Showing their support for National Meetings Week, Conference Leeds highlighted careers in the hospitality industry this week in an event staged to raise the profile of the Meetings Industry.

Conference Leeds, in partnership with The Holiday Inn Leeds/Bradford, joined forces with pupils from Queensbury School Bradford, to encourage students to pursue careers in the meetings and hospitality industry. Students visited the Holiday Inn on Wednesday 17th October where they learnt about all aspects of conference and banqueting from the sales process through to kitchen operations.

Joining pupils on the day were Nicky Lockwood, Head of Conference Leeds and Sarah Jackson, Conference Officer at Conference Leeds and an ex pupil of Queensbury School who talked to the pupils about her further education and work since leaving school.

Nicky Lockwood said:
“This was an excellent opportunity to highlight to students the many varied, exciting and challenging opportunities that careers in the Meetings Industry can offer. Tourism is estimated to be worth £4.2 billion* to the Yorkshire economy and it is vital that we support careers initiatives like this if we are to see this industry grow and compete alongside other international destinations”

Nicky added:
“This is the start of the relationship which will see pupils studying for the BTEC 1st Diploma in Hospitality, they will visit the hotel on different occasions during the year to get an understanding of all aspects of hotel work and both Sarah and I are looking forward to working with these students in the year ahead.”

Students were greeted on the day by Natasha Edwards, Sales Manager at the Holiday Inn Leeds-Bradford who said:
“the hospitality industry is a great industry to work in – it’s a fast moving environment and no two days are the same. The students were impressed by the varied and challenging careers available in the hotel industry!”

Lynn Hurst of Queensbury School is working alongside Conference Leeds to encourage students to explore careers, said she is delighted to be given this chance to allow pupils studying for the diploma to gain ‘hands on’ practical experience within different aspects of the hospitality industry;

“We firmly believe that the success of the diploma relies heavily on giving students as much opportunity as possible to put into practice what they are taught in the classroom.”

The student themselves said they were amazed at the types of jobs on offer and were were keen to come back again and “get stuck in”. So impressed were they that a follow up event is being arranged so that the pupils can return and work on a live event – handling the event from set-up to meet and greet and serving the guests!


*ENDS*

Editors Notes:

National Meetings Week was launched and funded by Meetings & Incentive Travel in 2001 to promote the understanding of the financial value of the conference industry to the exchequer, to promote the effectiveness of meetings and events to the business community as a business tool, staff motivator and communications medium and to promote awareness of the meetings industry to the outside world.

The 7th annual National Meetings Week is organised by a cross-section of individuals and professional organisations at the heart of the industry. The projects focus on the £10 billion-a-year contribution that meetings make to the economy, the 1.78 million jobs supported the importance of delegate care, and the positive benefits which effective meetings bring to business communication and motivation.

*Statistics are based on estimates from Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire and Humber