Glasgow Copthorne joins Scottish wnterprise in final
The Glasgow Copthorne and Scottish Enterprise have won places in the finals of the National Caterer & Hotelkeeper Business Challenge.
The two teams came out top in the last set of regional finals, which were held at Napier University, Edinburgh, appropriately during the weekend following Burns Night.
Saturday saw the hottest challenge to date. During the first two quarters, only a few pounds separated the 12 teams competing. It was quarter three, the "summer", which brought the first decisive break, and it was the team from the Glasgow Copthorne - general manager Terry May, deputy general manager Ian Robertson, and financial controller Sylvia Matthews - that took the lead.
At the end of the first year, this team stayed ahead, even though they made a cumulative net loss of £15,000.
In second place, £74,000 behind, was the team from Glasgow College of Food & Technology: second-year HCIMA postgraduates Una Liddle, Raymond Liversidge and Jason Harvie.
In third position was an all-male team from the Forte Posthouse Preston: general manager Duncan Elphick; operations manager Martyn Allan and district personnel manager Brian Whittaker.
Lunch - a 30-minute break from the pressures of the challenge - saw lively interchange: colleges and commercial companies exchanging views; post-graduates securing summer jobs; and a degree of competitive information-sharing.
The afternoon got off to a lively start. At the end of each quarter, the leading margins were being reduced, the final positions only becoming clear in the last quarter.
The Glasgow Copthorne team held on to its first-year lead by a narrow margin. In second place, closing the gap each quarter, was the Forte Posthouse team, and third place went to the team from Glasgow College of Food & Technology.
Early leaders on Sunday were the home team from Napier, the Hotcat Heroes - Andy Yates, Pamela Lesslie, Janet McCormack - and the Elite from the East team from Scottish Enterprise: head of tourism Eddie Brogan, senior development executive Roddy Georgeson, and tourism training manager Ann McAvoy.
The second year saw a buoyant market and teams constantly changed positions. However, another team from Scottish Enterprise, made up of tourism training associates Jim O'Connor, Ewan Campbell and Ian Hunt, led for most of the year, their leading margin being eroded quarter by quarter. They were, however, to hold on to their lead for the day, their industry roles providing the experience to stay cool under pressure. They provide business development and human resources advice for industry in Scotland.
In second place was John T's A Team, from the Old England Hotel: general manager John Tiscornia, financial controller John Sinclair and kitchen manager Andrew Hipwell.
The Hotcat Heroes from Napier University were unable to hold their early lead, but showed great resilience and competitive edge, ending up in third place.
The Glasgow Copthorne and the team from Scottish Enterprise now join the nine other successful teams to compete in the national finals to take place in the spring - watch out for details.
They compete for the National Caterer & Hotelkeeper Business Challenge Trophy, three magnums of Moët & Chandon 250th Anniversary Cuvée and a trip to Epernay, all funded by the competition sponsor, Moët & Chandon.
