and customers can smoke in there as it is fully ventilated and air conditioned. That’s the first time it’s been done.”

With such a massive focus on sports at Matraville Hotel, Rissman and Kelly really wanted to tackle the sports bar concept and make it a big entertainment focal point of the hotel. It was also important to create the kind of space that could operate

An exciting new ‘smoking sports solution’ has been brought to life at Matraville Hotel.

almost as its own venue – so that if you are into sports and you were heading into the pub for a big match day, there would be a lively, holistic entertainment feel within that part of the venue with likeminded patrons. Conversely, if you weren’t interested in that kind of experience, you could avoid that part of the pub altogether.

“We wanted to take on the sports bar concept and really amplify that. So it lets the rest of the venue operate as its own individual components, and then you have this area as a dedicated sporting event. Like a UFC fight, for example. Mums and dads don’t really want to be part of that, but in this area punters can scream and yell and they can put bets on. They’ve got their own toilets and bar so it’s fully self-sufficient.”

With the sports fan in mind, the idea was to keep the aesthetic of the space very

grounded and relatable. Timber elements dominate the space, without lots of neon lights to detract from the sports action taking place. There are low-height stone walls, two timber batten ceilings, natural stone flooring and a lot of greenery like planter beds, to give people the feeling that they’re outside, when they’re indoors.

“It’s got a big open, operable roof and skylights and really feels very, very clean and natural. It feels like you’re outside, but the place is fully inside,” states Kelly.

While there’s a lot of lighting in the space, most of it comes from hidden garden lighting, so the area feels the same regardless of whether you’re there during the day or at night.

“If you’re there for a sporting event, it always would feel the same. It’s like an indoor sports theatrette.”

While an indoor space, the sports bar is fully ventilated to allow for smoking

A different clientele

In the bistro, renamed Perry Street Kitchen, the operators have gone for a more modern and sophisticated look. It is Mediterranean-inspired with light and terracotta tones, as well as leathers used throughout and a single olive tree as a focal point. It has a decidedly upmarket, Eastern suburbs atmosphere about it to elevate both the space and menu expectations.

“It’s not necessarily Matraville, some people from the area come here and they feel like this is an elevated version of a local pub kitchen offer. It allows the kitchen to do some elements of food that aren’t necessarily just traditional pub grub,” Kelly suggests.

The bistro has become very popular in its own right, and as such a separate entry to Perry Street Kitchen was created, to cater for different clientele not wanting to experience the more traditional pub offer or the sports bar. It can still also be accessed via the main entry of the hotel.

“That was the problem before [the renovation], to get to the bistro you used to walk through the smokers who were watching sporting events, which used to deter a lot of customers. So now, the smoking drinkers are now in a standalone venue. And a separate part of the venue is for the bistro customers. So they can come and come and go as they please without having to interact with any other demographic,” explains Kelly.

“Essentially the locals that are going there for a chargrilled sirloin could come in off the side door for Perry Street Kitchen.”

While the two concepts have been made for two very different target audiences, the sports bar concept has proven to be so popular that while it was indeed created as a smoking sports solution, so many people want to patronise that space, that it has returned to being a non-smoking area.

For Kelly, the new concept really hones in on the entertainment of sportsviewing as a standalone pub experience the keeps punters coming back for more.

“It’s a dedicated sporting area, there’s nothing else it does apart from sports. You’re really not bombarded by all these different screens, it’s quite tailored. So for me, it works very well in regards to specific sporting events and being a part of that entertainment complex.”

Perry Street Kitchen

White and terracotta tones elevate the bistro space

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When visions align

A COUPLE of weeks ago, PUBLIC set the Sydney hospitality scene ablaze by announcing it had acquired The Maybe Group, one of Australia’s most lauded small bar groups. The two groups had been partners previously, collaborating prior to the acquisition on El Primo Sanchez, a Mexican-themed bar. El Primo Sanchez opened in February this year to widespread acclaim.

Meanwhile Public has grown rapidly over the last year, opening more than 20 venues that are based around unique F&B and accommodation propositions, including The Strand Hotel, live-music venue The Lady Hampshire, The Norfolk Hotel and more.

“Public has grown at an incredible pace over the past 12 months and we are continuing this trajectory as we acquire The Maybe Group,” Public’s executive chairman, Jon Adgemis, said.

“We don’t know everything and we’re

not too proud to admit it, which is why a demonstrated, effective method of working with those who do, is welcomed at Public.”

Adgemis said the decision to acquire The Maybe Group was well-thought, and that the opening of El Primo Sanchez proved to be a bit of a test run.

“We’ve had the deal on the table for over nine months which was more than enough time to make the decision to acquire The Maybe Group. Beyond being guest-first, our key priority at Public is culture and people, so making sure the groups worked well together throughout the process of opening El Primo Sanchez in Paddington was crucial.”

An alignment of group cultures and values was also crucial to the acquisition.

“When I first met with Martin, Vince, and Stefano, I knew our visions were aligned in providing experiences with

exceptional service that offer something different to neighbourhoods. El Primo Sanchez showcases how Public fuses with the experts in their field, The Maybe Group in this example, to establish something unlike anything else in the local area with excellence in food and drink service, and its success is a testament to that,” explains Adgemis.

Partnerships with other hospitality operators is a key strategy for Public, which collaborates with various groups throughout its venues, such as working with the Love Tilly Group to create the La Salut wine bar within The Norfolk Hotel.

“Our work with partners and collaborators sets us apart and has played a large role in Public’s rapid expansion. As we continue to grow, open new venues and bring on new partners and talent, we are laser focused on keeping our guest experiences our priority.”

(l-r) Vincenzo Lombardo, Martin Hudak and Stefano Catino of The Maybe Group, with Jon Adgemis of PUBLIC. Image by Steven Woodburn