The future outlook for the hospitality industry is a key focus for this year’s annual Hospitality New Zealand conference being held in Wellington at the Amora Hotel on 25 and 26 September, said Hospitality New Zealand Chief Executive Bruce Robertson.

Since the global financial crisis the expectation of our customers and the economic environment for hospitality businesses has changed forever. Mr Robertson said it was critical that hospitality businesses focussed on their future customers needs while keeping a wary eye on the economic and legislative operating environment.

This reflects the three key themes of this conference. The first is being relevant to the future customers’ needs, and includes a presentation from Australian commentator Michael McQueen, supported by a panel looking at sustainability and the modern consumer, with the panel including sustainability consultant Kat Dewar and well known restaurateur Steve Logan.

The legislative operating environment also plays an important part in the success or otherwise of hospitality businesses and commentary on this topic will come from Chris Tremain, Associate Minister of Tourism and Minister of Internal Affairs, and political commentator David Farrar. The outlook for the economy will be provided by Westpac’s Chief Economist Dominick Stephens.

Mr Robertson said that this conference was a great opportunity for hospitality businesses to think about their future and position themselves for success. Hospitality New Zealand might be celebrating its 110th anniversary, but this conference is all about the future, he said.